en

Services

Ireland's leading employers trust us to deliver fast, efficient hiring solutions that are tailored to their exact requirements. Browse our range of bespoke services and resources.

Read more
Jobs

Let our industry specialists listen to your aspirations and present your story to the most esteemed organisations in Ireland, as we collaborate to write the next chapter of your successful career.

See all jobs
Services

Ireland's leading employers trust us to deliver fast, efficient hiring solutions that are tailored to their exact requirements. Browse our range of bespoke services and resources.

Read more
About Robert Walters Ireland

Since our establishment 25 years ago, our belief remains the same: Building strong relationships with people is vital in a successful partnership.

Learn more

Work for us

Our people are the difference. Hear stories from our people to learn more about a career at Robert Walters Ireland

Learn more

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!

Share this article
Useful links

Sign up for job alerts

Salary Survey

Career Advice

Get in touch

Find out more by contacting one of our specialist recruitment consultants

Related content

View all
Working as an internal account manager

Ever thought about being an internal account manager? Relationship management and passion for your company are key to success. If you’re from a sales support background, advancing to an internal account manager could be the natural next step in your career trajectory. Think it could be for you? Lear

Read More
Top tips to stand out as a business support professional

Thinking about how you can stand out from the crowd as the business support candidate of choice? Whatever job you’re going for in the industry, there are things you can do to stand out throughout the recruitment process. With competition rife for contract and permanent positions within administratio

Read More
Become an executive assistant: EA job guide

Advancing your career to an Executive Assistant requires you to adapt into a dynamic and ever-evolving role. Having a focus on delivering exceptional results is integral and building a strong relationship with your Director or Manager is extremely valuable to be able to meet and succeed their expect

Read More