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Junior secretary skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Allison White,

Allison White

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical junior secretary skills. We ranked the top skills for junior secretaries based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 27.8% of junior secretary resumes contained routine correspondence as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a junior secretary needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 junior secretary skills for your resume and career

1. Routine Correspondence

Routine Correspondence refers to communications made on a daily basis. These can be simple tasks, basic instructions, reminders, or questions often sent through a form of electronic communication like instant messaging or email. These conversations are also commonly informal and internal, such as between coworkers or managers within the same department.

Here's how junior secretaries use routine correspondence:

Composed, typed and distributed meeting minutes and agendas, routine correspondences and reports.
Composed routine correspondence, memoranda, and reports.

2. Office Procedures

Office procedures are the protocols and standards which define how the staff works together. The office procedures can be a set of rules and regulations which guide the employees and help them run the office operations smoothly. Paperwork, customer interaction, taking messages, handling calls in and out all fall under the office procedures.

Here's how junior secretaries use office procedures:

Created/updated financial reports, maintained travel expense reports, reconciled monthly budgets/expense reports, expedited general office procedures.
Managed and coordinated classes, registered clients for programs, managed statistical information and executed general office procedures.

3. Payroll

Payroll is the sum of all the compensation that an organization has to pay to employees at a specified time. Payroll is managed by the finance or HR department while small business owners may handle it themselves. Payroll isn't fixed as it varies every month due to sick leaves, overtime, etc.

Here's how junior secretaries use payroll:

Prepared and managed weekly payroll * Compiled monthly funding reports for the county * Managed computerized digital photograph library for HR Department
Coordinate off-site storage documents, mail distribution, payroll, new employee orientation History Bookkeeper/Reception New Generation Painting File all paperwork.

4. Word Processing

Here's how junior secretaries use word processing:

Typed all correspondence (Word Processing using Radio Shack Model II); Specifications, invoices, etc.
Performed general administrative tasks such as: word processing, data entry, copying, and filing.

5. Greeting Visitors

Here's how junior secretaries use greeting visitors:

Managed the receptionist area, including greeting visitors and responding to telephone and in-person requests for information.
Managed the receptionist area, including greeting visitors and responding to telephone and in-person requests for information.

6. Telephone Calls

Telephone calls are a communication means through which a caller is connected to the called party. The call is done through a telecommunications device called a telephone. The caller can use a landline, mobile phone, or satellite phone to make the call.

Here's how junior secretaries use telephone calls:

Organized and coordinated staff meetings, arrange teleconference calls, and evaluated importance of incoming telephone calls for office management.
Performed secretarial duties including processing and filing of paperwork, responding to telephone calls and completing financial reports through electronic database.

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7. Travel Arrangements

Here's how junior secretaries use travel arrangements:

Organized all meetings and travel arrangements.
Provide specialized secretarial and administrative support requiring independent judgment to the chairman; maintain appointment calendar and national/international travel arrangements.

8. Office Equipment

Here's how junior secretaries use office equipment:

General office duties such as answering phones, assisting students with questions, daily mail, maintenance of office equipment.
Operate office equipment, fax machines, copiers, phone systems and arrange for repairs when equipment malfunctions.

9. Front Desk

Here's how junior secretaries use front desk:

Answered phone calls to work with the front desk for the room status.
Provided front desk receptionist support including greeting and assisting all visitors, in addition to other office/clerical duties.

10. Purchase Orders

Here's how junior secretaries use purchase orders:

Review final purchase orders prior to submitting to the Board of Education's Administrative Business Office.
Processed maintenance requests, created purchase orders, and ordered supplies.

11. JR

JR -- short for junior -- denotes the son of a person who's still alive and has the same name. It's used after a man's name to differentiate him from an older family member with the same name.

Here's how junior secretaries use jr:

Supervised the Engineering Jr. Secretary and Facilities secretary.
Worked as a Jr. secretary to Pastor Kevin, a youth pastor over the Christian camp.

12. Subpoenas

Subpoenas are formal and legal documents issued mostly by a court or some other government agency that demands the presence of the person the document is addressed to, to show up at court. Subpoenas are issued to individuals whom the court wants to appear either as a witness in a particular case in order to testify or to provide any evidence such as an object or a document.

Here's how junior secretaries use subpoenas:

Compiled and summarized responses to subpoenas.
Assist Senior Litigation Partners in the litigation department with pleadings, briefs, summons and complaints, subpoenas, etc.

13. Meeting Minutes

Here's how junior secretaries use meeting minutes:

Attend monthly meetings, prepare and distribute meeting minutes, vote on topics, assist in coordinating school events and volunteers
Read aloud last meeting minutes and announcmets Take new minutes Skill Highlights Design Computer Cooking Hair Stylist

14. Scheduling Appointments

Scheduling appointments is the practice of finding a free slot with the person(s) you want to meet. The process of scheduling appointments involves finding mutually free time, negotiating follow-ups, sending reminders, and creating new appointments. Scheduling appointments is important to ensure that the timings of consecutive meetings do not clash with each other.

Here's how junior secretaries use scheduling appointments:

Perform routine clerical and administrative functions such as drafting correspondence, scheduling appointments, organizing and maintaining paper and electronic files.
Perform clerical and administrative functions such as: drafting correspondence, scheduling appointments, organizing/maintaining paper and electronically files.

15. Phone System

Here's how junior secretaries use phone system:

Managed calls on a four line telephone system and took messages.
Answered and directed a phone system of 5 lines throughout the office.

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What skills help Junior Secretaries find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on junior secretary resumes?

Allison White

Associate Professor, Ohio University

Knowledge of spreadsheets software such as MS Excel is a commonly sought-after skill. Employers want word processing and spreadsheet skills but often say they want high school graduates and pay accordingly. These skills aren't always taught in high school. Those in the field should seek these skills. Additionally, medical and legal assistants have highly sought after. Terminology courses for these specialized areas are sometimes offered at the vocational schools but are usually offered at the post-secondary level.

What soft skills should all junior secretarys possess?

Allison White

Associate Professor, Ohio University

Employers have told me repeatedly that soft skills are often the most important. They will ask for my reference after I've gotten to know a student and been able to identify their communication, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills. They want someone to take the initiative yet know when to ask questions. Customer service skills and confidentiality were also voiced by our internship supervisors. Verbal and non-verbal communication is a must. The applicant must be able to write well!!

What hard/technical skills are most important for junior secretarys?

Allison White

Associate Professor, Ohio University

In addition to production software skills, including MS Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, we often taught database skills using MS Access. Every employer has an employee database and a customer/client database that requires input and sometimes maintenance by office personnel. Keyboarding (65+ wpm), basic bookkeeping/accounting, and filing skills are a must.

Do you want to know more?

List of junior secretary skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a junior secretary resume and required skills for a junior secretary to have include:

Routine Correspondence
Office Procedures
Payroll
Word Processing
Greeting Visitors
Telephone Calls

Travel Arrangements
Office Equipment
Front Desk
Purchase Orders
JR
Subpoenas

Meeting Minutes
Scheduling Appointments
Phone System
Office Machines
Computer System

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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