What Skills Do You Need To Become A Successful Secretary?

Having a secretarial job comes with a wide range of benefits. With excellent work/life balance, working set hours, and taking care of important tasks, it’s no wonder many people are interested in this career choice. As a secretary, you learn many valuable transferable skills and gain some professional experience to work your way up to prestigious senior roles, another huge advantage to the job. Whether you’re a new graduate looking for a secretarial job, or you have years of experience under your belt, here are the skills you need to get hired and perform well as a secretary.

If you are looking to find the perfect secretarial role for you, you may want to consider working with a recruitment agency. Attic Recruitment discusses the skills employers are looking for in the list below. Keep reading to learn more. 

Organisational skills are key

If organisation is a strength of yours, then you already have an advantage when it comes to searching for secretarial roles. As a secretary, you will be responsible for organising documents and information, scheduling appointments, ensuring none of them overlap, and taking on correspondence duties too. To manage this workload, efficient timekeeping and organisational skills are a must. This is a key area that employers will be touching on in any interview you get for a secretarial role. 

Interpersonal skills

A large part about being a secretary is interacting with those around you. Whether you’ll be mainly interacting with your internal team, or you’ll be talking with customers in a customer service role, secretaries are known for their people skills and ability to communicate effectively and efficiently. 

As a secretary you will be constantly in communication with other people, so it’s important that your written and verbal communication skills are up to scratch. Having excellent communication and interpersonal skills will make your experience as a secretary a whole lot easier. 

Attention to detail 

The ability to remember the smaller details is what makes an excellent secretary. It’s remembering things others may not that will make you stand out when it comes to this kind of work. Ensuring you never forget or miss anything is vital when it comes to being a successful secretary. Your employer is counting on you to record everything accurately, so it;s essential that you’re able to pay attention and remember small details. Although everyone makes mistakes when it comes to their work, being able to pay attention to detail can lower the number of mistakes you make significantly. 

As well as the necessary qualifications, having at least these 3 skills is essential in finding success in a secretarial role. When you land your first role, you will be learning many skills during your time there, and gaining valuable experience that will come in handy when it’s time for your next role. If you’re having a hard time finding the right secretarial role for you, consider seeking out a recruitment agency to help you find the perfect position for you.