What Does an Office Secretary Do?

An office secretary is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to ensure the smooth flow of operations and prevent delays with project deliverables. Office secretaries also welcome guests, respond to their inquiries and concerns, and direct them to the appropriate department or personnel for their appointments. They schedule meetings, sort documents, handle incoming and outgoing mail, as well as manage inventories for the adequacy of office supplies. An office secretary must have excellent time-management and multitasking skills to conduct tasks within a strict deadline and minimal supervision.

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Office Secretary Responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real office secretary resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.

Lead DoD team that assist Pakistan in gaining military capabilities to conduct counter-terrorism operations against the Taliban.
Research and keep updated on Medicare and Medicaid benefits, qualification requirements, and the legal and financial effects of options.
Determine client eligibility for Medicaid transportation.
Process and submit payroll information and invoices.
Maintain departmental inventory, purchasing/travel paperwork, and process payroll.
Answer customer phone calls-Record daily business transactions-Manage QuickBooks and bank accounts-Enter parts invoices and take inventory
Assist patients in the admission process, verifying insurance coverage and providing medical procedure information.
Develop curriculum on social media platforms and Microsoft PowerPoint and teach classes to law enforcement professionals.
Assist in developing legislative presentation material for supervisor, and assist program trainers in preparing creative PowerPoint training presentations.
Initiate and monitor requisitions through PeopleSoft for office supplies, laboratory supplies including purchasing lab animals for research and travel reimbursement.

Office Secretary Job Description

When it comes to understanding what an office secretary does, you may be wondering, "should I become an office secretary?" The data included in this section may help you decide. Compared to other jobs, office secretaries have a growth rate described as "decline" at -7% between the years 2018 - 2028, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In fact, the number of office secretary opportunities that are predicted to open up by 2028 is -276,700.

Office secretaries average about $15.92 an hour, which makes the office secretary annual salary $33,118. Additionally, office secretaries are known to earn anywhere from $25,000 to $42,000 a year. This means that the top-earning office secretaries make $19,000 more than the lowest earning ones.

Once you've become an office secretary, you may be curious about what other opportunities are out there. Careers aren't one size fits all. For that reason, we discovered some other jobs that you may find appealing. Some jobs you might find interesting include a student office worker, office associate, general office clerk, and office administrator.

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Office Secretary Jobs You Might Like

12 Office Secretary Resume Examples

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Margaret Jenkins Office Secretary Contact Information Atlanta, GA (500) 555-2191 mjenkins@example.com Skills Background Checks Internet Administrative Problems Quickbooks Scheduling Appointments Word Processing Front Office Data Entry Usps Copy Supplies Employment History Office Secretary 2018 - Present State Farm Atlanta, GA Provided exceptional quality customer service interactions. Participated during catastrophic weather events (CAT) in other states to provide exceptional customer service. Coordinate activities within our demand pool, across demand pools and with other departments such as Administrative Services and HR. Office Services Assistant 2014 - 2018 State Farm Atlanta, GA Fielded telephone calls and answered customer inquiries about policies; interpreted for Spanish-speaking customers; performed Daily Payment Reminder calls. Performed word processing, filing, bookkeeping and banking as required. Provided exceptional quality customer service interactions. Clerical/Administrative Assistant 2007 - 2014 Robert Half International Philadelphia, PA Supported the sales team in analyzing future potentials and producing reports using company designed database, Procom. Coordinate and participate in special projects. Edited PowerPoint presentations to ensure the information was accurate, understandable, and concise. Education Associate's Degree Secretarial And Administrative Science 2005 - 2007 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA


Carl Simpson Office Secretary Contact Info Chicago, IL (580) 555-8482 csimpson@example.com Skills Travel ArrangementsSpecial EventsFederal AgenciesCollection DevelopmentMarcNew BooksTeenMarket ResearchFinancial StatementsOffice Procedures Employment History Office Secretary 2017 - Present University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL Managed wide variety of customer service and administrative tasks to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently. Answered telephones and transferred calls to appropriate staff members. Make travel arrangements for manager and technicians. Personal Assistant/Office Assistant 2016 - 2017 Chicago Public Library Chicago, IL Maintain employee information in the Human Resources Information System (HRIS) accurately. Managed time sheets, pay records, and weekly payroll closeouts. Maintained active participation of major insurance companies and Medicare. Truck Loading/Unloading, Warehouse Organizing, Data Entry (Word, Excell, driver logs, ect..), Telephones. Librarian 2013 - 2016 Chicago Public Library Chicago, IL Provided customized information literacy instruction and reference services to students and faculty. Provided professional adult reference service: electronic, online and print resources. Have attended many trainings and workshops available for programming, systems, customer service and innovation. Participated in collection development by ordering materials for assigned subject areas for main stacks, reference, and periodicals collections. Education Master's Degree Biology 2012 - 2013 University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI Bachelor's Degree Biology 2009 - 2012 University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI


Gary Knight Office Secretary Muskegon, MI (390) 555-1233 gknight@example.com Experience Office Secretary2017 - Present ManpowerGroup•Muskegon, MI Answered and placed telephone calls following IBM Telephone Excellent Standards. Secured information by completing database backups. Created correspondence and meeting materials using Microsoft Word and Excel. Plan meetings with marketing materials and updated lead's list for the department using PowerPoint. Front Desk Secretary2015 - 2017 East Boston Neighborhood Health Center•Boston, MA Answer incoming telephone lines and scheduling appointments. Answer and screen incoming telephone calls; dictation; prepare and maintain computerized records; schedule patient appointments. Assembled paperwork for patient care and completed follow through of customer concerns. Recorded and filed patient data and medical records. Editorial Assistant2013 - 2015 TechTarget•Boston, MA Posted articles to websites using a content management system. Implemented SEO efforts that boosted site traffic 66 percent in 3 months. Worked directly with and oversaw freelance writers on columns, reviews and feature stories. Featured on website Authored general news stories, show previews, and feature stories Skills General PublicStaff MeetingsQuickbooksWeb ContentStatistical DataPersonal ComputersPatient CarePress ReleasesOnlineTelephone Calls Education Associate's Degree Journalism2011 - 2013 Boston University•Boston, MA

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Office Secretary Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 12% of Office Secretaries are proficient in Data Entry, Phone Calls, and Telephone Calls. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Writing skills, and Organizational skills.

We break down the percentage of Office Secretaries that have these skills listed on their resume here:

Data Entry, 12%
General secretarial/receptionist duties which included; switchboard operation, data entry, greeting and data entry, filing and cashier responsibility.
Phone Calls, 11%
Respond to individual consumer concerns/telephone calls to include accurately recording and entering the information in the case management system record.
Telephone Calls, 8%
Responded to telephone calls from clients and callers needing information and services.
Scheduling Appointments, 7%
Job Duties: This included all functions of a medical office, answering phones and scheduling appointments using Perfect Care Software.
Office Procedures, 7%
Interpreted administrative regulation and office procedures for senior staff.
Payroll, 6%
Processed and submitted payroll information and invoices.

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Some of the skills we found on office secretary resumes included "data entry," "phone calls," and "telephone calls." We have detailed the most important office secretary responsibilities below.

The most important skills for an office secretary to have in this position are interpersonal skills. In this excerpt that we gathered from a office secretary resume, you'll understand why: "secretaries and administrative assistants interact with clients, customers, or staff" According to resumes we found, interpersonal skills can be used by a office secretary in order to "maintained employee files and the hr filing system and established and maintained interpersonal relationships. "

Another commonly found skill for being able to perform office secretary duties is the following: writing skills. According to a office secretary resume, "secretaries and administrative assistants write memos and emails when communicating with managers, employees, and customers." Check out this example of how office secretaries use writing skills: "operated office machines, such as computer terminal, and adding, calculating, bookkeeping and check-writing machines. "

Office secretaries are also known for organizational skills, which can be critical when it comes to performing their duties. An example of why this skill is important is shown by this snippet that we found in a office secretary resume: "secretaries and administrative assistants keep files, folders, and schedules in proper order so an office can run efficiently." We also found this resume example that details how this skill is put to the test: "organized and coordinated office operations and procedures in order to ensure organizational effectiveness and efficiency. "

See the full list of office secretary skills.

Before becoming an office secretary, 41.9% earned their bachelor's degree. When it comes down to graduating with a master's degree, 6.3% office secretaries went for the extra education. If you're wanting to pursue this career, it may be possible to be successful with a high school degree. In fact, some office secretaries have a college degree. But about one out of every five office secretaries didn't attend college at all.

Those office secretaries who do attend college, typically earn either business degrees or general studies degrees. Less commonly earned degrees for office secretaries include accounting degrees or psychology degrees.

When you're ready to become an office secretary, you might wonder which companies hire office secretaries. According to our research through office secretary resumes, office secretaries are mostly hired by Akron Children's Hospital, Genesis Health System, and Addison Trail High School. Now is a good time to apply as Akron Children's Hospital has 22 office secretaries job openings, and there are 4 at Genesis Health System and 2 at Addison Trail High School.

If you're interested in companies where office secretaries make the most money, you'll want to apply for positions at Guidehouse, Santa Rosa City Schools, and Washington State University. We found that at Guidehouse, the average office secretary salary is $42,276. Whereas at Santa Rosa City Schools, office secretaries earn roughly $40,618. And at Washington State University, they make an average salary of $40,430.

View more details on office secretary salaries across the United States.

Some other companies you might be interested in as a office secretary include Boston University, The Ohio State University, and University of Connecticut. These three companies were found to hire the most office secretaries from the top 100 U.S. educational institutions.

The three companies that hire the most prestigious office secretarys are:

Akron Children's Hospital22 Office Secretaries Jobs
Genesis Health System4 Office Secretaries Jobs
Arnot Health2 Office Secretaries Jobs

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What Student Office Workers Do

Office associates have varied duties and responsibilities within an organization. They are responsible for the cash management operation, customer service functions, and administrative services. Other responsibilities include organizing and maintaining files and documents, administering all bookkeeping activities, and managing the entire office. Office associates also oversee the overall human resource activities within an organization, such as handling employment forms and health insurance administration. The skills required for this position include communication skills, organizational skills, and active listening skills.

We looked at the average office secretary annual salary and compared it with the average of a student office worker. Generally speaking, student office workers receive $6,463 lower pay than office secretaries per year.

While the salaries between these two careers can be different, they do share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both office secretaries and student office workers positions are skilled in data entry, phone calls, and telephone calls.

As far as similarities go, this is where it ends because an office secretary responsibility requires skills such as "office procedures," "payroll," "database management," and "financial reports." Whereas a student office worker is skilled in "administrative tasks," "facebook," "financial aid," and "customer service." So if you're looking for what truly separates the two careers, you've found it.

On average, student office workers reach similar levels of education than office secretaries. Student office workers are 1.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

What Are The Duties Of an Office Associate?

A general office clerk is responsible for performing various clerical duties to support business functions and ensure smooth daily operations. General office clerks respond to clients' inquiries and concerns, welcoming guests, and assisting in disseminating information across the organization. They maintain the adequacy of inventories, organize business and financial transaction reports, and perform basic bookkeeping tasks and banking transactions. A general office clerk must be highly organizational and analytical, especially in encoding account statements on the database and processing business reports required by the management.

Next up, we have the office associate profession to look over. This career brings along a lower average salary when compared to an office secretary annual salary. In fact, office associates salary difference is $1,842 lower than the salary of office secretaries per year.

A similarity between the two careers of office secretaries and office associates are a few of the skills associated with both roles. We used resumes from both professions to find that both use skills like "data entry," "phone calls," and "telephone calls. "

But both careers also use different skills, according to real office secretary resumes. While office secretary responsibilities can utilize skills like "scheduling appointments," "database management," "transferring calls," and "secretarial support," some office associates use skills like "customer service," "patients," "patient appointments," and "strong customer service."

Office associates may earn a lower salary than office secretaries, but office associates earn the most pay in the finance industry with an average salary of $36,923. On the other side of things, office secretaries receive higher paychecks in the telecommunication industry where they earn an average of $39,786.

On the topic of education, office associates earn similar levels of education than office secretaries. In general, they're 1.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

How a General Office Clerk Compares

Office administrators are employees who ensure that the office is running in tip-top shape. They manage the administrative needs of the office. They answer calls directed to the official company phone, manage the inventory of supplies, take charge or purchase requisitions for needed supplies, and ensure the office equipment and fixtures are taken care of. Office administrators also manage correspondences, official memoranda, and other official company documents. They also keep track of files and records to ensure that these are properly organized. At times, office administrators also take charge of welcoming guests and accompanying them to their respective meetings.

The third profession we take a look at is general office clerk. On an average scale, these workers bring in lower salaries than office secretaries. In fact, they make a $3,084 lower salary per year.

By looking over several office secretaries and general office clerks resumes, we found that both roles utilize similar skills, such as "data entry," "telephone calls," and "scheduling appointments." But beyond that the careers look very different.

As mentioned, these two careers differ between other skills that are required for performing the work exceedingly well. For example, gathering from office secretaries resumes, they are more likely to have skills like "phone calls," "database management," "financial reports," and "secretarial support." But a general office clerk might have skills like "customer service," "photocopiers," "customer complaints," and "office support."

Interestingly enough, general office clerks earn the most pay in the health care industry, where they command an average salary of $30,604. As mentioned previously, office secretaries highest annual salary comes from the telecommunication industry with an average salary of $39,786.

General office clerks are known to earn similar educational levels when compared to office secretaries. Additionally, they're 4.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Description Of an Office Administrator

The fourth career we look at typically earns higher pay than office secretaries. On average, office administrators earn a difference of $4,305 higher per year.

According to resumes from both office secretaries and office administrators, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "data entry," "telephone calls," and "scheduling appointments. "

Each job requires different skills like "phone calls," "payroll," "database management," and "hr," which might show up on an office secretary resume. Whereas office administrator might include skills like "customer service," "patients," "human resources," and "administrative tasks."

Now, let's take a closer look at the financials in each career. The government industry tends to pay more for office administrators with an average of $39,681. While the highest office secretary annual salary comes from the telecommunication industry.

In general, office administrators reach similar levels of education when compared to office secretaries resumes. Office administrators are 1.2% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.7% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Updated October 2, 2020