Erm…. you might not. That’s not to say there are no good secretaries, just that terminology has changed and that isn’t what they tend to be called any more. In this era of “googling”, try searches for “Administrative Assistant”, ”Office Assistant”, “Executive Assistant” or, if you’re a small business owner or entrepreneur, you might want to search for a relatively new term ”Virtual Assistant”.
What’s in a name?
I remember once seeing a job advertised for a “Director of First Impressions” which was for a Receptionist position! I rarely see office professionals referring to themselves as “a secretary” any more. I’ve wondered why this is – does the term “secretary” imply that the job is unimportant or a menial role?
Wikipedia states that “the origin of the word “secretary” is derived from the Latin word secretum with the eventual connotation of something private or confidential, as with the English word secret. A secretarius was a person overseeing business confidentially, usually for a powerful individual (a king, pope, etc.). As the duties of a modern secretary often still include the handling of confidential information, the literal meaning of the title still holds true.” Kind of interesting….I never knew that.
Administration is the backbone of any business – regardless of the area of expertise or product you are selling. Your business absolutely cannot function without it. Think about that for a minute. How could your business work without the admin tasks and functions – the customer contact, the marketing, the contracts, the orders, the invoices? It couldn’t.
Regardless of what you call the person who takes care of the administration in your business – whether you have hired an employee or you outsource to a professional virtual assistant – never underestimate the importance of that role.
