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What Does a Personal Secretary Do?

Dan Cavallari
Dan Cavallari

The general job duties of a secretary can vary, and a special type of secretary who works exclusively for one person is known as a personal secretary. This employee will play a support role that tends to the professional needs of an individual, usually an executive or other important organizational leader, rather than to a group of people within an office. The specific job duties of a personal secretary may include maintaining a schedule, contacting vendors, booking travel, organizing meetings, maintaining contact with the press, and much more.

The personal secretary's role can shift from day to day as the needs of an employer changes. Much of the secretary's work may take place in an office, and he or she may be responsible for filing paperwork, keeping track of invoices and other payment paperwork, answering phone calls and e-mails, meeting with clients or other office visitors, and in some cases even overseeing a staff of assistants. Outside of the office, a personal secretary may travel with an employer, book hotel reservations and flights, and tend to other professional needs of the employer while out of the office.

A personal secretary works for one person.
A personal secretary works for one person.

In most cases, the personal secretary will have worked in a particular industry or office for many years as an entry-level or mid-level secretary before advancing. Many secretaries earn post-secondary certificates in order to become better qualified for higher responsibility positions. It may also be necessary to earn some qualifications that are specific to an industry; this is especially important if the personal secretary will be handling paperwork that pertains directly to the industry. In a medical setting, for example, the secretary may need to take a class on medical terminology so he or she understands various terms used to classify certain paperwork. Law secretaries will need to understand various types of legal terminology in order to manage paperwork or other correspondence that pertains to the job.

One responsibility of a personal secretary is to book hotel reservations.
One responsibility of a personal secretary is to book hotel reservations.

It is important for the personal secretary to be extremely adaptable, as his or her responsibilities can change moment to moment. The job can be fairly high stress in some settings, and some employers will be far more demanding than others. An ability to communicate effectively is essential, as the secretary will spend much of his or her time coordinating with others, interacting with the public, and managing correspondence on behalf of her employer or employers. In some instances, the secretary may attend more than one employer, which means he or she will need to balance multiple workloads.

Discussion Comments

serenesurface

Being a personal secretary has its perks too. When a personal secretary is required to travel for her job, she will get to see new places that she wouldn't have the opportunity to see otherwise. And this experience does open up doors to better positions in the future.

fify

@candyquilt-- There may be employers that are difficult to work for as a personal secretary. But I think that they are the exceptions. I had a personal secretary for a while and we were very friendly. He helped me keep my insanity by keeping everything in order, setting up my meetings and organizing my trips for me. I don't know how I would have made it through my busy schedule at the time without his assistance.

It's absolutely true that different people treat their employees differently. It's probably a good idea to do a bit of research on the employer before applying to be his or her personal secretary. If possible, talk to people who previously worked for him or her. Although a professional and capable secretary will do just fine regardless of how difficult the work environment may be, it might not be the most pleasing work experience. I think it's important for a personal secretary and the boss to have an amicable relationship with respect and trust.

candyquilt

I've never worked as a personal secretary and when I hear this title, I always remember Andrea from The Devil Wears Prada who is a personal secretary for a fashion magazine editor. That poor girl goes through so much in that position where her boss demands a lot from her. Sometimes the demands are near impossible and she's expected to fulfill every one of them.

In real life, are the demands of executives from their personal secretaries or assistants really this ridiculous? And can they be required to do things that their job description doesn't mention, like picking up coffee for the boss in the morning or finding the a book that hasn't been published yet? Or was it all exaggerated in this movie?

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    • A personal secretary works for one person.
      By: Peter Atkins
      A personal secretary works for one person.
    • One responsibility of a personal secretary is to book hotel reservations.
      By: alexskopje
      One responsibility of a personal secretary is to book hotel reservations.
    • Personal secretaries are generally responsible for keeping their boss's life organized.
      By: Nmedia
      Personal secretaries are generally responsible for keeping their boss's life organized.
    • A medical secretary would need to have a thorough understanding of medical terminology.
      By: diego cervo
      A medical secretary would need to have a thorough understanding of medical terminology.
    • Conflict resolution and communication skills are essential for becoming a personal secretary.
      By: exitoso
      Conflict resolution and communication skills are essential for becoming a personal secretary.
    • Some personal secretaries make bank deposits and pay bills.
      By: oneblink1
      Some personal secretaries make bank deposits and pay bills.