Counseling Secretary
(Female, Age 27) from Youngwood, NY
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 27 who works as a Counseling Secretary in Youngwood, 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 | Counseling Secretary |
|---|---|
| Salary | $29,000 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | 40 |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | Youngwood, NY |
| Years Experience | 6 months |
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 in the counseling office a small high school. We have about 800 students.
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
Answer the phone, redirect calls, filing, organization, problem solving, appointment scheduling, editing, spreadsheets, e-mail.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
120 hours sick leave, $100 deductible insurance, mandatory retirement (1% of required 5% is paid)
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
under
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
I certainly do work with others on a daily basis. Generally I like this aspect of my position. Many of my duties are receptionist in nature, so I direct people to the right person/place and problem solve when things don’t seem as they should.
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 does not directly contain any windows. If I want to know that it’s snowing or raining, I have to look through the door of a co-worker’s office to look out their window. I like that I am located right next to the bathroom and a water fountain.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 2
Benefits: 4
Hours: 3
Co-Workers: 6
Supervisors: 7
Job Title: 8
Level of Responsibility: 5
The Actual Work: 1
A day in the life of…
Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:
| 5am to 6am | |
| 6am to 7am | |
| 7am to 8am | |
| 8am to 9am | Log-in to computers, clock-in, check calendar for assigned station. Open necessary programs on the computer of the assigned station. Count petty cash, conduct morning meeting, turn on the lights and unlock the front door. Answer the phones, greet incoming patients. |
| 9am to 10am | Answer phones, greet incoming patients, collect co-pays, verify insurances. Copy cards, organize charts, answer questions of patients and co-workers. |
| 10am to 11am | Answer phones, greet incoming patients, collect co-pays, verify insurances, greet outgoing patients. Copy cards, organize charts, answer questions of patients and co-workers. |
| 11am to 12pm | Answer phones, greet incoming patients, collect co-pays, verify insurances, greet outgoing patients. Copy cards, organize charts, scan charts, answer questions of patients and co-workers. |
| 12pm to 1pm | Answer phones, greet incoming patients, collect co-pays, verify insurances, greet outgoing patients. Copy cards, organize charts, scan charts, answer questions of patients and co-workers. |
| 1pm to 2pm | Answer phones, greet incoming patients, collect co-pays, verify insurances, greet outgoing patients. Copy cards, organize charts, scan charts, answer questions of patients and co-workers. |
| 2pm to 3pm | Answer phones, greet incoming patients, collect co-pays, verify insurances, greet outgoing patients, run error reports. Copy cards, organize charts, scan charts, answer questions of patients and co-workers. |
| 3pm to 4pm | Answer phones, greet incoming patients, collect co-pays, verify insurances, greet outgoing patients. Copy cards, organize charts, scan charts, answer questions of patients and co-workers. |
| 4pm to 5pm | Answer phones, greet incoming patients, collect co-pays, verify insurances, greet outgoing patients. Copy cards, organize charts, scan charts, answer questions of patients and co-workers. |
| 5pm to 6pm | Answer phones, greet incoming patients, collect co-pays, verify insurances, greet outgoing patients. Copy cards, organize charts, scan charts, answer questions of patients and co-workers. |
| 6pm to 7pm | Answer phones, greet incoming patients, collect co-pays, verify insurances, greet outgoing patients, run error reports. Copy cards, organize charts, scan charts, answer questions of patients and co-workers. |
| 7pm to 8pm | Answer phones, greet incoming patients, collect co-pays, verify insurances, greet outgoing patients. Copy cards, organize charts, scan charts, answer questions of patients and co-workers. |
| 8pm to 9pm | Answer phones, greet incoming patients, collect co-pays, verify insurances, greet outgoing patients. Copy cards, organize charts, answer questions of patients and co-workers. Run nightly reports, fix errors, count petty cash, complete nightly paperwork. |
| 9pm to 10pm | Scan checks, count petty cash, complete nightly paperwork, lock front doors, lock the safe, and clock-out for the day. |
| 10pm to 11pm | |
| 11pm to 12am |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
Internet
What was the application process?
Submitted lengthy online application (resume, prior work and reference details).
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Yes an interview was required. It was a group interview with 3 co-workers in the department and two bosses.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
“How comfortable are you with using excel?”
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Not exactly. It would have been helpful to learn how other schools in the district handled certain tasks or projects. But when they did not have much notice I can understand how they were ill-prepared.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
No. There was a file folder with different duties detailed by month. Everything else required asking a co-worker if she knew how it was supposed to be done.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes. It provided skills in utilizing a computer, copier, fax machine, etc. My education also provided me with critical thinking skills which provide greater out-of-the box and authoritative decision making skills. My freshman writing course in college was heavily oriented in grammar and editing skills. This has proved very useful during recent projects.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
My internship was actually in this exact type of office. Aside from knowing some of the concerns students have in regards to colleges and financial aid it did not teach me many directly applicable skills.
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
You would need to check the website of individual school districts. If they are seeking someone, they will post it there. If you are able to spare the time, substituting is helpful as it gets your name and face known to the people who do the hiring.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
Master using a computer. Know Microsoft Word, Excel, typing (without spelling errors), and using the internet inside and out. Being compassionate, yet one who follows the rules is important. Know when to be polite and when to be firm; you can’t have kids just sitting in your lobby all day missing classes.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Those pursuing or who have already obtained a bachelor’s degree are most successful.
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Do your job accurately, help out your co-workers, and go above and beyond every day. All with a smile of course!
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
Not particularly, as I don’t want to be in administrative work for the rest of my career.
What are your current career goals?
To obtain my MSW degree.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
There is no opportunity for advancement.
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | Human Services Assistant | 7 months | 10.41/hr | Client registration, case assignments, case file organization, telephone answering, phone calls, photocopying, faxing, e-mails, courier. |
| Prior Job 2 | Real Estate | 2 months | 8.50/hr | Memo writing, telephone answering, faxing, file organization, light cleaning, computer maintenance. |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:4
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
3.7 | California University of PA | Social Science |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
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