MEANING, IMPORTANCE, SKILLS AND DUTIES OF PERSONAL ASSISTANT/PRIVATE SECRETARY 1.1 INTRODUCTION A Personal Assistant or Private Secretary is the backbone of an organization. A Private Secretary is an Executive Assistant who possesses mastery in office skills, has the ability to assume responsibility without direct supervision, having initiative & decision making within the assigned duties. 1.2 OBJECTIVES After going through this lesson, you will be able to: understand the meaning of the term Personal Assistant/Private Secretary @ enlist various types of Secretaries © state the importance of Private Secretary © enumerate qualifications of a Private Secretary © list the nature and duties of Private Secretary © identify the qualities of a Private Secretary 1.3 MEANING A Private Secretary is an Executive Assistant who does many routine and special duties for an Executive effectively and efficiently. The word ‘Secretary’ is derived from the Latin word “Secretarius” which means secret. His/her work needs initiative as he/she may be called upon regularly to make decisions himself or herself on behalf of the Executive. Now-a-days, the profile of a Personall Assistant/Private Secretary (PA/PS) has changed drastically. The Private Secretary has wide and varied duties to perform. A Private Secretary performs duties such as doing correspondence, writing reports and acting as a Public Relations Officer. Private Secretaries are appointed to support the2s: Secretarial Practice (Revised) executives in an organization so that the latter can concentrate on managerial and. other important aspects for successful functioning of the organisation. He/she works for the Chairman, Managing Director, Chief Manager, Sectional/Departmental Head etc. The functions and duties of the Private Secretary vary according to the nature and size of the organization. Hierarchical channel in this field is Stenographer, Personal Assistant, Senior Personal Assistant and Private Secretary. The employees at the initial stage and at junior level in this field have to perform the routine duties viz. taking dictations and presenting the same in fair form, handling mail, record ‘management, attending telephone calls and visitors etc. The Private Secretaries attached to Senior Executives have to perform duties which require higher secretarial skills and they take initiative for efficient and effective functioning of the organisation. A. Private Secretary at senior level acts as right hand of the Executive and for that reason, he not only needs to perform the routine duties but is also required to collect information, draft reports, arrange as well as attend the meetings/conferences and record proceedings for future reference. He/she should have the ability to make decisions in the absence of the Executive. Now-a-days, a Private Secretary is a specialist and well-trained member of the office team. Whether one is a Personal Assistant or Private Secretary, he/she should be up-to- date in secretarial skills. The more one knows, the more competent one can be. INTEXT QUESTIONS 1.1 1, State whether the following statements are true or false: a) The Private Secretary should be a tactful person with whomsoever he comes in contact. b) The Executive does not assign any confidential work to Private Secretary. c) Private Secretary is also a Public Relations Officer in the organisation. 2. Fill in the blanks: a) The word Secretary is derived from Latin word b) Private Secretary is delegated some powers by the ... c) _A Private Secretary at senior level acts as right hand of the .. 1.4 TYPES OF SECRETARIES There are various types of Secretaries, which are given below: ‘© Personal Assistant or Private Secretary: ‘The details will be give in the following paragraphs. ZMeaning, Importance, Skills and Duties of Personal Assistant/Private Secretary :: 3 © Secretary of a Club or an Association: Secretary of a Club such as Sports Club, Dance Club, a Welfare Association, and Traders’ Association etc. are appointed or elected to look after the activities of the Club or Association. The Secretary of a Club or an Association may be honorary or paid employee. © Secretary of a Local Body: The Secretary of a Local Body such as Panchayat is an Executive Officer of the Local Body and he co-ordinates and supervises all the activities of the office. e Secretary in a Ministry: A Civil Servant attached to a Ministry of the Government acts as the Executive Head of the Department such as Secretary, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Secretary, Ministry of Finance. ‘The Secretary in a State or Central Government also acts as Chief Advisor to the Minister Incharge of a Government Department. © Parliamentary Secretary: Parliament Secretary or Secretaries are appointed by the Parliament. The Parliament Secretaries help in the conduct of Parliamentary meetings. Their duties are also fixed by the Parliament. © Secretary of a Trade Union: The Secretary of a Trade Union holds meetings of the Trade Unions, records the proceedings and do all type of correspondence for the effective and efficient functioning of the Trade Union. The Secretary of a Trade Union may be an honorary or a paid employee. © Secretary of a Co-Operative Society: The Secretary of a Co-Operative Society manages the affairs of the Co-operative Society. The Secretary of a Co-Operative Society is appointed as per the Bye Laws issued by the Registrar, Co-Operative Societies and acts for a specific period. ¢ Company Secretary: A Company having a capital of more than Rs. 25 lakhs appoints a Company Secretary. The duties and responsibilities of a Company Secretary are laid down under the Companies Act. Though there are many types of Secretaries as explained above, but you will learn in detail about the Personal Assistant or Private Secretary and will be referred to as ‘Secretary’ throughout this lesson. 1.5 IMPORTANCE OF SECRETARY ‘The Private Secretary plays an important and indispensable part in the conduct of business. The secretary attends to the time-consuming routine work of the Executive and helps him to do the job in a better way. It is a Private Secretary who takes care of mail, prepares the drafts, answers the phone calls, keeps records, makes tour programmes, operates bank transactions, arranges meetings and prepares briefs for discussions.4: Secretarial Practice (Revised) The success of the Executive mainly depends on the competence of the Private Secretary. There is always an able Secretary behind a successful Executive, The Secretary not only does what he is told to do but also does whatever is required for the proper discharge of the assigned tasks. A Secretary's job is not limited to carrying out the instructions but his/her responsibility is also of advising the Executive on appropriate occasions. Thus, a Secretary is an extension of the ears, eyes, memory and hands of the Executive. 1.6 QUALIFICATIONS OF SECRETARY To perform the secretarial duties with confidence and efficiency, a Private Secretary is required to have desired formal and informal qualifications. These qualifications are given below: a) Formal Qualifications Ideally, a Secretary should be a graduate with a Diploma or Degree in Secretarial Practice. b) Informal Qualifications: Good General Knowledge In order to perform secretarial duties efficiently and effectively, a Secretary should have thorough knowledge in various areas. One should have knowledge of the recent developments in political, economic and social fields and have an awareness of latest national and international events through newspapers, periodicals, journals magazines, watching news channels, surfing internet etc. 1.7. SKILLS OF A SECRETARY Knowledge alone is insufficient for becoming an efficient Secretary unless one has the following desired professional skills, certain essential skills required for a Secretary include: a) Secretarial Course Accourse in Secretarial Practice is a very useful for a Private Secretary. Opportunities for high level secretarial jobs and promotion come often to those who have broad general education with a vocational course in Secretarial Practice. Now-a-days, facilities are available to take such specialized course with subjects like Business Communication, Office Procedure, Business Organization, etc. Knowledge of computer applications is one of the essential requirements to be a Secretary. A Private Secretary must have a complete mastery of some basic skills which are the essential tools of his trade, He must be able to take dictation rapidly and accurately and must be fast and accurate on the computer. The letters and other material typed by the Secretary should always be neat and well arranged, For thisMeaning, Importance, Skills and Duties of Personal Assistant/Private Secretary :: 5 purpose, he should attain proficiency in language which leads to attain better stenographic skills. Other secretarial skills include record management, writing and communication skills, public relations skills, knowledge of operating office machines and equipment etc. b) Communication Skills A large part of Private Secretary’s time is devoted to correspondence, preparation of notices, agenda, minutes, reports, and communicating with people. Therefore, he can succeed as a good Secretary only when he/she has a good command over the language. English is the global language. Now-a-days, it helps in connecting business among different countries and regions within a country. Therefore, a Secretary should have sound knowledge of English. A Secretary should also have the knowledge of the regional languages and if the organization has dealings with foreigners and foreign institutions, it will be an advantage to have a working knowledge of one or more foreign languages. ©) Organizational Skills ‘One should be thoroughly familiar with the objectives and management of the firm or company or other institution for which one works. The more one knows about one’s organization, the better job one will be able to do. One should know the full range of activities of the organization, its hierarchical channels, key figures in any particular field of activity, duties and responsibilities of the Executive with whom one is working and the correlation between his performance, goals and the overall objectives of the organization. For the attainment of organizational goals, a Secretary plays an important role as an organizer of various activities on behalf of the Executive. Organizational skills for a Secretary are planning, coordinating, implementing, decision ‘making and sometimes directing those who are involved in various assignments. To be a successful organizer, he/she should first be a good planner and then he/she should be methodical in implementing the same. INTEXT QUESTIONS 1.2 Answer the following questions: a) Who appoints the Parliament Secretary? b) Which course is very useful for a Private Secretary? ©) Under which Act the duties and responsibilities of a Company Secretary are laid down?6: Secretarial Practice (Revised) 1.8 DUTIES OF A SECRETARY A Private Secretary performs many duties which can be classified as under: a) Routine Office Duties A Private Secretary has to perform the following routine office dutie i) Take dictation and transcribe the same on Computer. ii) Do correspondence with other organizations on the instructions of the Executive or take initiative for briefing the information to the Executive. Handle inward and outward mail. iv) Record Management v) Operation of office machines and their maintenance. vi) Collect information from various sources such as rail time table, dictionary, tourist guide, ready reckoner, directory, internet etc. Everyday some new jobs come up and they are to be managed according to the priority. The best way to finalize priorities is to discuss with the Executive when he arrives in the office. The various jobs assigned by the Executive can be done according to the priority. Dictation must be transcribed on the same day as some instructions pertaining to dictation might be forgotten which remains fresh during the " day. ‘The most important thing is to ensure that pre-determined deadlines which are time bound are adhered to. b) Handling Visitors Private Secretary has to handle the visitors who come to see the Executive. He has to maintain engagement diary. Now-a-days, many electronic tools are available as memory aids like digital diary, computerized planners etc, An efficient PA/ PS should be familiar with the art of meeting people and receiving them. ‘The manner of dealing with them reflects the image of the Executive and organization. The visitors who come in the organization should have good impression and feeling which requires courtesy. The visitor may be impressed and satisfied with the behavior of the Private Secretary. Private Secretary receives telephone calls and passes on the same to the Executive, He has to arrange and maintain the engagement diary for the Executive. ‘The Private Secretary should attend the enquiries and should try to satisfy the queries with tact.Meaning, Importance, Skills and Duties of Personal Assistant/Private Secretary :: 7 ©) Organizing Meetings In modem business organizations, meetings play an important part. A Private Secretary has to perform so many duties before a meeting is held, during the meeting and after the meeting is over such as: ) Preparation and issue of notice and agenda ji) Making seating and refreshment arrangements ii) Keeping ready all the documents which may be required for the meeting iv) Keeping record of attendance of the members in the meetings. v) Recording minutes vi) Typing minutes and communicating the decisions and resolutions to the members @) Miscellaneous duties In addition to the above stated duties, a Private Secretary has to do some miscellaneous duties which are explained below: i) Tomake travel arrangements for the Executive. The duty of the Private Secretary is to ensure that following information should always be readily available: Current Railway/ Airlines Time Table ‘© Timings of important incoming and outgoing trains/ flights to the nearest railway station or airport. ii) When the visitors come to meet the Executive, the Private Secretary has to make arrangements for their refreshment. e) Higher Level Secretarial Duties ‘There are some high level secretarial duties which a Private Secretary has to perform. These duties are: © To present the concise information when the Executive has to conduct the interview. © To draft the reports, speeches for meetings and workshops, etc. © To supervise the junior employees. ¢ Toact as a Liaison Officer between the employer and the employees. © To collect information on different topics from various sources. © To advise the executive on matters relating to purchase of office machines, equipment and stationery, etc.8 : Secretarial Practice (Revised) INTEXT QUESTIONS 1.3 1. State whether the following are true or false: a) The duties of Private Secretary differ from the size & nature of the organizations. b) Private Secretary does not organize the conferences etc. ©) Its not the duty of Private Secretary to supervise the work of junior employees. 2. Fill in the blanks a) Before a meeting is held an prepared. b) Private Secretary has to make all . before the meeting is held. are prepared by Private Secretary. 1.9 QUALITIES OF A SECRETARY ©) _After the meeting is held ... A Secretary's job requires certain personal qualities also. Some of these are given below: a) Adaptability The Private Secretary should be adaptable to all kinds of people, situations and problems. A Secretary should inculcate the habit of adjusting with different types of Executives. There may be heavy work at one time and there may be light work at other times. If one has got the quality of adaptability, one can adjust under all the conditions, otherwise things may appear difficult. b) Cooperativeness A Secretary should cooperate with every member of the organization, from the highest to the lowest level in rank. It is teamwork that counts in an organization, Cooperativeness enhances the respect of the Secretary. ‘Cooperativeness includes assisting the young staff by a courteous, helpful attitude towards them, avoidance of confrontation with other secretaries or centralized servicing departments like typing pool, reprographic departments and exercising self-control at times of extra pressure. The urgency of work may require a Secretary to sit late in the office or to attend office during holidays or on Sundays. ©) Courtesy A Secretary should be courteous and should show proper consideration for all members of the organization as well as to outside callers. He/she must avoid‘Meaning, Importance, Skills and Duties of Personal AssistantPrivate Secretary :: 9 embarrassing or belittling anyone and making sarcastic comments in the organization. ‘The use of words such as ‘Please’ or ‘Thank you’ should always be made, Courtesy may be shown in greeting each visitor pleasantly, offering a seat, say a good-bye to caller, etc. @ Loyalty Loyalty is the most significant quality for holding a secretarial position. Loyalty means being always faithful to one’s organization and employer. In order to be loyal to your executive and to the company or firm or institution for which you work, he/ she must be familiar with the Executive's objectives and the organizational goals. He/ she should be dedicated to his job and do the work honestly and sincerely. e) Punctuality This simple but significant quality is very essential for a Secretary. He/she must not be a ‘Late Starter’ or “Early Stopper’. There is nothing more annoying to an Executive than to find his Secretary absent when something requiring immediate attention comes up. Tact Tact has been called the “Fine art of avoiding offence”. It enables a Secretary to act in a particular fashion at a particular time or under conditions. Itis the personal skill in saying or doing what is required by the circumstances, the ability to handle a difficult situation in a right manner. A Secretary is called upon to exercise tact in dealing with his/ her employer, colleagues, visitors, etc. Judgment and discrimination are essential to become tactful. 2) Pleasing & soft Voice A Secretary should have a low, well-controlled and pleasing voice. A pleasant, clear voice is attractive. A loud, demanding voice is unattractive. A very low, retiring voice makes communication difficult. h) Personality and Poise Personality is that which makes one human being different from another. Personality is linked to what a person is, what he does and how he does it. It creates an impact on other people. It is not important what kind of features a Secretary has, but rather the expression of those features. Poise is getting along with people without feeling superior or inferior. It comes from knowing one’s abilities as well as limitations.10 :: Secretarial Practice (Revised) 1.10 TIME MANAGEMENT FOR A SECRETARY Time is a very essential component of life and the management of time is essential both at work and outside. Management of time is essentially a question of systematic planning and setting right priorities. Time management means to gain a feeling of control over how our time is spent. Importance of Time Management ‘Time is a resource which cannot be stored and, is limited for each person. Hence, in order to make best utilization of time, proper management of time is very essential. ‘The important time wasters and savers can be listed as below: ‘Time Wasters Not setting deadlines Slow reading An untidy desk Unable to make decisions Failing to plan and budget intime Not keeping diaries, not making action or ‘to do’ lists, etc. Improper delegation of work Accumulating routine work such as filing, mailing, etc. Better Management of Time (Time Savers) Set targets and deadlines for yourself Plan your work Note the priority items and attend to them first Keep frequently used information or details handy e.g. telephone numbers etc. Filing work to be attended daily Develop a routine Be systematic and tidy Improve your reading speed and accuracy ‘Think, then actMeaning, Importance, Skills and Duties of Personal Assistant/Private Secretary :: 11 ‘TEXT QUESTIONS 1.4 1. State whether the following statements are true or false: a) We should not knock door while entering an office. b) We should not pass vulgar remarks about others., ©) We should not pay any attention to what we wear in the office. 4d) Itis necessary to be an effective and good listener. e) We should not talk loudly. Fill in the blanks: a) reflects on the way you look from outside. b) The way one carries oneself in walking, standing and sitting is called ©) Clothes reflect our ....-. d) e) 1.11 WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNT a social behaviour which we owe to our society. .. is a magic word and makes others happy. In this lesson you have learnt about the importance and meaning of the Private Secretary. You have come to know that there are various types of Secretaries. You have also got the knowledge of the basic skills required to become a competent Private Secretary. A Private Secretary must have pleasing personality. and posses the knowledge of Stenography, typesetting, Computer operation, E-mail, Internet, Fax, etc. He/She must have good public relation and liaisoning skills. Private Secretary has to perform vast duties, as and when required, He/She is the right hand of the Executive, The Private Secretary has the responsibility to make . arrangements before the meeting and after the meeting is over. Agenda is to be prepared and the minutes are typed after the meeting, The Private Secretary has to prepare tour programme for the Executive and arrange tickets, etc. The PA/PS requires some qualities such as courtesy, cooperativeness, loyalty, punctuality, pleasing personality and time management, which is a very essential component both at work and outside the Organization. 1.12 TERMINAL QUESTIONS 1, State the qualities of Private Secretary. What are the main functions of a Private Secretary?12: Seéretarial Practice (Revised) = Private Secretary is an advisor and a Liaison Officer between the Executive and other officials. Explain. ‘Whaat is the importance of a Private Secretary? What is the importance of time management? Write any five time wasters and five time savers. 1.13. ANSWERS TO INTEXT QUESTIONS Lt 1. a) Tne b) False ©) Tne 2. a) Secretarius b) Executive Executive Parliament A Secretarial Course ©) Companies Act a) Dictation b) Pleasing ©) Personal a) The b) False ©) False a) Agenda b) Arrangements c) Minutes14 a) b) ° d) °) 2. a) b) °) d) ©) False Tive False True True Appearance Posture Personality Manners Please or thank you Meaning, Importance, Skills and Duties of Personal Assistant/Private Secretary :: 13