Administrative Professionals Day
Wednesday, April 22, is Administrative Professionals Day. Previously National Secretary’s Day, it is a time set aside to recognize the work of those who have jobs as secretaries, administrative assistants, receptionists, and other administrative support professionals.
Cathleen Benko, Vice Chairman and Chief Talent Officer, Deloitte, LLP, was one of the speakers during the Women on Wall Street 2007 event. One thing I remember about her contributions to the evening’s program was that she told the audience of 98% women that she had attended Katherine Gibbs Secretarial School. Benko then went on to earn a science degree from Ramapo College and later a master of business administration from Harvard Business School.
“It’s a Foot in the Door, But to Where Else?” was the headline in Eilene Zimmerman’s “Career Couch” column in The New York Times on November 2, 2008. I saved her column because I agreed that “Administrative assistants see the big picture at a company, and thus may earn promotions.”
Obviously, having good secretarial skills worked for Benko. And Zimmerman’s advice to her readers is on-target. I know that for a fact because working as a secretary was an effective “bridge” in my career.
My father preached (yes, that is the correct word) that he didn’t care about the fact that I wanted to be a teacher, I needed to learn typing and shorthand. That way, he assured me, I could always get a job.
Now, I’ve met a few women who have told me that their fathers told them not to learn how to type and take shorthand. Once they got a job, they fathers assured them, they would be assigned a secretary to do the work for them.
My high school typing teacher was a retired Marine and such a large presence that I forget who taught me shorthand (I later used the basics to create my own way of taking notes).
My next older sister handed me my first job as a temporary secretary when I was in college. She was sick one day and asked me to go into the office for her. I did. That was it. Yet, later in my life, working as a temporary or permanent secretary helped not just pay the bills but helped in my business education.
When I was sharing the environment with those at a university, computer company, rent-a-car company, marketing firm, investment bank, etc. I was not just answering phones or typing letters. I was observing those around me do their jobs, trying to understand how business was being conducted, and learning as much as I could about the product being sold.
The “career” bridge worked for me. In our current economy, being an administrative assistant might be a good investment.