Imagine your work day assisting your supervisor(s), who is implementing company policy and business practices, making profit/loss decisions, conducting meetings, coordinating calendar appointments, and managing day-to-day personnel and business issues. Your supervisor depends on you to coordinate their schedules, make their travel arrangements, make meeting arrangements, type and compose their correspondence, screen and return their phone calls and sometimes take care of their private appointments and business matters.  All of these tasks require an organized, self-confident individual with a high regard for confidentiality and detail.

 

The foundation for a successful assistant is knowledge in basic secretarial practices, such as business etiquette (telephone manners, business entertaining, social responsibilities), records management, basic accounting, business correspondence styles and formatting, and various computer applications. Courses in Business Fundamentals, Accounting Fundamentals, Communication in the Workplace, Composition I, Business Law Principles as well as courses teaching current word processing and spreadsheet software are excellent college course choices. I have also found that employers are very excited to hire assistants with speed writing or shorthand skills, as this has become somewhat of a lost art.

 

I found that the following aides are invaluable in my day-to-day work: “The Word Book II” (quick reference guide to the most frequently used and troublesome words), the Grammar Hotline Number in my Rolodex, and the Internet. In planning a recent meeting, the company entertained overseas visitors. There were cultural differences and etiquette that needed to be researched. The Internet was an excellent tool for this situation.

 

Working part-time while attending school is an excellent way to acquire on-the-job training for your career. I would recommend looking for office clerical positions to acquire clerical skills such as phone etiquette, filing, scheduling appointments and communicating with the public.

 

Choosing an administrative assistant/secretarial career is rewarding and can leave you with a great feeling  at the end of the day knowing that you helped other colleagues  achieve their goals.