Become a team secretary: job guide

Are you looking to enhance your business support career with fast-paced, exciting and rewarding work? Then working for a leading law firm could be a smart career move.  

Learn more about the ins and outs of the role from a Senior Legal Secretary, working in one of the UK's largest firms. What does a typical day in the office look like? Why could it be the career for you? 

A team secretary is a cost-effective solution for hiring managers. With the ability to  support more than one colleague than Personal Assistants, an efficient team secretary can work on multiple projects simultaneously and look after administrative work that might take up the time of other team members.

A team secretary job could be a natural first step if you’re looking to build a career in business support, but what are the essential skills and experience necessary to become one? We explore what exactly it is you need to succeed as a team secretary. 

Academic and technical experience

Possessing A-Level education is an essential prerequisite to apply for team secretary roles, and some require a university degree. Previous internship experience at a blue-chip or FTSE 250 company will stand you in good stead.

Depending on the company and team you’re exposed to, a team secretary could present an opening to a related career path!

IT skills are absolutely essential in a fast-paced working world, so proficiency Excel, PowerPoint and Word is a must! Beyond your core office software, experience of Dealer Board phone systems and Concur or SAP expenses programs also look good on a CV, while a Quest background and Pittman qualifications really make candidates stand out. If you’ve not had experience in specific areas of IT on a team secretary job advert, show a willingness to learn by researching them before your interview!

Multi-tasking and organisation skills

You would need to have the ability to manage multiple diaries – team secretaries tend to oversee the schedules of four to 15 people, but some working on trading floors might be responsible for up to 50. Most team secretaries also organise domestic and international travel for their teams, attend meetings and liaise with clients face-to-face and on the phone. Being able to work to deadlines is absolutely crucial to success.

Show initiative

Technical experience will only get you so far without having the right attitude for the job. Professionals able to demonstrate people skills and problem-solving skills at an interview are most likely to be successful in securing a team secretary job.

Employers are looking for people who want to go the extra mile and are pro-active. If a director has a meeting at 10am, the team secretary needs to have delivered all the information he or she needs by nine. It’s this sort of forward thinking that is required on a day-to-day basis.

Team secretaries also need to be flexible – if there’s work that needs doing, at times they need to be prepared to stay in the office to complete a task or meet an urgent deadline. During busy periods, it’s not always a 9 to 5 job, although it’s rare that this will greatly impact on your work-life balance.

Potential career paths

Are you looking to break into a certain sector? Most team secretaries will have the opportunity to move into the industry they are working in, providing you have the opportunity to receive some on the job training in your role. For example, a team secretary starting off supporting a marketing team could end up becoming a marketers and progress down a completely new career path. Depending on the company and team you’re exposed to, a team secretary could present an opening to a related career path!