English for Secretaries. Advanced Level

Е.И. Казарова

ENGLISH
FOR SECRETARIES 
ADVANCED LEVEL

АНГЛИЙСКИЙ ЯЗЫК 
ДЛЯ СЕКРЕТАРЕЙ
(ПРОДВИНУТЫЙ УРОВЕНЬ)

Учебное пособие

3-е издание, стереотипное

Москва
Издательство «ФЛИНТА»
2019

Н а у ч н ы й  р е д а к т о р
Н.А. Дударева

Р е ц е н з е н т :
кафедра интенсивного изучения английского языка 
Ивановского государственного энергетического университета

Казарова Е.И.
English for Secretaries. Advanced Level. Английский язык для 
секретарей (продвинутый уровень): учеб. пособие [Электронный 
ре-сурс] / Е.И. Казарова. — 3-е изд., стер. — М.: ФЛИНТА, 2019. — 
94 с.

ISBN 978-5893495799 

Цель пособия — ознакомить студентов с широким спектром профессиональной деятельности секретаря, совершенствовать навыки делового английского языка. Методические задачи пособия состоят в совершенствовании умений речевой 
иноязычной деятельности: профессионального чтения, анализа информации из 
оригинальных источников, комментирования и дискуссии. Упражнения, сопровождающие тексты, носят коммуникативный характер и способствуют активации 
навыков речевой деятельности посредством дискуссий и ролевых игр.
Данное пособие предназначено для студентов старших курсов, обучающихся 
по специальности «Офисные технологии» (секретарь, менеджер офиса), а также 
тех, кто специализируется в деловом английском.
УДК 811.111(075)
ББК 81.2Англ

ISBN 978-5893495799
© Е.И. Казарова, 2014
© Издательство «ФЛИНТА», 2014

УДК 811.111(075)
ББК 81.2Англ
      К14

Contents

Part I 
The Secretary in the Modern Business World 
 
4
 
1. Job Title 
 
4
 
2. The Secretary’s Changing Role in the Corporation 
 
6
 
3. Professional Secretarial Competency 
 
9
 
4. Interpersonal Relations 
 
11
 
5. Your Image 
 
14
 
6. You and Your Supervisor 
 
15
 
7. The Advancement Ladder 
 
17
 
8. Your First Job 
 
20
 
9. Preparing for the Interview 
 
22
Part II 
The Secretary in the Automated Office 
 
25
 
1. Automation is the Basis of Office Work 
 
25
 
2. Word Processing 
 
27
 
3. Telephone Company Services in the USA 
 
30
 
4. Advanced Business Telecommunications 
 
32
 
5. Electronic Mail 
 
34
 
6. Ergonomics 
 
36
Part III 
Business Documents 
 
38
 
1. Letters, Memoranda, Electronic Mail 
 
38
 
2. Reports 
 
49
 
3. Re´sume´s and Letters of Application 
 
55
Part  IV 
Professional  Secretaries’ Experiences 
 
71
 
1. Job Descriptions for the  ‘90S 
 
71
 
2. What Is Professionalism? 
 
77
 
3. Administration 2000 
 
80
 
4. Office Romance 
 
87
 
5. Making a Solid First Impression in Your New Job 
 
91
 
Bibliographical List 
 
93

Part I

THE SECRETARY
IN THE MODERN BUSINESS WORLD

In this part you will get the main idea about the role of the 
secretary in the business world. The secretarial profession is 
unique and diversified as a secretary is the principal person in 
any office environment whether it is a dentist’s  clinic or a big 
international corporation headquarters.
Read the following texts, answer the questions, make summaries, set group discussions on the most important issues.

1. Job Title

The original meaning of the word secretary had nothing to do 
with people; it was a piece of furniture used for writing. Today, as 
executives routinely refer to their desktop computer terminals as 
«my electronic secretary», there is real temptation to let evolution 
take its course, and to let secretary come to mean the electronic 
equipment or furniture used to provide automated information 
and office management services. But what of the millions of 
people who’ve invested time and energy into becoming good 
secretaries? Surely there is a way of affirming the importance of 
their traditional identity, but in an enlarged definition of their 
occupation. It would be appropriate to the times as information 
management and information works are expanding. It would 
also be more appropriate to the increasing specialization of 
whitecollar work. Finally, it would more adequately accommodate the career developmental and mobility expectations among 
the people currently entering or considering the secretarial field.
The single job title secretary can refer to an information manager, an information packager, and an information broker. Within 
the secretarial position there are also many levels of responsibility ranging from following instructions to bearing at least some 
responsibility for administration and office management. It is 
important to recognize these differing levels of responsibility, as 
well as the diverse secretarial functions that can be channeled 
into more specialized careers, and to formalize them into an oc

cupational standard. At the least, thinking about alternate job 
titles will help us to clarify what is now only a vague outline of 
potential career paths.
Table 1 illustrates how a new series of occupations could 
be created. Hence, secretarial services become administrative 
services and, at the most senior level of responsibility, systems 
management services. The titles are arbitrary; I have invented 
them purely for demonstrating what I mean. They’re intended 
simply as something for you to think about and be guided by as 
you prepare for the future.

Table 1. Career Paths from Secretary to Information Worker

Level

Presecretarial

Secretarial

Postsecretarial

Middle
Management

Occupational Title

Information
technician/machine
operator

Information processor 
a
) 
administrativesystems 
assistant

b) paraprofessional

Information processor  
a) office systems administrator

b) professional

Systems administrator

Executive team  

Work Function

Electrical technician fixing, testing equipment, etc. computer 
operator word processor operator 
data entry clerk

Database maintenance software 
support programmer/assistant 
programmer

Computer graphics text composition information brokerage

D a t a b a s e  m a n a g e m e n t 
computerassisted administration programming

Manager, reference and research 
manager, information display

Systems maintenance and management system analysis and 
design

Computeraided research, 
a n a l y s i s ,  p l a n n i n g ,  a n d 
decisionmaking

I. 
Questions:
1. How has the original meaning of the world «secretary» 
changed?
2. What can the title secretary refer to?
3. What are the levers of responsibility of a secretary?
4. Give the alternative job titles to the «secretary»?
5. Describe work functions corresponding to different occupational titles.
II. Discuss in the group what work functions you can fulfil now 
and what skills you will have to acquire to be a successful 
secretary.

2. The Secretary’s Changing Role in the Corporation

The role of the secretary in today’s office environment has 
changed dramatically with the introduction of high technology 
and with changing attitudes toward the office worker’s function. 
In addition to having office proficiency, secretaries now must 
be able to work independently and make more decisions within 
the scope of their individual responsibilities. Instead of merely 
«taking care of» their supervisors, today’s secretaries are taking on aspects of their supervisors’ jobs. Secretaries make an 
important contribution to business, academia, human services, 
and government. The fact that nearly three million secretaries 
are currently employed in the United States demonstrates the 
widespread need for qualified people to fill the many job slots 
available. The secretarial profession is unique in that its scope 
is as diversified as the number of businesses and agencies that 
require office workers.
A recent study describes the typical secretary as a married 
woman in her forties with a teenaged child at home. Five out of 
six of those profiled had more than a highschool education. Just 
as the profile of the office worker has radically changed in the 
last ten years, so have the responsibilities of the typical secretary. 
A job description of general secretarial duties would probably 
include the following:

1. Answer customer correspondence.
2. Gather research data for reports.

3. Prepare statistical reports involving sales figures or budgetary information.
4. Attend meetings in place of supervisor and report activities that took place.
5. Set up conferences and meetings.
6. Purchase office equipment and participate in the evaluation and selection of some automated office systems.
7. Write a company newsletter.
8. Keep department expenditure records in accordance with 
a budget.
9. Transcribe documents from dictated media.
10. Make travel arrangements and plan itineraries.
11. Read and sort incoming mail and answer it when necessary.
12. Maintain and organize filing systems.
13. Take minutes at company meetings.
14. Make appointments.
15. Acquaint new employees with company systems and 
equipment.
16. Supervise one or more employees.

Thus the duties required of today’s secretary are far different from those of the stenographer who, in the past, was neither 
expected nor advised to use independent judgment and initiative 
in making substantive decisions. Nowhere in this difference more 
apparent than in the definition of secretary written by Professional Secretaries International:

an executive assistant who possesses a mastery of office 
skills, who demonstrates the ability to assume responsibility without direct supervision, who exercises initiative and 
judgment, and who makes decisions within the scope of 
assigned authority.

As we know, office automation has permanently affected 
the role of the secretary. And with the continued development 
of new telecommunications equipment, secretaries now must 
be prepared to learn new and more technologically oriented 
procedures. The secretary who has «technophobia» or a fear of 
computers, will not survive long in today’s office. The widespread 

introduction of this new office technology has created many new 
career paths for the secretary. For example, many companies 
have established word processing centеrs that handle standardized contracts, reports, and proposals. As a result, the position 
of word processing supervisor and trainer has become common 
in large organizations. Depending on the sophistication of the 
equipment itself, word processing can be highly technical and 
can require some data processing knowledge. Sophisticated 
equipment like the laser printer and graphics terminal may be 
part of the word processing center. If the word processing equipment is connected to the company’s mainframe computer, access 
to confidential information and passwordprotected documents 
may be the responsibility of the word processing supervisor. This 
is a job requiring far more ability than that needed to supervise 
a spaceage typing pool.
How can you keep up with office automation?  Many courses 
are available for those interested in word processing and data 
processing. Or, when your company installs word processing 
equipment, appropriate training will usually be provided by the 
vendor. Make sure you are trained on the new equipment and that 
you keep up with the everchanging, everimproving software. 
Computer technology will be an integral part of every office in 
the near future. Don’t sell yourself short by avoiding it. 

I. 
Questions:
1. What factors have changed the traditional role of the 
secretary?
2. What makes the secretarial profession so diversified?
3. Enumerate general secretarial duties.
4. Give the definition of «secretary».
5. How has office automation affected the role of the secretary?
6. Describe the work of a world processing center.
7. How can you keep up with office automation?
II. Make oral summary of the text.
III. Imagine that you are a secretary. Tell about your responsibilities and duties during the last working week.

3. Professional Secretarial Competency

Education has become an important factor for today’s secretary. Many secretarial jobs require a college background as well 
as technical skills. For that reason, continuing education is a must 
for the secretary aspiring to advance to a higher professional 
level. More and more companies have made tuition assistance 
available for employees at the secretarial level to encourage career advancement. The abilities discussed in the next paragraphs 
are basic requirements for most secretarial jobs.

Business Writing
You have to be able to write effectively, clearly, and correctly. 
Since most business communications are read by a number of 
people inside and outside the organization, the content of any 
outgoing document must be grammatically correct, concise, and 
easy to understand. Many guides designed to help you enhance 
your writing ability are available. Along with a basic writing guide, 
you should also have a dictionary, a style manual, and a thesaurus 
at hand. In many ways, business writing is like newspaper reporting. If you follow the «who», «what», «when», «where», and «why» 
formula used by reporters, you will be able to cover every essential 
angle of your communication. If you have trouble with writing, 
many courses are open to you – some of which are geared specifically to the needs of the administrative assistant or secretary. 
A course in business writing is a sound investment for your career.

Knowledge of Business Math and Accounting
Knowing basic arithmetic is a necessity in a business environment. Many executives depend on the capability of administrative personnel to compile reports involving percentages of 
increase and decrease in sales, to perform departmental bookkeeping, or to write budget variance reports. In many cases, a 
knowledge of simple accounting techniques can mean the difference in job status between a secretary and an administrative 
or executive assistant.

Organization and Planning
Time management and organizational skills are solid ingredients for success in secretarial position. The ability to set 

priorities and juggle several different tasks at once is necessary 
to command an efficient workflow. People have different ways 
of organizing their tasks and you should choose the one most 
comfortable for you. A common way to organize one’s time is to 
make a list of things to do and set the order of priority for each 
item on the list. Some workers plan their time in blocks with different activities scheduled for certain times of the day.
Since your time is valuable, it is necessary that other people 
in the office understand it and realize that you must complete 
your own scheduled activities on target. If you are in the middle 
of a detailed, highpriority project and someone else wants to 
speak with you, schedule a time later on when you can meet with 
that person. While interruptions are part of your job, you nevertheless need to determine the importance at each interruption. 
Otherwise, you will never get anything done. If your workload 
is too heavy and help is at hand, take advantage of it. And don’t 
be afraid to delegate tasks that can make your own job easier. 
If you try to do everything yourself in a short time, you may not 
produce the kind of quality work you can be proud of.

Typing and Shorthand
Typing speed is still a prerequisite for many secretarial jobs. 
Toplevel administrative positions often require a typing speed 
of 60 words per minute or above. Shorthand also is used as a 
benchmark to measure the skill level of applicants for secretarial 
positions. Therefore, both of these should be kept at an acceptable performance level. They are of potential value in almost any 
profession. Shorthand is particularly useful when taking notes 
or gathering information for research.
I. 
Questions:
1. What abilities are required for most secretarial jobs?
2. Why do you have to write effectively, clearly, and correctly?
3. What writing guides should you have at hand?
4. Why is knowledge of business math and accounting important?
5. What is a common way to organise one’s time?
6. What time management advice will you give to a secretary 
who fulfils a scheduled highpriority project?
7. What are typing and shorthand requirements?           

II. You’re a personnel director of a big company. You need a 
new secretary. Make up a list of competency requirements 
for applicants.
III. Role Play «An Interview».

Work in groups of three. Devide the groups into applicants, 
interviewers and observers. Each interviewer asks the applicants 
questions. The observer records positive characteristics of the 
applicant. Make a decision on hiring a new secretary.

4. Interpersonal Relations

Communication
The American Heritage Dictionary, Second College Edition, 
defines communication as «… exchange of thoughts, messages, 
or information as by speech, signals, or writing». Communication 
skills are needed in any profession, but they are especially crucial 
to the secretary since a major function of the job is handling communications, whether they be verbal or written. We have already 
mentioned written communications and the need to be clearly 
understood when executing a wellwritten document. But two 
other communication skills must be addressed.

Oral Skills
You may have good ideas to contribute to your business environment, but if you can’t articulate them effectively, they will be 
lost. Speaking well requires a command of the English language, 
good diction, and the selfconfidence to speak up. If you are shy 
and have little experience speaking in front of a group, take a 
continuingeducation course in public speaking. Such a course 
can help you overcome your fear of addressing a group. Most of 
the other students in the class will be there for the same reason 
you are and will understand your own difficulties. If you are to 
take on a career role as a supervisor or trainer, chances are you 
will have to speak in front of one or more persons on a regular 
basis. And the more you speak publicly, the easier it gets.