Secretary II 

(Female, Age 46) from Oxford, NY

This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 46 who works as a Secretary II in Oxford, NY. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.

At a Glance

Current Job

Basic data on your current job

Job Title Secretary II
Salary $32,000
Other Compensation None Set
Hours/Week 40
Company Size (not answered)
Location Oxford, NY
Years Experience 5 years

Career Ratings

Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)

Years in Career 0
Education (not answered)
Income Rating 0 / 10
Interest Rating 0 / 10
Work-Life Rating 0 / 10
Fulfilment Rating 0 / 10

Current job Q&A

Describe the type of organization you work for.
I work for a state-run University. My department prepares students from all over the world for their Master or Doctorate degree in public health.

Describe your job role and responsibilities.
Reviews inquiries, provides information and otherwise represents assigned and related work areas referring inquiries to appropriate persons as required.

Initiates and processes standard forms and documents such as personnel action forms, purchase orders, vouchers, and invoices.

Maintains and updates records on personnel, budgetary and purchasing transactions, and verifies and reconciles departmental statements. Tracks and monitors expenditures, notifying management of status and/or concerns.

Composes correspondence in response to routine inquiries within established guidelines.

Assigns, coordinates and reviews the work of other secretarial/clerical personnel for conformance to established guidelines.

Integrates information and may run routine queries to generate or produce reports.

Organizes activities and/or events for department such as scheduling room, ordering food, sending invitations, preparing agenda, etc. according to pre-determined guidelines or standards.

Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
401K, complete health, vision, dental insurance, sick and vacation leave.

Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
I feel I am well compensated for my current position.

Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
I interact with both students and faculty, not so much the general public. I enjoy this aspect of my job, as it can be a little isolating without that!

Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes

Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes

Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
My office is located in the local hospital. I do not like the parking situation, but the area is very quiet. Sometimes, too quiet.

Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 1
Benefits: 4
Hours: 5
Co-Workers: 2
Supervisors: 3
Job Title: 8
Level of Responsibility: 6
The Actual Work: 7

Table of Contents

How you got your job

How did you get your current job?
referral of a friend.

What was the application process?
submitted online resume, had two interviews, waited about a month for their decision.

Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Yes. I interviewed with 4 people. All of which are over me.

If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
Experience, work skills, office experience, education, etc.

Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes.

Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
No

Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes. I got a good basic computer and other skills with my schooling.

If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
not applicable.

If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Get your degree. At least a bachelors degree in a people-field. Be willing to start out as a receptionist to get good experience and work your way up.

What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
You have to have great organizational skills as well as technical skills. Take computer courses, become expert in both database and word, as well as spreadsheet programs.

Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Yes. At least a 2 year degree, preferably a 4 year degree.

What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
relax, ask questions, educate yourself. Be willing to go the extra mile.

Long-term career plans

Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
No. I have given up a career plan and am just very greatful for the work.

What are your current career goals?
None.

Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
No.

Prior work history

Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:

Title Length Salary Description
Prior Job 1 Team Leader 2 years 24000 Sales Management
Prior Job 2 Shelter Director 17 years 32000 Running all aspects of a homeless shelter.

Educational background

Please list your educational background:

High School GPA:2.5

GPA School Degree
College (Undergraduate)
or Technical/Vocational
4 Buena Vista Univeristy Human Services/Psychology
Graduate or Professional
(Masters or Doctorate)

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