What Is a Certified Public Secretary?
Communication, organization and support are the common traits for an administrative professional. Whether you have formal education or work experience, obtaining these skills is essential to working in this field. To further gain recognition, administrative professionals can become certified. Schools offering Administrative Assistant degrees can also be found in these popular choices.
Overview of Administrative Professionals
Often known as administrative assistants or secretaries, these office professionals maintain organization within a business. They are employed as assistants to executives, managers or other mid- or senior-level individuals. Administrative professionals possess a skill set that includes a working knowledge in business office software, such as spreadsheets, presentations and documents; managing schedules; transferring phone calls; and running errands. Additionally, they may do basic accounting tasks.
Administrative professionals must have excellent communication skills, because they are frequently the first line of contact between a client and an executive. You'll often find that some administrative professionals are specialized in a particular industry, such as law or medicine, and might hold additional skills or knowledge relative to that industry. Professional credentials are available, such as a Certified Public Secretary designation.
Certification Designation
Secretarial professionals have the opportunity to pursue a professional designation with the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP). The IAAP offers the Certified Professional (CPS) designation. Taking the test requires a minimum number of years of work experience and education. The IAAP requires recertification every five years to maintain the credential. Recertification requires completing continuing professional training. Gaining this designation verifies your professional skill sets.
Education Requirements
Working as an administrative professional requires a minimum of a high school diploma. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, it's becoming more commonplace for employers to require some postsecondary education, either an associate's or a bachelor's degree (www.bls.gov). Administrative assistant certificate and degree programs are available. These programs introduce you to keyboarding and computer skills, common business software, basic accounting practices, office procedures and communications.
To continue researching, browse degree options below for course curriculum, prerequisites and financial aid information. Or, learn more about the subject by reading the related articles below:
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