How To Become A Department Secretary: What It Is and Career Path

What is a department secretary and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Anne McConnell Ph.D.

It is the department secretary's responsibility to handle the administrative tasks for the activities of an organization to run smoothly. A secretary answers phone calls, takes messages, and arranges appointments. You are responsible for the preparation and collation of reports, management of databases, and maintenance of diaries. During meetings, the secretary presents agendas and takes down minutes. Your duty includes making orders for new office supplies and to welcome business clients. Plus, you also have to document financial information and maintain the filing system. In addition, a secretary helps executives with project tasks, supervise new employees and implement administrative procedures.

A high school diploma is the least academic requirement for this role. Some companies prefer applicants with proven work experience in a similar role. As a secretary, you must be familiar with the office environment and tools such as Microsoft Office. You must also be able to multitask, meet up with deadlines, and possess organizational skills. The average salary of a department secretary yearly is $33,547.

What general advice would you give to a department secretary?

Anne McConnell Ph.D.

Professor, West Virginia State University

I would say it's important to be very attentive to the way you communicate with your employers, managers, and co-workers. Even sending an e-mail can be an opportunity to demonstrate your professionalism and communication skills. Some people think that no one knows how to write anymore, or how to communicate in a professional way. I don't think that's true. But we don't always think about how our writing can be a tool to communicate our competence and seriousness. If you know how to write and communicate professionally-which college grads do-then make sure to demonstrate that in the workplace.

ScoreDepartment SecretaryUS Average

Salary

2.8

Avg. Salary $35,473

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.0

Growth rate -8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.73%

Asian 3.84%

Black or African American 9.33%

Hispanic or Latino 16.32%

Unknown 3.87%

White 65.91%

Gender

female 93.02%

male 6.98%

Age - 52

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 52

Stress level

6.0

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.4

Complexity level is basic

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.6

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a department secretary

Explore department secretary education requirements

Most common department secretary degrees

Bachelor's

38.7 %

Associate

29.2 %

High School Diploma

16.6 %

Start to develop specific department secretary skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	22.25%
Customer Service	10.09%
Data Entry	6.91%
Medical Terminology	6.82%
Patient Care	4.27%

Complete relevant department secretary training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New department secretaries learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a department secretary based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real department secretary resumes.

Gain additional department secretary certifications

Department secretary certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific department secretary certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for department secretaries include Word 2010 Certification and Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA).

More About Certifications

Research department secretary duties and responsibilities

Lead DoD team that assist Pakistan in gaining military capabilities to conduct counter-terrorism operations against the Taliban.
Volunteer for ISO auditor duties to ensure ISO procedures are followed for certification.
Perform payroll functions, including maintaining timekeeping information and processing and submitting payroll.
Prepare materials for monthly board of directors meetings including PowerPoint presentations, agendas and minutes.

Prepare your department secretary resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your department secretary resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a department secretary resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable department secretary resume templates

Build a professional department secretary resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your department secretary resume.