Executive Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Onet SOC Code 43-6011.00 Career Description: Provide high-level administrative support by conducting research, preparing statistical reports, handling information requests, and performing clerical functions such as preparing correspondence, receiving visitors, arranging conference calls, and scheduling meetings. May also train and supervise lower-level clerical staff. Related Clusters:

Career Summary:

• Open, sort, and distribute incoming correspondence, including faxes and email.
• File and retrieve corporate documents, records, and reports.
• Greet visitors and determine whether they should be given access to specific individuals.
• Prepare responses to correspondence containing routine inquiries.
• Perform general office duties such as ordering supplies, maintaining records management systems, and performing basic bookkeeping work.
• Prepare agendas and make arrangements for committee, board, and other meetings.
• Make travel arrangements for executives.
• Conduct research, compile data, and prepare papers for consideration and presentation by executives, committees and boards of directors.
• Compile, transcribe, and distribute minutes of meetings.
• Attend meetings to record minutes.
• Coordinate and direct office services, such as records and budget preparation, personnel, and housekeeping, in order to aid executives.
• Meet with individuals, special interest groups and others on behalf of executives, committees and boards of directors.
• Manage and maintain executives' schedules.
• Prepare invoices, reports, memos, letters, financial statements and other documents, using word processing, spreadsheet, database, or presentation software.
• Read and analyze incoming memos, submissions, and reports to determine their significance and plan their distribution.
• Set up and oversee administrative policies and procedures for offices or organizations.
• Supervise and train other clerical staff.
• Review operating practices and procedures to determine whether improvements can be made in areas such as workflow, reporting procedures, or expenditures.
• Interpret administrative and operating policies and procedures for employees.

• Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

• Administrative assistants are expected to be proficient in keyboarding, spelling, punctuation, grammar, and oral communication. Shorthand may be required in some organizations. As office automation continues to become more complex, retraining and continuing education will remain an integral part of this position. For related information and recommended courses to prepare for this occupation, Tennessee high school students may visit the Business and Information Technology Standards online.

  Military job training consists of 6 to 10 weeks of classroom instruction including practice in various office functions. Further training occurs on the job. Course content typically includes English grammar, spelling, and punctuation; keyboarding and clerical skills; setting up and maintaining filing and publication systems; and preparing forms and correspondence in military style.

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Performing Administrative Activities - Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.

• Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
• First Interest High-Point - Primary-Rank Descriptiveness
• Enterprising - Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
• Second Interest High-Point - Secondary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness

• Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
• Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
• Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
• Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
• Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
• Self Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
• Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
• Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
• Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
• Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
• Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
• Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
• Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
• Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
• Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.

• Working Conditions - Workers on this job have good working conditions.
• Company Policies and Practices - Workers on this job are treated fairly by the company.
• Moral Values - Workers on this job are never pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.
• Activity - Workers on this job are busy all the time.
• Security - Workers on this job have steady employment.
• Supervision, Human Relations - Workers on this job have supervisors who back up their workers with management.
• Support-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
• Relationships-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
• Social Service - Workers on this job have work where they do things for other people.
• Working Conditions-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
• Achievement - Workers on this job get a feeling of accomplishment.
• Co-workers - Workers on this job have co-workers who are easy to get along with.
• Achievement-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
• Ability Utilization - Workers on this job make use of their individual abilities.
• Advancement - Workers on this job have opportunities for advancement.

Wage and salary data provided by:

• Bureau of Labor Statistics, Tennessee Department of Labor website
• TN Department of Labor & Workforce Development website
• Bureau of Economic Analysis website