Executive Secretary Job Description

Executive secretaries are not just a pleasant voice answering the phone, making coffee or typing memos. The main responsibility of an executive secretary is to provide administrative support to high-level officials in an organization. Executive secretaries are responsible for handling highly confidential documents, protecting an organization's confidential information, communication and information management, managing office supplies, making travel arrangements, scheduling meetings and events and negotiating with vendors.

The executive secretary should have great familiarity with office software and machines. She or he may even train new lower-level secretaries. In some professions, like law and medicine, the executive secretary is expected to be familiar with the technical vocabulary of the industry.

Changing Job Duties

The evolution of technology makes individuals more productive, and tough economic factors force companies to downsize. As a result, executive secretaries today don't just do traditional staff support work. They also take on increasingly more responsibilities, which individuals in higher management positions previously were responsible. These tasks may include project research and management, PowerPoint presentations and report generation.

(http://education-portal.com/executive_secretary.html, retrieved on March 30th, 2013)