Noun

Wikipedia

Singular secretary

Plural secretaries

secretary (plural secretaries)

1. (obsolete) Someone entrusted with a secret.
2. A person who keeps records, takes notes and handles general clerical work.
3. The head of a department of government.
4. A managerial or leading position in certain non-profit organizations, such as political parties, trade unions, international organizations.

   Ban Ki-Moon is the current secretary general of the United Nations.

5. A type of desk.
6. A species of bird; Sagittarius serpentarius.

Derived terms

• secretary bird

Related terms

• secretory

A secretary is an administrative assistant in business office administration.

The executive secretary (sometimes called administrative assistant or associate) has a myriad of administrative duties. Traditionally, these duties were mostly related to correspondence, such as the typing out of letters. The advent of word processing has significantly reduced the time that such duties require, with the result that many new tasks have come under the purview of the secretary. These might include managing budgets and doing bookkeeping, maintaining websites, and making travel arrangements. Secretaries might manage all the administrative details of running a high level conference or arrange the catering for a typical lunch meeting. Often executives will ask their assistant to take meeting minutes and prepare meeting documents for review. They may also do personnel paperwork which used to be thought of as a Human Relations function; this might also include understanding the complex rules regarding Visa and Immigration.

To be successful today the executive assistant must have a broad level of skills and be creative in managing new situations. As such a 4 year degree (Bachelors of Arts) is often preferred and a 2 year degree is usually a requirement.

Office secretary