What is Secretarial?
A secretary provides both clerical and administrative support to professionals, either as part of a team or individually.
They will be involved with the coordination and implementation of office procedures and will frequently have responsibility for specific projects and tasks.
In some cases, they oversee and supervise the work of junior staff and may be involved in several other areas such as accounts, HR and other office manager tasks.
Secretarial in financial services
The role varies greatly depending on the sector, size of the employer and levels of responsibility. Most of your work involves both written and oral communication, word processing and typing, and requires relevant skills such as IT, organisational and presentation skills, as well as the ability to multi-task and work well under pressure. In some cases, such as in legal secretarial work, specialist knowledge or qualifications may be required. Your role within financial services may include working in departments such as:
- Law
- Trusts
- Funds
- Insurance
- Banking
- Investments
Your role within financial services may include tasks such as:
- Management of diaries for meetings and travel
- Managing your boss’s inbox, drafting responses, maintaining an electronic records management system
- Report writing
- Expense claims
- Responding to and appropriately directing phone calls and emails
What skills do you need?
- Strong organisational skills
- Presentation skills and attention to detail
- The ability to plan your own work, use your initiative and meet deadlines
- The ability to manage pressure and conflicting demands, and prioritise tasks and workload
- The ability to accept and understand instructions
- Oral and written communication skills
- Teamwork
Qualifications to consider
- University degree
- Secretarial or business diploma
- Or a professional qualification in a specific area such as marketing, accounting
Career Opportunities
- Office Manager
- Accounts Officer
- HR Assistant
- Personal Assistant
- Receptionist
- Legal Secretary
- Team Secretary
Testimonials
Hannah Jeffrey Executive Assistant, Performance & Reward Management, Intertrust
"My role at Intertrust is very fast paced and allows me to get involved with so many different areas of the business. Each day can be very different, from organising events, meetings and travel to helping prepare large fee proposals and presentations. As well as working along side my director, I also work closely with the management team within our department and across the business. Externally, I communicate regularly with various third parties such as business partners and clients. Being an EA has allowed me to build on 3 key skills; organisation, communication and attention to detail. All of which are transferable into many areas of life."
To find out more about jobs in Secretarial in our industry, please contact the finance firms in our Business Directory.