The general job duties of a secretary can vary, and a personal secretary is a type of secretary who works exclusively for one person. This employee will provide support to an individual, typically an executive or other important organizational leader, rather than a group of people in the office. A personal secretary’s responsibilities may include keeping track of appointments, contacting vendors, booking travel, organizing meetings, keeping in touch with the press, and much more.
The role of a personal secretary can change from day to day as an employer’s needs change. Much of a secretary’s work takes place in an office, and he or she may be in charge of filing paperwork, keeping track of invoices and other payment paperwork, answering phone calls and e-mails, meeting with clients or other office visitors, and even supervising a staff of assistants. Outside of the office, a personal secretary may accompany an employer on trips, book hotel reservations and flights, and attend to the employer’s other professional needs.
Before advancing, the personal secretary will have worked for many years as an entry-level or mid-level secretary in a particular industry or office. Many secretaries pursue post-secondary certificates to improve their qualifications for positions with greater responsibilities. It may also be necessary to obtain industry-specific certifications; this is particularly important if the personal secretary will be handling paperwork directly related to the industry. In a medical setting, for example, the secretary may need to take a medical terminology class so that he or she is familiar with the various terms used to classify different types of paperwork. In order to manage paperwork or other correspondence related to the job, law secretaries will need to be familiar with a variety of legal terms.
Because the personal secretary’s responsibilities can change at any time, it’s critical that he or she be extremely adaptable. In some situations, the job can be quite stressful, and some employers will be far more demanding than others. Because the secretary will spend much of his or her time coordinating with others, interacting with the public, and managing correspondence on behalf of her employer or employers, effective communication is essential. In some cases, the secretary may work for more than one company, requiring him or her to manage multiple workloads.