Just an Admin?

Okay, now I'm awake!  Part of my morning routine is going through Facebook messages and posts.  This morning I read a comment on a post describing a situation from someone's previous job.  I stopped reading when the writer said, "I was just a secretary, but…" 
​
I recently retired from a Big Four firm as an Executive Assistant.  I am proud of my résumé!  Many of our executives tell us they can't imagine what they would do without their administrative professionals. Besides our required roles as admin team members, the administrative professional's primary responsibility is to prioritize administrative tasks for partners while the partner focuses on winning engagements with their clients. Some administrative professionals' responsibilities include:

• Preparing correspondence on their bosses' behalf
• Planning for their local and international travel
• Helping to keep their CPA credits, audits, and renewals up to date
• Acting as change ambassadors for new technology and procedures
• Preparing complex billing and expense reports
• Performing as an intermediary between management and their internal and external clients
• Assisting with marketing, board memberships, and relationship management

The modern-day administrative professional administrative title demands a goal to strive for excellence. Administrative professionals have evolved since the beginning of time.  During the eighteenth century, men held clerical positions. The U.S. treasury hired women to fill clerical positions after World War II. The National Association of Secretaries was formed to help women achieve excellence in their skills.  The NSA is now the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP).

I am a Certified Administrative Professional (CAP).  Just like CPAs need to pass an exam to earn and maintain their credentials, the test I took to obtain my CAP credentials took 4 1/2 hours to answer 350 questions in several different fields. I will need to maintain CEU's to keep my CAP status. IAAP now offers several types of certifications. Companies are also requiring their administrative professionals to maintain learning credits.
It is my opinion that corporate America, in general, does not recognize the value of administrative professionals.  We are not "just an admin, or just a clerk, or only a secretary. Administrative professionals are essential members of successful teams and prospering businesses.
​
Rene L. Jarrett, CAP