Modesto CA Bee
April 25, 2004, Sunday, ALL EDITIONS
Circ. 91,627
SECTION: JOBS; Pg. F1
HEADLINE: EXECUTIVE SECRETARIES,
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTS KEEP BOSS, BUSINESS ON TRACK
BYLINE: BY BETH PARKER JIMENEZ, ADVERTISING
STAFF WRITER
BODY:
The titles and roles of administrative professionals have evolved in recent
years, affording more responsibility and greater esteem to these key positions.
Executive secretaries and administrative assistants have traded steno pads for
software applications and taken on such tasks as project management, desktop
publishing and team leadership - all in support of one or more executives or
departments.
"I love being a secretary - and you can call me that," says Pat Ladine, with
obvious pride in her work as executive assistant to Jack Crist, Modesto's city
manager. "I think it's very important and very necessary to have a good
administrator under an executive. It's crucial."
Ladine's efforts help keep both her boss and the city running efficiently. She
screens and archives the 1,400 or so e-mails Crist receives each month,
maintains his calendar, prepares correspondence, takes meeting minutes and
compiles information for a weekly newsletter to the city council.
"My day starts at 8 a.m. and I like to be here before then because it gets
crazy," she says. "Usually the phone is ringing and there's a citizen or
department on the line. It's the busiest office I've ever worked in."
Though hectic, Ladine says her job is rewarding because the fruits of her labor
are visible in community improvements like "the overpass that's developed right
in front of your eyes. Knowing that good people are trying to make the city a
safer, better place to live - that's a good feeling."
To land the city job six years ago, Ladine called upon 20-plus years' experience
at such organizations as IBM, Apple and Stanford University. Strong computer
skills have proved vital, she notes.
"(Employers) are looking for very strong technical skills in a range of software
programs," agrees Brenda Arnold, branch manager of OfficeTeam in Modesto. The
international firm places administrative professionals into short- and long-term
temporary assignments. "Our clients are also looking for very strong
interpersonal skills, both verbal and written, and individuals who multi-task
and who are flexible in terms of taking on new responsibilities."
With advances in technology has come a new level of autonomy in some situations.
"Companies are looking for individuals who are able to work independently,"
Arnold says, because they may support managers who are mobile. Executive or
administrative assistants and their bosses may communicate by cell phone or
e-mail rather than sitting next door to one another in an office.
Erma McElhaney, an administrative assistant with Modesto's Nor-Cal Foods, says
her boss is among those frequently away. Roberto Martinez, who owns eight Del
Taco franchises from Stockton to Santa Nella, spends much of his time at the
restaurants, leaving McElhaney to field phone calls, prepare correspondence,
compile sales figures and interact with restaurant managers, vendors and a
corporate office.
"You have to know what's important, take care of it first and then go from
there," she explains. The pace is busy, but not frantic, and McElhaney finds
fulfillment both in what she does and the credibility she has earned in the year
since she joined the company.
"I have managers that have vast experience, yet they will come in and take me at
my word on things," she says. "They know that I'm the one that's going to be
able to handle that for them. They actually look up to me because I get the job
done."
McElhaney, Ladine and Arnold all agree that being able to multi-task is
essential.
"If you don't work at a fast pace and can change your priorities mid-sentence,
then I don't think it's going to be very comfortable," Ladine says.
The work environment for most administrative professionals is an office setting
with fixed full- or part-time hours. Medical and other benefits may be part of
the compensation package, which can exceed $40,000 annually for skilled,
full-time positions, Arnold says. Her company projects the 2004 median salary
range for executive secretaries and administrative assistants nationwide at
$33,750-$41,000.
Opportunities for advancement can come in the forms of increased responsibility,
such as managing other employees, or promotion to higher positions.
The job outlook varies, with some sources anticipating slow growth due to
increasing automation and organizational restructuring, and others predicting
strong demand.
Arnold favors the brighter view. "We are seeing unbelievable increases in our
marketplace," she says. "What we find is that as some companies have downsized,
it's increased the amount of responsibilities for the executive/admin, so it's
increased the demand for that person with flexibility."
She notes that within the Modesto workforce, bilingual Spanish-speaking
employees are in high demand, as are those with experience in healthcare or
mortgage finance, due to the strength of those industries.
Anyone aspiring to a career as an administrative professional should hone their
computer skills and volunteer for additional projects "to make themselves more
visible," Arnold says. She also recommends involvement in professional
organizations, such as the International Association of Administrative
Professionals. The association's Web site,
www.iaap-hq.org, offers a code of ethics, tips for career development,
salary surveys, a certification program and more.
-------------------- NUMBERS TO KNOW --------------------
* About one secretary in six works part-time.
*Median annual earnings of executive secretaries and administrative assistants
nationwide were $33,410 in 2002. In California, the mean (average) hourly wage
was $18.12 in 2002, or $39,470 annually.
* California is the fourth highest-paying state for administrative
professionals, behind New Jersey, Connecticut and New York, respectively.
SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational
Outlook Handbook, 2004-05 Edition
NEXT WEEK: Finding meaningful work
GRAPHIC: (Photos by Bill Harris) Pat Ladine,
executive assistant to Modesto's city manager, Jack Crist, daily calls upon
strong computer and organizational skills to perform her job. Administrative
assistant Erma McElhaney guides Jose Salgado, a newly hired food handler at one
of Nor-Cal Foods' eight Del Taco franchises, through orientation.
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