Secretary

What Qualifications do you Need to Become a Secretary?

It depends on the field you would like to specialise in. There’s no specific qualification needed to become a secretary. However, a certificate or diploma could open many doors for you. All that’s required of you is that you have the skills to back it up. You can enroll in any finance, management or secretary course to help you get your foot in the door. Skills Academy offers quality education via distance learning. 

What Skills do you Need to Become a Secretary?

To become a professional in this line of work, you need a combination of technical and soft skills. Both will prepare you to perform your daily duties. 

Soft Skills

As a Secretary, you will need many soft skills that will make your job easier. These soft skills are heavily communication based. Here’s the soft skills every secretary needs:

• Communication and listening
• Problem-solving
• Critical thinking
• Leadership
• Time management
• Emotional intelligence

Technical Skills

Every Secretary needs a good set of technical skills to help them perform their daily duties. Don’t have them? You can easily pick up the following skills with enough practice. 

• Managing communication via email and telephone
• Accessing and using the internet
• Filing and bookkeeping
• Computer literacy
• Microsoft operating systems

How can you Find a Secretary Job?

When looking for a job it is important to make sure you meet the requirements. There are three main categories recruiters are looking for. They look for people who meet the requirements in terms of skills, experience and education. 

Experience

When recruiters are looking for people with experience, they don’t want to invest time in training people to make them equipped for the job. For secretary jobs, it is important that you have some type of experience performing administrative or clerical tasks. The best way to build up experience is to apply for lower level jobs, internships or even volunteer. 

Skills 

Want to know what skills are required for secretary jobs? Look at the classifieds and make a list of the ones that feature in almost every listing. Don’t meet the requirements? Not to worry. You can always learn the skills you currently don’t have. The best way to build skills is to enrol in a course. At Skills Academy we offer numerous secretary and receptionist courses to help you.

Education 

This will vary from industry to the company you’re applying for. Some recruiters may look for people with certificates, diplomas, or even as little as matric. If you don’t meet the requirements in the other two categories, a qualification would do you good. We offer courses that help you gain transferable skills you can use in any industry.

Reasons to Become a Secretary 

Almost every business needs a secretary to perform clerical duties or handle client communications. This means that you can explore your options in the job markets. Not convinced yet? Here follows a few reasons you should consider becoming a secretary.

You’ll be the Face of the Company

You will be the first and last person people see when they enter or exit the building. Therefore, you will be considered the face of the company. How you interact with visitors will leave a lasting impression on them. They may even judge your company based on the interaction they’ve had with you. Make sure they will remember you for the good.

Earn a Respectable Income

Looking to make a respectable living doing what you love? You will be pleased to know that the average secretary earns R12 000 per month. Your level of experience, daily duties, and seniority will all have an impact on your salary.

A Chance to Gain More Skills

Secretaries are highly skilled individuals. They are the ones other people tend to look for when they are facing a problem. Depending on how technologically advanced the company they work for is, they’re expected to embrace new gadgets and other changes. They constantly have to adapt to changes and they’re always learning something new.

 Where can Secretaries Find Work?

Every company, no matter how big or small, needs someone who does admin support. Therefore, a Secretary can find jobs in just about industry. It is important for them to figure out which industry best matches their skills and personality. Secretaries can find work in the following fields:

Schools 

If you can mulit-task and have a good set of clerical skills, this is the job for you. A school secretary’s duties include making sure the school has enough resources to function and handles all lines of communication. 

Law Offices

Want to be part of something that could possibly change someone’s life for the better? Becoming a Legal Secretary might be your best bet. Daily responsibilities include writing legal documents, filing, and handling all lines of communication. 

Hotels

If you have a warm and friendly personality, this should be a path to consider. As a hotel secretary, you will automatically be the face of the hotel. Your daily duties will include greeting guests, issuing room keys to them, and answering all incoming calls.

Hospitals

For this you need great communication skills and a keen eye for detail. Their days revolve around talking to patients and suppliers. Hospital secretaries are responsible for admit patients to hospitals, file medical records and order medical supplies.