Qualifications of a Private Secretary
The prime objective of employing private secretary is to relieve the over burdened administrators, executives, businessperson, politicians, educationists, novelists etc. Therefore, the private secretaries should have some minimum qualifications so that they can perform some of their employers’ duties. The desired qualifications that the private secretaries should possess are as follows:
Educational qualifications and general knowledge: The private secretaries should have a higher academic education. The levels of their academic qualification may vary depending on the nature of their jobs. Besides the academic qualification, they must have adequate general knowledge to cope with anv changing or abstract situation.
Knowledge on language: Linguistic knowledge refers to the knowledge on vocabulary, appropriate use of words and grammar etc. Sometimes private secretaries require drafting reports and speeches lot then employees. Even some private secretaries need to write many creative stories, drama, biological stories etc. on the basis of their employers’ oral description. So they should possess good command on appropriate language.
Proficiency in shorthand and typing: Private Secretaries take dictations from their employers and compose them in computer. So they need to have adequate proficiency and speed in writing shorthand and typing.
Knowledge on office work: Private Secretaries are mainly responsible for performing various routine office works, such as sending and receiving letters, tilling, indexing and preserving the important papers and documents etc. So they should have enough experience in performing office works.
Faithfulness: Private Secretaries act on behalf of their employers. Moreover, they perform many confidential functions for their employers. Therefore, they must be reliable, honest and truthful enough to trust and rely on them.
Loyalty: The private secretaries must be loyal, devoted and dependable to their employers. They should not do anything beyond their employers’ instructions.
Knowledge on accounts: Sometimes private secretaries need to maintain income and expenditure of the employers. So they should acquire necessary knowledge on accounting.
Courtesy: There is a proverb. ‘Courtesy costs nothing, but gains more.’ The private secretaries require dealing as the representative of their employers with various types of people irrespective of choir status and level of education. Therefore, they should be courteous, modest and well behaved. These qualities will enhance their acceptability to all.
Other qualities: Besides the above stated qualities the private secretaries require to gain knowledge on the prevailing Laws and Acts, such as – Company Law, Industrial Law, Commercial Law, Negotiable instrument Act, Factories Act, Payment of Wage Act, Stamp Act etc. Moreover, up-to-date knowledge on the trade, foreign exchange, money and capital market, rules on Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), laws on taxation etc. will make the private secretaries competent in performing their functions effectively and efficiently.
