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Job Description
- Responsible for supporting high-level executives and management or entire departments. Provides administrative support and performs numerous duties, including scheduling, writing correspondence, emailing, handling visitors, routing callers, and answering questions and requests.
Primary responsibilities
- Provide administrative and clerical support to departments or individuals.
- Schedule meetings and arrange conference rooms.
- Alert manager about cancellations or new meetings.
- Manage travel and schedule.
- Handle information requests.
- Prepare correspondence and stuff mail into envelopes.
- Arrange for outgoing mail and packages to be picked up.
- Prepare statistical reports.
- Manage spreadsheets.
- Greet and receive visitor.
- Prepare confidential and sensitive documents.
- Coordinates office management activities.
- Determine matters of top priority and handle accordingly.
- Prepare agenda for meetings.
- Takes and transcribes dictation.
- Helps prepare office budget.
- Plans events and volunteer activities.
- Maintain office procedures.
- Coordinate travel arrangements; prepares itineraries; prepares, compiles and maintains travel vouchers and records.
- Operate office equipment, such as photocopy machine and scanner.
- Coordinate committees and task forces.
- Relay directives, instructions and assignment to executives.
- Receive and relay telephone messages.
- Direct the general public to the appropriate staff member.
- Maintain hard copy and electronic filing system.
Job Requirements
Education and Training
- Although a high school graduate usually qualifies for an entry-level secretarial position, many organizations prefer or require that an executive secretary have a bachelor’s degree.
- College courses for this position include business English, mathematical literacy, computer graphics, business accounting, corporate communications, human resources management, presentation skills and extensive training in software applications, spreadsheets and word processing.
- An executive secretary may also receive training in video conferencing, phone systems and database management.
- Specialized training may be necessary for executive secretaries in some industries such as law or health care.
Interpersonal Skills
- An executive secretary deals with many people from all levels of an organization as well as visitors, business associates and competitors.
- A pleasant and friendly personality is critical in this position. Other interpersonal skills such as patience, tact and the ability to maintain composure are also valuable.
- Good communication skills, both verbal and written, are a basic requirement for an executive secretary.
- In some organizations, especially those that do business internationally, a second language may also be a useful or even a required skill.
Organization and Coordination
- Organizational abilities are vital for an executive secretary, who must often manage paper and electronic files, databases and a variety of other projects.
- In addition to personal projects, the executive secretary may also be responsible for managing the files, databases and projects of one or more executives.
- These activities need good coordination and the executive secretary must be able to be assertive but polite in the face of conflicting demands.
- If an executive secretary serves multiple people, she must be able to adapt to different work and communication styles.
Other Characteristics
- The executive secretary should have a strong sense of responsibility and might need to put in extra hours, depending on job demands.
- Autonomy must be balanced with teamwork, particularly if the secretary supports more than one executive.
- An executive secretary should be able to work with minimal supervision and direction.
- Although it is not a requirement for most positions, some executive secretaries choose to become certified in their field to demonstrate commitment, education and skill levels to prospective employers.
