A secretary is an assistant who helps professionals to perform tasks such as answering telephones, performing correspondences, filing paper work, and performing data entry tasks. In most cases, secretaries are excellent communicators who are able to compose clear, concise memos and to communicate with visitors to an office. Many professionals in a diverse number of fields depend on their secretaries to keep their offices in order, schedule appointments, gather information, and in many cases to ensure that all important documents are submitted to colleagues, clients, and regulatory agencies with complete and accurate information. One of the most important tips for hiring a secretary is to make sure that an advertisement for a job opening gives a complete, detailed list of qualifications and job requirements. Some other important tips for hiring a secretary are to use a number of different sources for finding job candidates, to write out interview questions ahead of time, and to realize that it is better to make a smart decision than to make a quick decision.
Some professionals are lucky enough to find secretaries who have been recommended to them by colleagues. In these cases, it might not even be necessary to fill out a job advertisement. Most times, however, hiring a secretary requires the completion of a job opening ad. This is a document that tells potential job candidates that a professional is seeking an assistant and which also should list the qualifications applicants should have acquired prior to submitting resumes.
A professional hiring a secretary for a regular business office might list only that an ideal assistant has years of experience communicating with business professionals, performing data entry, and using scheduling and billing software. In more specialized fields, however, such as in the law and medical fields, hiring a secretary might quire professionals to be familiar with various kinds of certification. Most doctors, for example, hire secretaries who have training and certification in medical record keeping or medical billing and coding in areas where insurance is a factor.
It also is important to send job opening notices to a number of different sources. When hiring a secretary it is a good idea to submit ads to local papers, websites, and other resources used by individuals who might be looking for work in a relevant field. A lawyer, for example, might send job ads to local paralegal training centers, while a physician might send notices to local health administration programs.
