Secretaries
Description OES Code: 55108
Relieve officials of clerical work and minor administrative and business details by scheduling appointments, giving information to callers, taking dictation, composing and typing routine correspondence (using typewriter or word processor), reading and routing incoming mail, filing correspondence and other records, and other assigned clerical duties.

Wages, California
Entry-Level Hourly Wage $9.54
25th Percentile $10.91
50th Percentile $14.15
75th Percentile $17.27

Wages, San Joaquin County
Entry-Level Hourly Wage $7.93
25th Percentile $9.54
50th Percentile $12.97
75th Percentile $15.97

Wages by California County
• OES Survey
• CCOIS Survey

Hours & Benefits
Secretaries who work full time usually work from 37-1/2 to 40 hours a week. Benefits may include paid vacation, sick leave, health and life insurance, profit sharing and a pension plan.

Employment Trends, California
Employment 1998 242,800
Projected Employment 2008 263,700
Percent Change 1998-2008 8.6%
Separations 1998-2008 41,300

Employment Trends, San Joaquin County
Employment 1999 2,630
Projected Employment 2006 2,830
Percent Change 1999-2006 7.6%
Separations 1999-2006 310

Employment Trends by California County

Working Conditions
Secretaries usually work in clean, well lit, air-conditioned and heated places. Some offices have nice furnishings. These nice working conditions make the job enjoyable and desirable. Secretaries have to do many jobs at the same time and also deal with a lot of interruptions and breakdown of equipment. Secretarial work is usually not physically hard, but sometimes they have to lift heavy boxes or other supplies which requires stooping and bending.

Advancement
Secretaries often get their first jobs as clerks or stenographers, then advance to secretarial jobs as they get the necessary skills and experience. They can, in time, promote to be administrative or executive secretaries or supervisors. Some employers promote Secretaries into management positions. In smaller offices, promotions maybe limited to pay raises based on their responsibility.

Getting the Job & Other Information
Jobs for Secretaries are listed with private employment agencies, placement offices of business and community colleges, in classified ads in newspapers, and the California Employment Development Department, Job Services. Positions may be listed by a variety of titles including Secretary, Secretary/Receptionist, Executive Secretary, Administrative Secretary, and Administrative Assistant. Personnel offices of federal, state, and county governments are also good sources of employment leads.

For a list of current job listing, browse CalJOBS or America's Job Bank.

Education and Training
Secretaries can take classes and examinations leading to certification as a professional Secretary. Certification is gotten by passing a six part test and meeting the experience requirement. Information about these classes and tests can be gotten by writing or calling the office of Professional Secretaries International. All applicants should be prepared to take written tests of their ability to do clerical work and performance tests for typing and stenography skills.

Skills & Other Requirements
Future Secretaries should have good training in grammar, spelling, composition, and math, as well as, in keying or typing. They should also be familiar with office machine operations, word processors or computers, desktop publishing, bookkeeping, and other business subjects. Secretarial training at a community college or business school is a plus.

References
California Occupational Guide: #128

Related Occupations: Legal Secretaries, Medical Secretaries, General Office Clerks

Training: California Training and Education Providers (CTEP)