Career

S-E-C-R-E-T-A-R-Y

Job description
A secretary or administrator provides clerical and administrative support, either as a team or individually. They are often also responsible for specific projects, as well as co-ordinating and implementing office procedures. In some cases, they will oversee junior staff.


Secretarial/administrative work has changed significantly over the years, and the role varies greatly depending on sector, the size of the employer and levels of responsibility. Most work involves communication and word processing skills, and within specialist fields such as law, many secretaries/administrators are required to have relevant, high-level qualifications.
The role also overlaps with that of personal assistant.


TYPICAL WORK ACTIVITIES


Most secretaries/administrators will undertake typical work tasks: general word processing, dealing with telephone and email enquiries, creating and maintaining filing systems, keeping diaries and taking appointments for staff.


Depending on the sector, the role could also include any of the following:

1. using a variety of software packages to produce correspondence and documents, and maintain presentations, spreadsheets and databases;
2. devising and maintaining office systems;
3. booking rooms;
4. using content management systems to maintain and update websites and internal databases;
5. arranging meetings, taking minutes and keeping notes;
6. invoicing;
7. looking after budgets;
8. liaising with members of staff in other departments or external contacts;
   
9. ordering and maintaining stationery and equipment supplies;
   
10. using shorthand and audio tapes or copytyping to produce letters;
11. organising and storing paperwork, documents and computer-based information.
    

Other duties may include:

• recruiting and training junior staff, and delegating work as required;
• manipulating complex statistical data;
  
• travelling with the team or manager to take notes at meetings, take dictation and provide general assistance with presentations;
  
• arranging travel and accommodation;
  
• arranging both in-house and external events.
  
  SALARY AND CONDITONS
  
• Annual and performance-related bonuses can be found in some sectors.
  
• Working hours are typically nine to five, possibly with some extra hours.
  
• Work is almost entirely office-based.
  
• Interim, part-time and temporary roles are common. Career breaks are possible if skills, especially IT, are maintained.
  
• Self-employment/freelance work is unlikely.
  
• Jobs are available in all areas with widespread opportunities.
  
• In accordance with tradition, the majority of secretarial jobs are still held by women.
  
• The support nature of the role means that project contribution may not always be recognised, which can be frustrating. In some companies, the job title itself is limiting with less recognition for comparable work, despite equal qualifications.
  
• The job can be stressful at times, since the work is always focused on the needs of the manager or team. Deadlines can be imposed suddenly, demanding flexibility and occasionally the need to work extra hours to complete tasks.
  
• Travel within a working day, absence from home at night, and overseas work or travel are all uncommon.
  
  

  NOTE: 45 WPM
  
  

  ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
  
• Potential candidates will need to show evidence of the following:
  organisational skills;
  
• the ability to plan your own work, work on your own initiative and to deadlines;
  
• the ability to manage pressure and conflicting demands, and prioritise tasks;
  
• oral and written communication skills;
  tact and discretion;
  
• a pleasant, confident telephone manner;
  
• teamwork;
  
• reliability and honesty;
  
• project management skills.

Knowledge of another common business language such as French or Japanese may boost potential earnings.

A good way of gaining experience or getting a first job as a secretary or administrator is by temping through an agency, and this often leads to permanent positions. If you do not have much previous experience, a temping job will be an opportunity to try different sorts of secretarial or administrative work and help you decide what aspects you find particularly enjoyable and the sort of employer or sector you would like to work with.

Competition is not usually severe, although it depends on the area of employment. The demand for skilled, experienced staff remains high. Exact requirements for particular typing speeds and knowledge will vary from vacancy to vacancy depending on the nature of the post, but a minimum typing speed of 45wpm is normally required. Agencies are a common way of gaining jobs in this occupation, but applying directly to organisations that appeal to you can be effective.

Employers regard experience very highly in this field of work, so mature entry is not generally a problem.

It is illegal for employers to discriminate against candidates on the grounds of age, gender, race, disability, sexual orientation or religious faith. For more information on equality and diversity in the job market and how to handle discrimination see the AGCAS publication, Handling Discrimination.

There are a number of ways in which your career could develop. You may wish to specialise in one industry or area, such as legal or medical secretarial work, or become a personal assistant to a company director or other senior manager. Alternatively, you could choose to use your organisational skills as an office manager, co-ordinating the work of others within a department or organisation.

It is possible in some sectors, in charities or property for example, to move up through internal vacancies and opportunities, so working in admin in a sector that you are interested in can be a good 'foot in the door'. However, some informal evidence suggests that the job title itself can be a barrier to, or limit the scope of, career development. Some people choose to emphasise aspects of their jobs in order to progress to the next level, whilst others have been tempted to change their job title to the more ambiguous 'executive' to prevent what they describe subjectively as prejudice against the job title.