The Secretary is responsible for administrative support to management, receiving and handling information, and organizing administrative duties.

Primary Responsibilities:

• The Secretary is in charge of preparing and managing correspondence, reports and documents.
• The Secretary is the one who must organize and coordinate meetings, conferences and travel arrangements for their executive.
• The Secretary is responsible to take type and distribute minutes of meetings.
• The Secretary is responsible to maintain schedules and calendars.
• The Secretary handles mail and other important materials for her executive.

The Secretary has many important duties that require her hands on application. It is difficult for the Secretary to delegate jobs as she is the one in most cases has been delegated the jobs that she is doing. Many times the Secretary is used as the liaison with internal and external contacts which takes her own personal touch. The Secretary must maintain and coordinate the flow of information both internally and externally. The Secretary must be able to operate all the office equipment and manage the office space.

In order to be a Secretary relevant training or qualifications are required before an employer will consider you for the position. The Secretary must have full knowledge and experience in software applications, spreadsheets, word processing and database management. The Secretary is required to have knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures. The Secretary must have knowledge of business principles.

Among the many talents that a Secretary must possess are those of being proficient in spelling, grammar, punctuation and other English language skills. In some companies the Secretary is required to know a second language fluently. That is she must be able to speak and write in the second language in a proper manner. She needs to be able to produce correspondence and documents (in second language if required). The Secretary is required to have proven experience in communication management. The Secretary of today needs many skills and should attend a community college in order to learn some of the vital components of her job requirement.

The Secretary needs to be mindful that she is handling information that is to be held in confidence. She may not reveal the information to anyone other than the ones in her own circle of colleagues. The Secretary must be able to pay attention to detail and she is often put in charge of time management from her own department. A good Secretary has interpersonal skills that show a very hospital personality towards customers and fellow coworkers. She is reliable showing that you can depend on her to be punctual not only to work but to other commitments in regards to the company functions.

Many Secretaries are put in charge of company parties and gatherings for the employee’s. Often she is in charge of customer-service orientation and will at times send the customers memos and news about the company or products. Since the Secretary is in charge of information she also must be able to coordinate the flow of information both internally and externally. She will set appointments, schedule events and keep the calendar up to date for her administrator. The Secretary usually sets up the filing system and keeps it maintained.

The position of Secretary is very important and requires a lot of knowledge in different areas of the business from the product to the financial end. She must be able to meet the requirements set forth by her superiors and still be able to do the demanding duties of her job position. The Secretary does not need a four year college degree but it is wise to go to your local community college and take courses that will be useful to her job position. Some of the courses that are very useful for the Secretary are:

• Computer Lab courses
• English in Grammar Skills
• Second Language
• Accounting
• Communication Skills

Your community college will be more than glad to suggest to you some courses that they offer that will help you to secure a good Secretarial career. Many major companies often hire their Secretaries from the local community colleges. There are Secretarial Groups that you can join as well to find a good position as a Secretary. Many top executives value a good Secretary and are willing to pay a good salary to anyone who has the skills to hold this position.