I once thought this was a dream job. In some ways, it is. There are aspects that are a pain in the ass, but there are a lot of positive aspects too.
I wouldn't say that being a secretary was God's gift to me, but I would say that it pays the bills and is preferable, financially and otherwise, to several other less savory possibilities which include flipping burgers and working in mailrooms or being a janitor. Yes, there is honor in those positions, but they are not widely known for their earning capacity.
Basically, when people find out that you flip burgers or sort mail or push a broom, they wonder to themselves or right out loud how the hell you can afford to live on that salary.
When Adminzilla's demise came about, a member of our mailroom applied for her position. Twiggy found out about it and tried to get me to join in on making fun of her. Twiggy's not fond of those who look above what she considers to be their station too much. I could not and would not join in on mocking her.
I had encouraged Mailgirl to expand her data entry, software, and office skills because I know she wants out of that mailroom. She gleefully enters all my overnight packages in the computer. She challenges herself and wants more. She's hungry and she's nice. She reminds me a lot of myself. I know she is capable of more. I encouraged her to sign up for company training classes in Excel and Word and whatnot. I know she's smart and creative. She writes songs in her spare time and has a young son.
So, here you are, for all your Mailgirls and boys out there...
1. Expand your data entry skills. Test them on the Web if you'd like to know your progress. Just type in 'online typing test' in Google or something and you can find a free one.
2. Take advantage of any PC training classes offered for free by your company. Train yourself if you must...the 2 most popular software programs? MS Word and Excel. Books to train yourself? Check out the 'For Dummies' series. You can get these books chepaly on the half.com and amazon.com. Check them out.
3. Read a lot. Learn how to speak better and hone your spelling skills.
4. Come to work at your existing job every day, on time, as scheduled. Mui important.
5. Dress just a little bit better than required for your existing position. Don't be ridiculous, but let your clothes show some ambition. Dress business casual, not regular casual. This means that you wear clothes that fit and clothes that don't necessarily belong in the ghetto. No jerseys for your favorite sports teams, no ill-fitting pants, no too-tight clothes. Check out what the other secretaries wear on casual day; pay no attention to what I wear. :)
6. Don't know how to answer the phone quite professionally? I've been complimented many times on my phone skills. I got those from where? The telemarketing industry. Want to learn to be professional on the phone? The telemarketing industry is a great place; they are the phone pros.
7. You might not be able to warp to an administrative assistant without some related experience, so you may want to consider getting a new job that'll teach you some of the skills you need. Consider it a stepping stone. However, if you're in a company and you'd like to grow in the company, take those training classes and hone those skills, and go after the positions that you think will get you where you want to go. Don't apply for Executive Assistant positions though; you need some experience first.
8. Do you have your high school diploma? No? Get it. Take a college course or two while you're at it. You don't necessarily need a degree, but it does matter if you've actually taken some courses.
Hmmm...what else? Can't think of anything now, am starting to fall asleep. :)
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