High School

You will need at least a high school diploma to enter this field. To prepare for a career as a secretary, take high school courses in business, English, and speech. Keyboarding and computer science courses will also be helpful.

Postsecondary Training

To succeed as a secretary, you will need good office skills that include rapid and accurate keyboarding skills and good spelling and grammar. You should enjoy handling details. Some positions require typing a minimum number of words per minute, as well as shorthand ability. Knowledge of word processing, spreadsheet, and database management is important, and most employers require it. Knowledge of Internet programs is also useful. Some of these skills can be learned in business education courses taught at vocational and business schools. Special training programs are available for students who want to become medical or legal secretaries or administrative technology assistants.

Other Education or Training

Participating in continuing education (CE) classes is a great way to keep your skills up to date and become a more attractive job candidate. These opportunities are provided by local, state, and national professional associations. For example, the Association of Executive and Administrative Professionals offers classes and webinars, which in the past have included "Administrative Assistant Fundamentals," "Medical Terminology: A Word Association Approach," and "Computer Skills for the Workplace." The International Association of Administrative Professionals maintains an online learning portal for its members, which offers assessments, certificates, and webinars in a variety of categories. The International Virtual Assistants Association, NALS...the association for legal professionals, and Legal Secretaries International Inc. also provide CE workshops, seminars, and webinars. Contact these organizations for more information. 

Certification or Licensing

Several professional associations provide certification to secretaries. The International Association of Administrative Professionals offers the certified administrative professional (CAP) designation to applicants who meet experience/education requirements and pass a rigorous exam covering a number of general secretarial topics. It also offers a technology applications specialty designation to those who have already earned the CAP designation. 

Two general legal secretary certifications are offered by NALS…the association for legal professionals. After some preliminary office training, you can take an examination to receive the accredited legal professional designation. This certification is for legal secretaries with education, but little to no experience. Legal secretaries with three years of experience can become certified as a professional legal secretary/certified legal professional (PLS/CLP). The PLS/CLP certification designates a legal secretary with exceptional skills and experience. Other specific legal secretary certifications are given by Legal Secretaries International Inc. You can become board certified in business law, civil litigation, criminal law, intellectual property, probate, or real estate. Applicants must have a minimum of five years of law experience and pass an examination.

No experience is needed, but those with experience are more likely to land jobs, earn higher pay, and get promoted.

Personal qualities are important in this field of work. As a secretary, you will often be the first employee that clients meet, and therefore you must be friendly, poised, and professionally dressed. Because you must work closely with others, you should be personable and tactful. Discretion, good judgment, organizational ability, and initiative are also important. These traits will not only get you hired but will also help you advance in your career.

Some employers encourage their secretaries to take advanced courses and to be trained to use any new piece of equipment in the office. Requirements vary widely from company to company.