A secretary, personal assistant, or administrative assistant is a person, whose primary role consists supporting executives by using a variety of project management, communication or organisational skills. In other situations such as ad-hoc project teams, social clubs, and committees, a secretary is an officer who deals with correspondence, admits new members, and organises official meetings and events.
Today, more and more secretaries are being referred to as executive secretaries, personal assistants or administrative assistants. Their duties have also gone beyond typing and taking notes through shorthand. Some make reports and even train others while others work in specialised fields such as medicine or law. Though medical secretaries help doctors keep track of patients’ records, legal secretaries work closely with lawyers. However, both medical and legal secretaries need special training to deliver on their jobs.
Secretaries have many administrative duties that are traditionally related to handling correspondence, making appointments, filing, writing letters, taking shorthand, and answering phone calls. Typically, secretaries use variety of electronic office equipment such as computers, audio transcription machines, and copiers, among others. Other duties may extend to managing budgets, bookkeeping, maintaining websites, and making travel arrangements. Executives often ask their assistant to take minutes at meetings and prepare meeting documents for review.
Essentially, being a secretary requires that you have excellent computer skills. This means you should be able to type fast and accurately (at least 45words a minute) and be familiar with a variety of software programmes. You must have a deep understanding of the English language with good diction to complement it. You must also be presentable. Good manners are a must!
Secretarial, administrative or personal assistant jobs are almost always available especially as there is a constant need to replace those who move to other occupations. Excellent Job opportunities exist for well-qualified and experienced secretaries, and career growth is almost a certainty.
S is also for Salary (and how to negotiate)
Salary negotiation happens to everyone at some time in their careers. It can be a difficult task, and usually everyone involved is uncomfortable.
There is no ‘proper’ or standard way to ask for salary increase. You can write, discuss informally, discuss with colleagues and hope your boss gets to hear, drop hints to test the water, and ask the boss politely. You can also demand firmly, go over your line manager’s head, or threaten to resign if you are a risk taker.
It is important to always to recognise the difference between the value of the role you are performing and your value as an individual. The two are not the same.
Below are some techniques and tips to guide you through this process:
- Focus on developing your value to the employer and the industry, rather than simply trying to achieve higher reward for what you are already doing.
- If changing jobs, the best time to negotiate salary is after receiving a job offer, and before you accept it. The employer’s initial offer will be based on their own budget and internal salary reference steps /points.
- Knowing relative industry salary scales helps you make objective assessment of situations, avoid any discussions bothering on your opinions or emotions.
- The better you convince the employer that you are the best person for the job, the more likely you are to do well when it comes to negotiating the package.
- If asked before or during the interview to confirm your salary expectations, give a broad indication at the top of the salary range for similar roles.
- Do not allow the negotiator to set, suggest or argue for a salary level based on your previous one (assuming its lower). It’s not relevant.
- You do not need to give a rushed answer whether to accept their offer just because they’d like one. Take a day or two to mull over the figure offered and how it will affect your finances.
- During the negotiation be sure to maintain a positive and committed view towards the prospective new company and the job. It’s important to be fair and right with people, even while negotiating.
- While acknowledging the appeal of the opportunity, conduct your discussions professionally, firmly, confidently, and remember you have a responsibility to yourself to achieve the best ‘price’ for what you can do in your particular job market.