Secretary

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Secretary in Sri Lanka
President meets with Secretary of Defense. President Kennedy, Secretary McNamara.

A secretary is a person who is employed to help in an office, and help the people in charge of the office do their job.

By definition, the main task of a secretary is to keep organized documents and electronic files for the business, school, hospital, or government agency[1] they work for. Other common jobs that secretaries do are answering telephones; typing and writing letters; plan and schedule meetings with guests; and manage the website of their office.[1]

In different workplaces, and for different reasons, a secretary may also be called an administrative assistant, receptionist, clerk, or executive assistant.

In the past, most secretaries were men. Today, 98% of secretaries are women, according to the US Census.[2]

In 1952, several groups, for example the National Secretaries Association, founded Secretary's Day. It is celebrated in the 4th week of April. It has been renamed "Administrative Professional's Week" to represent the more challenging roles of secretaries today.

Other secretaries[change | change source]

In government, secretaries are important people who hold high positions in government. Many secretaries in government are in charge of government agencies.

Most members of the United States Cabinet are called "Secretary" including the United States Secretary of State, who deals with other countries.

In the United Kingdom, a Secretary of State is a senior Cabinet Minister in charge of a Government Department.

In the US, United States Secretary Defense is the head of the US Department of Defense.

Sources[change | change source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 "BLS". Retrieved 2011-02-27. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics job description and similitarities of secretaries and administrative assistants
  2. "Women's Bureau (WB) - 20 Leading Occupations of Employed Women 2002 (Text Version)". www.dol.gov.[permanent dead link]