Secretary Waterloo IA

Secretaries used to be responsible for taking dictation, typing, and mailing letters. However, technology and word processing have greatly changed the secretarial duties and responsibilities. Secretaries, also referred to as administrative assistants or associates, are now responsible for a much wider range of duties.

One such task or duty that secretaries perform is making travel arrangements, which can involve reserving the flight and making car rental and hotel reservations. One way to accomplish this is to do a search on the Internet to find the best deal for the company. Many large companies have a department that takes care of these kind of tasks and all the secretary has to do in this case is contact that particular department and provide all pertinent information.

Meeting arrangements is another task that secretaries normally perform. This may involve putting together the agenda as well as printing and distributing it. It is not uncommon to have beverages and snacks during a meeting. These arrangements would also be setup by the administrative assistant. Additionally, the associate/secretary generally makes sure that any projectors needed for presentations, or any other materials are all ready in time for the meeting. Taking notes during the meeting and typing a memorandum afterward are also considered secretarial duties.

Furthermore, other duties may include ordering supplies, keeping the supervisor’s schedule, generating and disseminating reports as well as setting up conference calls.
Overseeing inventory and office equipment maintenance are still other duties that secretaries often either perform themselves or are responsible for contacting the corresponding department.

Confidentiality is at the top of the successful secretary’s list. The secretary or administrative assistant often has access to sensitive information involving the department, his or her boss, or the company. It is very unprofessional for an associate to discuss information involving others in the department or information that should only be shared at department meetings.

The second important quality needed by a secretary is resourcefulness. Secretaries or Administrative Assistants need the ability to solve problems on their own rather than going to their supervisor with trivial matters. He or she knows whom to contact to get answers and results while at the same time staying within his or her decision-making boundaries.

Thirdly, dependability is still another quality needed by a secretary. It is essential that she meets deadlines and keeps the department going when the manager is away on business. Failure to do this will reflect negatively on the supervisor as well as the company. Clients may be lost because of a secretary’s lack of dependability.
Additionally, other important qualities needed by administrative assistants or secretaries are the ability to work independently, being discreet, a team player, energetic, as well as being a people person.

Secretarial jobs are abundant. Unfortunately, the competition can be stiff at times. One way to increase your possibilities of being hired is to place your resume on online job boards. Hiring employers often frequent these boards and contact potential candidates.

If you are leery about placing your resume online, there are other avenues. Of course, you can always look through newspaper-wanted ads. You can also look up employment sites online. There is no need to post any personal information at these sites. You can often do a search by area or town, industry, or even salary range. Once you find a position that you may potentially be interested in, you may submit your resume. You will be given instructions on how to apply.

Temporary agencies have become a monopoly in many U.S. cities. This can be something positive for the applicant. Temporary agencies generally have contracts with hiring companies. Whenever the company needs an employee, the company contacts the agency and the agency will match potential candidates with interviews. The hiring manager has the ultimate decision on whether a candidate meets the requirements or not. The applicant may be hired on a temporary basis, normally for 90 days. At the end of the 90-day period, the temporary employee may be hired on a permanent basis, which means that the employee will be put on the company’s payroll and qualify for benefits. It is important to understand that applicants generally do not pay any fees to the temporary agency. No fees will be taken out of your paycheck.

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