A secretary is an important position that requires a great deal of skill. Often the first point of contact for employees and clients, secretaries are responsible for scheduling meetings, taking minutes, filing, and managing communications. The responsibilities may vary by employer or industry but the role is generally the same - to provide administrative support to their team.
Secretaries are in charge of many different tasks, from answering phone calls to filing paperwork. Secretaries also schedule meetings and keep a record of them in a notebook or a calendar. Secretaries don't do anything without talking to the people involved first. It's the job of secretaries to know what's going on at all times.
The job requires high levels of multitasking, organizational skills, problem-solving abilities, and much more. It might not be an exciting job title, but it's a much needed one in many companies!
Do you need to study to be a secretary?
Although matric students often qualify for entry-level receptionist or secretary jobs, having a degree or certificate can give an applicant an advantage over others by showing their training in office management, database management and basic computer skills, including competence with spreadsheet, database and word processing software. These skills are essential for the role.
A bachelor’s degree is usually not required for general office positions but would be required for executive secretarial positions if you've not already worked your way up in the company.
A bachelor's degree is often necessary for specific industries such as the medical or law industry.
A bachelor’s degree certainly does increase your chances of getting hired.
An office administration, personal assistant, receptionist course or related is often required in order to become a secretary.
You can find out which institutions offer these courses here.
