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Financial ServicesISCO 4120

Secretary

A secretary is a person who carries out the range of administrative tasks that keep an organisation running smoothly.

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Rate 5 of the 21 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.

use spreadsheets software

file documents

organise business documents

monitor staff absences

process commissioned instructions

About secretary

The duties of a secretary include handling the telephone and the diary. The secretary answers calls, takes messages, keeps diaries, arranges appointments, and organises and services meetings, which means preparing the room and the papers, checking attendance and recording what was decided. The secretary drafts and sends emails on behalf of the office and processes instructions passed on by others.

The secretary also files and catalogues documents, manages electronic documents and manages databases, works in an office software suite for the writing, the spreadsheets and the presentations, and fills in forms. The secretary distributes internal communications to the people who need them and monitors staff absences.

The secretary follows company policies on who may see a document, how long records are kept and what must not leave the office. Discretion is therefore part of the job description. The role calls for working in Microsoft Office programs. Formal requirements are set by the employer.

European Skills Framework

Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.

Essential (21)

company policiescompany policiesThe set of rules that govern the activity of a company.use spreadsheets softwareuse spreadsheets softwareUse software tools to create and edit tabular data to carry out mathematical calculations, organise data and information, create diagrams based on data and to retrieve them.disseminate internal communicationsdisseminate internal communicationsDisseminate internal communications using the different communication channels that a company has at its disposal.maintain internal communication systemsmaintain internal communication systemsMaintain an effective internal communication system among employees and department managers.file documentsfile documentsCreate a filing system. Write a document catalogue. Label documents etc.organise business documentsorganise business documentsPut together documents coming from the photocopier, the mail, or the daily operations of businesses.monitor staff absencesmonitor staff absencesKeep an overview of the employees's vacations, sick leaves and absences, register these in the agenda and file the necessary documents and certificates.keep task recordskeep task recordsOrganise and classify records of prepared reports and correspondence related to the performed work and progress records of tasks.process commissioned instructionsprocess commissioned instructionsProcess instructions, usually oral ones, provided by managers and directives on actions required to be made. Take note, inquire, and take action on the commissioned requests.handle mailhandle mailHandle mail considering data protection issues, health and safety requirements, and specifications of different kinds of mail.perform office routine activitiesperform office routine activitiesProgram, prepare, and perform activities required to be performed everyday in offices such as mailing, receiving supplies, updating managers and employees, and keeping operations running smoothly.manage personnel agendamanage personnel agendaSchedule and confirm appointments for the personnel of the office, mostly managers and directive employees, with external parties.use word processing softwareuse word processing softwareUse computer software applications for composition, editing, formatting, and printing of any sort of written material.disseminate messages to peopledisseminate messages to peopleReceive, process, and pass messages to people coming from phone calls, faxes, postal, and emails.fill out formsfill out formsFill out forms of a different nature with accurate information, legible calligraphy, and within a timely manner.manage digital documentsmanage digital documentsManage various data formats and files by naming, publishing, transforming and sharing files and documents and transforming file formats.organise facilities for office personnelorganise facilities for office personnelManage the booking schedule for conferences and meetings of internal or external nature. Shop around and book reservations for travelling or hosting for office personnel.communicate schedules to the people concernedcommunicate schedules to the people concernedConvey relevant scheduling information. Present the schedule to the persons concerned, and inform them of any schedule changes. Approve the schedules and verify that everyone has understood the inform...communicate by telephonecommunicate by telephoneLiaise via telephone by making and answering calls in a timely, professional and polite manner.draft corporate emailsdraft corporate emailsPrepare, compile, and write mails with the adequate information and an appropriate language to make internal or external communications.use microsoft officeuse microsoft officeUse the standard programs contained in Microsoft Office. Create a document and do basic formatting, insert page breaks, create headers or footers, and insert graphics, create automatically generated t...
Optional (20) — show
education laweducation lawThe area of law and legislation that concerns education policies and the people working in the sector in an (inter)national context, such as teachers, students, and administrators.accounting techniquesaccounting techniquesThe techniques of recording and summarising business and financial transactions and analysing, verifying, and reporting the results.labour lawlabour lawThe field of law that is concerned with the regulation of the relationship between employers, employees, trade unions, and the government.education administrationeducation administrationThe processes related to the administrative areas of an education institution, its director, employees, and students.liaise with typistsliaise with typistsGive instructions to typists about the addressees, the appropriate format, the number of copies required, etc. for them to type the final documents.manage budgetsmanage budgetsPlan, monitor, report on the budget and prepare set production budgets.manage needs for stationery itemsmanage needs for stationery itemsWatch, analyse, and provide sufficient and required stationery items for business facilities to run operations smoothly.organise travel arrangements for stafforganise travel arrangements for staffPlan all arrangements for business travels including preparing schedules and booking transportation, dinners and accommodation.demonstrate professional attitude to clientsdemonstrate professional attitude to clientsDemonstrate responsibility and professional duty of care to clients which will include communication skills and a focus of customer care orientation.place orders for printed paper goodsplace orders for printed paper goodsCommunicate with suppliers and place orders for printed paper goods such as newspapers, magazines, books and stationery products for the store.write meeting reportswrite meeting reportsWrite complete reports based on minutes taken during a meeting in order to communicate the important points which were discussed, and the decisions which were made, to the appropriate people.handle petty cashhandle petty cashHandle petty cash for minor expenses and transactions required for the daily running of a business.develop documentation in accordance with legal requirementsdevelop documentation in accordance with legal requirementsCreate professionally written content describing products, applications, components, functions or services in compliance with legal requirements and internal or external standards.use office systemsuse office systemsMake appropriate and timely use of office systems used in business facilities depending on the aim, whether for the collection of messages, client information storage, or agenda scheduling. It include...manage online contentmanage online contentEnsure the website content is up to date, organised, attractive and meets the target audience needs, the requirements of the company and international standards by checking the links, setting the publ...deliver correspondencedeliver correspondenceDistribute mail correspondence, newspapers, packages and private messages to customers.manage accountsmanage accountsManage the accounts and financial activities of an organisation, supervising that all the documents are correctly maintained, that all the information and calculations are correct, and that proper dec...issue sales invoicesissue sales invoicesPrepare the invoice of goods sold or services provided, containing individual prices, the total charge, and the terms. Complete order processing for orders received via telephone, fax and internet and...handle financial transactionshandle financial transactionsAdminister currencies, financial exchange activities, deposits as well as company and voucher payments. Prepare and manage guest accounts and take payments by cash, credit card and debit card.use personal organization softwareuse personal organization softwareUse software tools, such as calendars, to-do lists, time-tracking, contact lists, to help in managing personal efficiency.

Related Occupations

Occupations that need many of the same essential skills, so the move between them is shortest.

administrative assistant14 shared essential skillsoffice clerk13 shared essential skillsexecutive assistant8 shared essential skillsmanagement assistant7 shared essential skillsmarketing assistant6 shared essential skillsreceptionist5 shared essential skillsfile clerk4 shared essential skillsinvestment clerk4 shared essential skills

Frequently asked questions

What does a secretary do?

Secretaries perform a variety of administrative tasks to help keep an organisation run smoothly. They answer telephone calls, draft and send e-mails, maintain diaries, arrange appointments, take messages, file documents, organise and service meetings, and manage databases.

What skills does a secretary need?

A secretary needs 21 essential skills, including company policies, use spreadsheets software, disseminate internal communications, maintain internal communication systems, file documents.

Will AI replace secretary jobs?

The AI disruption score for secretary is 74/100 (high risk). Skills most exposed to automation: monitor staff absences, use word processing software, fill out forms. Most resilient: demonstrate professional attitude to clients, handle financial transactions, maintain internal communication systems.

AI Replacement Risk

74/ 100
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Quick Facts

SectorFinancial Services
ISCO GroupGeneral and keyboard clerks
Essential Skills21

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