@Beau1
(Like a friend told me: that some men are so obsessed about 'skirts' that they trip for skirts on display in the marketplace let alone when someone puts it on - wonder how true?)
YOU ARE SO FUNNY



I will really like us to braimstorm over this career development issue, as Beau1 indicated.
Personally, I intend doing my masters next year in Public Administration (I learnt that there are two majors in it, i.e office Administration and personnel Administration  I don't knw how true it is. (is anyone  aware of it, I intend doing it with unilag, please comment)   If its true i will like the personnel aspect of it. 

Again, my friend has been distrubing me about registering for French and German classes.  My problem is that I don't learn languages easily, so I don't think within six months i could speak and write these langugages well.

I think registering for this College of Adminstration (chartered insitute of Administration) will be good for career advancement of secretaries, where one doesnot have money for masters program.  ( I had wanted to do it earlier before my friends insisted we  do masters first.  with the inquiries i did then, their school fees was about N17,000,, and N6000 for exam fees)

However, I have made up my mind for the masters programme next session.

Please let the contributions roll in!

I beliv career dev is very necessary if we must excel, our country is growing so the more experience you have the more chances of getting to the top.

Mypeace,
Its a good idea to do your Master  in the suggested area.  Personally, I prefer Personnel Admin because I found it very interesting, My HND topic was based on that and I really love the knowledge I acquired then.   On the other hand, I suppose Ofice Admin might hv a little adv over the former in terms of job because it is broader.  Secondly,  French adds a very great advantage to our profession, I missed it when I was in schl  and unfortunately now I am in a town where such opportunities are very rare.  I also learnt that Master in International Relation is good for Secretaries, it offers one an opportunity of getting Int'l offers/appointments.

Meanwhile, I sat and passed the Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered) - NIM proficiency exam last Dec under NYSC scheme,  I cd not attend the Induction this year due to late notification, I hope to do that during the next one.  Please if anyone has an idea of the next NIM Induction schedule, I 'll be very glad to receive it either on this forum or thro: tena_sab0006@yahoo.com

I remember asking Mypeace about some add/websites on net where we can get related info about  the profession.

I
We need higher knowledge to face greater challenges in the future.   
 

Goodluck to all!

Teena, how did u do the NIM stuff. how did u take lectures (weekends or weekdays)and how many months or years does it take to be chartered?

On the site, Pls i dont have any specific site for secretarial profession, i google for any info i want. Maybe i will search the net and specifically get the names of some sites that has good materials for us.

Do hv a luvly weekend

Wow interesting stuff. I love to hear from the gurus in the field and I think there are plenty of them to give further information. I am not a working secretary but I am a Legal assistant or a law clerk as they call them here sometimes. I feel for you ladies as some of what you are saying is very disturbing as well as challenging. How do you react to the boss who wants you as his girlfriend as well as his secretary? In anyway I think TACT should play a major role in how you react. Always be diplomatic when dealing with difficult or persistant visitors etc. I remember when I was still working back home, some of the visitors totally ignored me and would go straight to the bosses office. Back then I was inexperinced and very young I just could not cope and finally left that job. Looking back if I would have that job now I sure would handle anybody/thing very well. Some websites that I have found helpful in dealing with work place issues were monster and workopolis.(these by the way have job postings all over the world although I think they would refer to secretaries with a different title just check office admin or executive assistant). They may or maynot help because job settings differ but just try them out. Good luck and keep improving and work on staying on top of all skills.

Zimgirl

thanks for that contribution, please roll in more of them.

You talked of the challenges of people going into your boss office without your consent,(though its past).   I sure know that some secretaries still face this now.  I had faced it earlier on in my course of work, and I can conculsively say that it happens where u double as a receptionist and a secretary.  But where u work as a secretary in a private office, visitors surely go through the receptionist before you.  So, in this case, it is within your control.

Hi everybody,

Looking at the topic before us - career development, getting a masters degree is a very good idea. Personally, i'm thinking of doing MBA. From my interaction with people and a visit to some professional bodies' websites, I discovered that having an MBA gives one an edge over all other Masters programmes. I discovered that with an MBA, some of the will give you the chartered stuff easily whle some will only ask you to write one or two stages of exams.

Initially, I was thinking of this chartered secretaries and administrators stuff but when I calculated the cost of starting at the foundation, I concluded that having a masters degree first and then doing the final stages is more profitable and wiser. They do not have a website for the Nigeria chapter but their office is at Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos.

Like Teena rightly pointed out, having a mastery of an international language apart from english language gives you an edge and opens international opportunities for you. However, it takes high level of interest and time to be able to grasp it well enough to use it for employment. There's no harm in trial. Even if its on a part - time basis. I believe that we can do no greater service to God, ourselves and humanity than to make the most of ourselves and our potentials. We never know how much we can do until we set out to doing something.

For mypeace enquiry about UNILAG, I too though of doing MBA with them but I was informed that admission for 2006/2007 has been concluded with an entrance exam taken in September. So I may prepare for 2007/2008 entrance exam at the same period next year. What really scared me was the tuition fees which was put at over N350K. (We must get it anyhow!) I resolved to look for information about other universities and probably opt for one not too far from Lagos where I reside presently.

Its painful what our universities(even federal) are turning into all in the guise to source for revenue internally. Education is getting to a point where only the rich who can afford it go for it. How how do you explain a situation where then fee for MBA is almost my annual income ? Its really embarrassing! to say the least.

If anyone has information about MBA in any South-Western University (Federal) please, do let me know.

More posts soon.

I've read the post of you ladies with so much pride. It shows that there is still hope for the secretarial profession in Nigeria. I am a P.A to Regional Manager of a Bank and during the course of my 7 years as a Secretary i have had cause to come in contact with many "Secretaries" who make u embarrassed to be referred to as a One.

Career development and self-development is some of the things needed if we are to remain on top of things. We should endeavour to read books on Telephone etiquette, office etiquette, customer relations, presentation,human/people relations e.t.c.

Thank you so much for this forum. I am a corper currently working as a secretary/receptionist. You won;t believe the things I have had to deal with in this place. My immediate supervisor is a secondary school graduate. You won't believe someone asked Y I spent 5yrs in school reading what I read. I felt so sad that in this day and age you still get graduate from higher institutions who do not know what the job of a trained secretary is. I am currently looking for job seriously as I will pass out in Jan. The company says they will retain me but I know deep down if I get something else I will leave right now. It has gotten to the extent that my fellow corpers think they can talk to me any how just becos am sitting here. I have had to put not one or two of them in their place in not more than one occasion. Even the office assistant who is a school drop out thinks we are on the same level. This is just to show what the firm thinks of their secretaries. When other professionals are being paid 1.3mill a secretary gets 500000 to 600000 thousand p.a. Tell me is this the kind of place one should feel lucky to be working. I believe that anyone who read this course will never lack a job but jobs come in grades and I know what am worth. Am willing to start small so am not scared.

You said we are not to leave the office until our boss leaves in my case I have four people who are running this office since it is a partnership firm. My immediate partner is a very quite man. Another who actually is a young partner makes me stay in the office till ard 8pm in night doing nothing. When my immediate partner closes by 6pm. He will insist I stay with him till whenever he lives. I have been stubborn abt it but now he threatens me with retention.

It is easier to work with one person not four like I have to. When one says this another comes and says another just so he will counter what the other said. Just normal office politics but very annoying.

Like someone said here, we have to fight to improve our selves and climb to the peak of our career. A secretary is a professional whether they want to hear it or not. I am going back to school on my own to read another course to give me an edge in seeking the kind of job I want. After that I will still go further to write professional exams and get an Msc.

Once again, thank you for this forum. For some one like me who has no one to talk to this is really God sent.

I am very glad to see that we are having more contributors now, you are all welcome!

@monbabeun, if I hv chance 2moro, I will write to you.

Mypeace how was ur wkend?
As I said, I did my NIM programme under NYSC Scheme while I was doing my Youth Service last year.  It was a six-month programme which covered eight courses, we were having lectures on Saturdays then exams were Saturdays and Sundays.

Besides, anyone can do the programme outside NYSC
For more information, the website is www.managementnigerian.org.

Address is:
Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM)
Management House
Headquarters, Lagos
Plot 22, Idowu Taylor Street,
P. O. Box 2557, Victoria Island, Lagos

What really scared me was the tuition fees which was put at over N350K.

Its really scary,  Meanwhile, some months ago. UNILAG advertised different levels of executive Weekend programmes in Personal Assistant, Personnel Mgt and other related courses and the rate was b/w 25-35K for abt 6-12-18 months.  Beau1, you can also make more enquiry and lets know abt that too.

Hi teena, my weekend was fine and yours? Thx for the info. As some1 rightly said here, I think its better i face the masters program by next year first and then go for the professional exam so as to start from the final stage.

@Monbabeun

You are having the diffculty cos u work for many bosses, if u work for one boss as in my case, you will enjoy ur job better. However, stubborness will not help the matter. Why not have a talk with the boss that closes late. Tell him that u would appreciate if you could be given all the jobs he intends doing for the day, so that you can finish up on time and leave office earlier.

Monbabeun dear take it easy.  I am not sure talking to such a boss will solve such a situation except you try and talk with your HR department (if your organisation has such) or report to any partner who is in charge of staff.  I work in such an environment also and may be their idea is that if you cannot cope you can quit even though you can be very, very good. Probably they believe there are lots out there who will do it and at a cheaper rate and they do not even mind if the new comer does not know all you know.

I think your organisation is still structuring for the fact that it is the receptionist/secretary that has to stay late all because a partner is still in the office. I work in an organisation where you have about 5 partners, legal associates, secretaries, receptionist, etc and our receptionists leave at 6.30 while once in a while we secretaries might even stay over in the office if there is an urgent work for client without you knowing.  For Partners or even staffs who stay late, there is a routine among litigation clerks staying over to lock up or deal with needs like putting on the generator, and so on.

Take it easy and to be sincere dear heart, our profession can be frustrating atimes from what have encountered also.

@My peace,av already started,Thanks 4 d concern.av been off for some time now due to work pressure.

@ Olatos
Congratulations and ensure to be the best u can be.

@ Motee

I made that suggestion because the Partner in question is a junior partner not her immediate boss. The bottomline is that, she shd make a complaint to whoever she deems fit, instead of suffering in silence either to HR as suggested by u, her immeidate boss or talk to the person in question.

Our profession is a kind that we dont have control of our closing time (and it is widely understanble by all of us), but when u stay behind unecessarily, that shd not be condoled!

Check out this.  someone suggested it.  i made out time to google it out.

Phone Answering Tips To Win Business


How You Answer The Phone Says A Great Deal About Your Business
Phone answering skills are critical for businesses. The telephone is still most business' primary point of contact with customers. And the way you answer your company's phone will form your customer's first impression of your business. These phone answering tips will ensure that callers know they're dealing with a winning business:

1) Answer all incoming phone calls before the third ring.

2) When you answer the phone, be warm and enthusiastic. Your voice at the end of the telephone line is sometimes the only impression of your company a caller will get.

3) When answering the phone, welcome callers courteously and identify yourself and your organization. Say, for instance, "Good morning. Cypress Technologies. Susan speaking. How may I help you?" No one should ever have to ask if they've reached such and such a business.

4) Enunciate clearly, keep your voice volume moderate, and speak slowly and clearly when answering the phone, so your caller can understand you easily.

5) Control your language when answering the phone.
Don't use slang or jargon. Instead of saying, "OK", or "No problem", for instance, say "Certainly", "Very well", or "All right". If you're a person who uses fillers when you speak, such as "uh huh", "um", or phrases such as "like" or "you know", train yourself carefully not to use these when you speak on the phone.

6) Train your voice and vocabulary to be positive when phone answering, even on a "down" day. For example, rather than saying, "I don't know", say, "Let me find out about that for you."

7) Take telephone messages completely and accurately. If there's something you don't understand or can't spell, such as a person's surname, ask the caller to repeat it or spell it for you. Then make sure the message gets to the intended recipient.

Answer all your calls within one business day. I can't emphasize this one enough. Remember the early bird? The early caller can get the contract, the sale, the problem solved,  and reinforce the favorable impression of your business that you want to circulate.

9) Always ask the caller if it's all right to put her on hold when answering the phone, and don't leave people on hold. Provide callers on hold with progress reports every 30 to 45 seconds. Offer them choices if possible, such as "That line is still busy. Will you continue to hold or should I have ________ call you back?"

10) Don't use a speaker phone unless absolutely necessary. Speaker phones give the caller the impression that you're not fully concentrating on his call, and make him think that his call isn't private. The only time to use a speaker phone is when you need more than one person to be in on the conversation at your end.

11) If you use an answering machine to answer calls when you can't, make sure that you have a professional message recorded, that does the same thing as tip # 3, and gives callers any other pertinent information before it records their messages. Update your answering machine message as needed. For instance, if your business is going to be closed for a holiday, update your recorded answering machine message to say so and to say when your business will reopen.

12) Train everyone else who answers the phone to answer the same way, including other family members if you're running a home-based business. Check on how your business' phone is being answered by calling in and seeing if the phone is being answered in a professional manner. If they don't pass the test, go over this telepone answering tips list with them.


WE ARE MOVING PLACES!!

Hello here,

This is to wish all professional colleagues in the house a merry xmas and prosperous new year in advance. I hope you all enjoy yourselves. Cheers!

@beau,plz could u put me thru on the front desk office techniques,cos i just got a job dis month as a front desk officer,you could send the details to my e-mail addy----- estabis@yahoo.com.Tanx for the xmas message,God bless.

Beau1 thanks for your wishes, I also wish everyone same.

I know we are all busy sending seasons greeting cards and wrapping the gift items.

Its not easy remebering all the names of persons to send cards to, what I do is that each card i give out, I save the name on my database, so that next year we wont have to start thinking of the names.

You can do that too, any name she/he gives you, have a database save with a file name Xmas Card, so that next year you will just print the names out for him/her for appproval and so on.

Wish u all the best

I've been very busy and away for some time now.

Hope we all are almost set for the XMAS,

I WISH  ALL THE GREAT SECRETARIES AND PAs IN THE HSE A VERY WONDERFUL XMAS AND A PROPEROUS NEW YEAR!


ALSO, JOURNEY MERCIES TO ALL THAT WILL BE TRAVELLING.
[color=#990000][/color]

HOPING TO MEET YOU ALL COME 2007

absolutely brilliant. good to see a professional at work. when i last worked in nigeria, most of the secretaries/ typist or P/A's were glorified hookers it looks things are changing.

good day to you the sender of this piece of information. i am olanrewaju bolanle aminat by name and i finished from the federal polytechnic ilaro in ogun state. i read secretarial administration with the hope of getting a very good job after my youth corps. bust to my amazement i am still looking for job. i reside in ibadan maybe that is why i am yet to get a job. all my mates that we finished together have all gotten a place to manage at least. but i am still here suffering in search of a job. so please ma i need your assistance as regards tthis job because i am very very sad about my life. i live from hand to mouth cos my parents are both retires. please help before i committ suicide

so sorry to hear of your situation. i plead with you in Christ name to keep searching. suicide is not the way out of any situation. just keep knocking on doors and God will in His infinite mercies give you a good job soon. your life is precious and you came on this earth for a purpose that must be fulfilled. dont let then enemy of your soul and destiny mess you up.

I wish all my Friends here a HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR

teena and mypeace, i have keenly followed ur contributions and i have this to say;
Thanks a million times! your postings hav been very educating to me.
i'm an industrial chemist by profession but took up a job rescently as a PA to a CEO of two seperate companies, who also tripples as a senior partner in a law firm. its my first real job & it has been quite challenging; first was getting used to the office stationaries, files, intranet, etc and then general office ethics. i have imbibed the doctrine of secretarial ethics and its yielding good results.
my ready to learn attitude has also helped a great deal.
i'm looking forward to reading more good stuffs frm u guys, and also contributing mine !

Yanni, Welcome to the forum and to the prefession. Hope u are not finding it hard, since ur course is not related in any way?

However, welcome. i hope to read more from you.

@Jobseeker,

I feel you, though i have never looked for job before. Secretarial job to me is the easier kind of job to get, thats why u see other professionals coming into it.

While you still hope for job, which i believe you will get soonest, dont forget that the skills you acquired in school is not enough in the real work environment. Try to be very good in all the Ms office suite, internet (outlook explorer) , etc.

I sure believe u will land a very good job soonest. Dont take Guardian vacanies for guaranted, i got mine thru it.

Best of luck.

I must thank you @mypeace for the wonderful job u r doing. Since I came across this forum I have become alife. Now I know my situation is not peculiar and and not being punished for something.

I have worked before as a secretary in a bank and i enjoyed every minute of it. The pay was not much but the job had lots of experience gaining packages that helped me alot. I had to leave to go back to school and i regret it.

My case is like that of @xtyan. I have a boss who does nothing all day and am the front desk officer and secretary. Its a big firm with international affiliation but u wont believe how much they pay secretaries. Right now am serving with them, actually am finishing my service on the 24th of this month and they say they want to retain me. The job is the most unchallenging I have ever seen. Some think because am a front desk officer I should make tea for them or clean and sweep the office for them. They feel they feel they r doing me favour by putting me here. Am really looking for a job and I know I will get something better.

I promise from now on I will a contributor to this forum. However, what PGD course will you advice for a secretary? I actually want to do financial management. It is getting a school that is now my problem. Pls advice on the above

Ntochi,

I understand your predicament. Its not only you that face this, more secretaries do. On the similar case with XTYAN, pls read up my advice to her.

On other staff asking you to make tea and all that stuff. I always tell my follow colleagues that it depends on the office and the nature of your position. For instance, if you work as a pool secretary, every staff higher than you, will see you as subordinate to him/her. That one is understandable,but when the people in the same rank with you do that, thats where my concern is.

You can control the latter aspect on ur first day in the work place as thus;

(1) You mode of dressing should not depict pity and Iike an office assistant.
(2) Respect every body, but dont bring yourself too low for too much familiarity - l always tell my friends that - you dont make/have office friend but rather office COLLEAGUE. This will even help you to keep office secrets.
(3) Know your job and be ready to help others, when u are good at what u do, people will naturally respect you.
(4) Dont start the habit of going to lunch in a group, or even asking others to buy food for you, they will in turn send you, even the least person you ever think of.
(5) Dont broworro from people, some people will borrow milk sugar etc, they will in turn borrow from you or even ask you to make for them when u are making yours.

On the salary scale, it depends on the coy, a well structured company has an entry level for every category of staff, OND, HND/BSC etc.

If you want to do Fin. Mgt thats good, but i intend doing MPA with unilag this year, and l would like to major in Personnel Magt if they have such option.

Hoping to hear more from you.


TEENA how are you? Are you still enjoying Xmas goodies. Pls am missing you here!

@Ntochi

forgot to add that, though you dont like the job, but pls take the offer if they want to retain you. its always easier to get a job while employed than otherwise.

Wishing you the best.

Hello here, warm greetings to all professional colleagues in the house. Hope you all enjoued yourselves during the break.
I must say I'm impressed with the rate at which our forum is progressing. I do believe that very soon we'll have a 'SECRETARIAL JOB BANK' where our colleagues can be helped to get jobs easily. Till then, its my prayer that this year 2007, whatever area of life that has been a challenge will receive God's visitation, compensation, and settlement (Amen). So be bold, be strong, be courageous - its not over until it is over.

List all the 'could not', 'disappointments', 'mistakes'. discouragements, unattained dreams and goals of 2006, and burn them up.

See 2007 as a fresh start. Start with hope and optimism. I bet you, you can make it. Because of you, laws will be altered; protocol will be discarded because the time of your favour is NOW!. "The greatest fact in life is that it is never too late to start again. History simply overflows with inspiring examples of this truth."

I wait to share in your joys.

Hello @ jobseeker.

I wonder where to start replying to your post. Is it so bad? A job and LIFE which is more important? My dear come off it. So many have waited even more and the option of suicide never crossed their minds a minute? If you die before your testimony who loses? Or have not heard that no CONDITION IS PERMANENT? Job seeking is a phase of life; we all get there sometime, but it depends on you to determine to move beyond it to another phase. Not to sink there (die) or what does suicide mean to you?

You surprise me! So all your tough acada years should be a waste? Under the sun and rain, 'jaking' whether you like it or not, rigorous exams, strikes, alutas, and what have you, you pulled through it all to become a GRADUATE. A GRADUATE! Dont you recall how many fell by the wayside who never graduated or even came out with lesser grades than you?

Come on, you dont know how special you are. Those wonderful talents buried inside of you, dont you want them discovered?

I speak (write) in this manner so that you can erase that thought of suicide completely from your mind.

SUICIDE HAS NEVER HELPED ANYONE AND WILL NOT HELP YOU

I WANT TO INSIST THAT WE ALL PUT HEADS TOGETHER TO TACKLE THE CASE PRESENTED TO US BY JOBSEEKER

Personally, I feel that getting a job most times depends on you, your efforts and God's favour. Without you and your efforts, God's input can be delayed so YOU factor is very important.

I want to agree with Mypeace in her response that getting a secretarial job is not quite difficult, except maybe your taste is very high or your location is not favourable.

However, I would advise you to pick up any related job to your discipline (no matter how small the remuneration) as a way of beefing up your experience and resume for better job prospects.

Secondly, having posted your identity, I identify with your sincerity and advise that you send a copy of your curriculum vitae (cv) to this forum so that we can help you check and make it more presentable.

Thirdly, visit job sites and daily newspapers (especially Guardian) and apply. Send as many applications as possible because when you do, your identity will change: jobs will begin to seek you.

Lets get your response soon. C ya.

Beau1,

Thats a good one!





_{Let us not forget the masters and development programs we all discussed about last year. This year is the year to actualise them all}


See u all on TOP!!!!!!!!!!!!