Have you ever giving a thought to become a secretary? Well, if you really want to choose this career, you should brace yourselves falling head to toes to brand your own image. There is nothing wrong with secretarial works or duties. If professionally committed, the career should offer you the same challenges as any other profession.
Formerly, an organization reduces the role of secretary as a stereotyped apple-cheeked woman in a pencil skirt seen on TV shows who does as they are told when they are told. In so doing, a secretary is often assigned to menial tasks such as screen calls, arrange meetings, manage calendars, type dictation, running errands and making coffee.
While in fact, in today’s changing world, such traditional role is ever transforming and evolving as well. Long gone are the days when secretaries now commonly known as personal assistant were just expected to type and answer the phone. Nowadays, executive secretaries are the gatekeeper to a top ranking executive in a business or establishment. They are their right hand and confidante. Secretaries’ vital role is to ensure the business runs smoothly on a day-to-day basis; managing the scheduling insanity and keep the wheels turning. They should be able to handle task with excellent organizing skill and thinking at least a step ahead of the game, as well as being a great communicator just like in a game of chess.
Today’s executives even have taken the game into the next level. They require executive secretaries inside a boardroom doing more than just taking minutes. They should also required to spend time correlating activities for the executive outside of the office. Secretaries are responsible for making travel arrangements for their boss. This involves scheduling flights, making hotel arrangements and scheduling car service. It is essential for them to remember dates, numbers, appointments and many other tasks that must be orchestrated within the shortest possible time. They are expected to have the memory of an elephant and a brain of a sponge.
Further, the position requires them be always be ready for more duties at any given day. Their phones should always be stand by for twenty hours a day on any given day. She should stay in the office for as long as the boss is there. When the boss calls for her, she should drop everything she might be doing and rush to attend to him. Oh yes, the chores seem limitless and timeless. Others joke that secretary is called the boss’ “glorified servant” at office.
Unfortunately, vital as it might seem their role, the organization often unconsciously does not bother to improve their skills and career outside the role. It has low expectations on the profession except the traditional role assigned to the profession These are a few of the things other office workers take for granted, but from which secretaries cannot benefit:
1. Career. Many organizations still draw incorrect assumptions secretaries are not bright, thus having few skills outside administrative areas. They cling to the image of traditional secretaries of typing and answering phones; reinforcing the marginalization of the profession. Thereby, they are trapped in the position forever, impossible to cross over another area. The only way up is being executive secretary to top executives.
2. Competency. Secretaries will not usually get any workplace training or organization support for courses unless you want to do something related to secretarial work.
3. Secretaries’ peripheral role, in most cases, will not enable them to learn enough to be able to rise through the ranks. They often will remain as low-skilled worker and will miss the benefits of being a highly skilled worker with negotiating power and able to choose the kind of work they want to do.
Realizing the importance of secretary role, it is time for any organization to reevaluate and reassess their policies over this issue. Secretaries are more than just glorified servants. They should be entitled the same benefits as any other employees. They should be given the chance to improve their competency outside their areas so that they are competitive and not trapped in the same position for eternity.
Formerly, an organization reduces the role of secretary as a stereotyped apple-cheeked woman in a pencil skirt seen on TV shows who does as they are told when they are told. In so doing, a secretary is often assigned to menial tasks such as screen calls, arrange meetings, manage calendars, type dictation, running errands and making coffee.
While in fact, in today’s changing world, such traditional role is ever transforming and evolving as well. Long gone are the days when secretaries now commonly known as personal assistant were just expected to type and answer the phone. Nowadays, executive secretaries are the gatekeeper to a top ranking executive in a business or establishment. They are their right hand and confidante. Secretaries’ vital role is to ensure the business runs smoothly on a day-to-day basis; managing the scheduling insanity and keep the wheels turning. They should be able to handle task with excellent organizing skill and thinking at least a step ahead of the game, as well as being a great communicator just like in a game of chess.
Today’s executives even have taken the game into the next level. They require executive secretaries inside a boardroom doing more than just taking minutes. They should also required to spend time correlating activities for the executive outside of the office. Secretaries are responsible for making travel arrangements for their boss. This involves scheduling flights, making hotel arrangements and scheduling car service. It is essential for them to remember dates, numbers, appointments and many other tasks that must be orchestrated within the shortest possible time. They are expected to have the memory of an elephant and a brain of a sponge.
Further, the position requires them be always be ready for more duties at any given day. Their phones should always be stand by for twenty hours a day on any given day. She should stay in the office for as long as the boss is there. When the boss calls for her, she should drop everything she might be doing and rush to attend to him. Oh yes, the chores seem limitless and timeless. Others joke that secretary is called the boss’ “glorified servant” at office.
Unfortunately, vital as it might seem their role, the organization often unconsciously does not bother to improve their skills and career outside the role. It has low expectations on the profession except the traditional role assigned to the profession These are a few of the things other office workers take for granted, but from which secretaries cannot benefit:
1. Career. Many organizations still draw incorrect assumptions secretaries are not bright, thus having few skills outside administrative areas. They cling to the image of traditional secretaries of typing and answering phones; reinforcing the marginalization of the profession. Thereby, they are trapped in the position forever, impossible to cross over another area. The only way up is being executive secretary to top executives.
2. Competency. Secretaries will not usually get any workplace training or organization support for courses unless you want to do something related to secretarial work.
3. Secretaries’ peripheral role, in most cases, will not enable them to learn enough to be able to rise through the ranks. They often will remain as low-skilled worker and will miss the benefits of being a highly skilled worker with negotiating power and able to choose the kind of work they want to do.
Realizing the importance of secretary role, it is time for any organization to reevaluate and reassess their policies over this issue. Secretaries are more than just glorified servants. They should be entitled the same benefits as any other employees. They should be given the chance to improve their competency outside their areas so that they are competitive and not trapped in the same position for eternity.
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