Certified Professional Executive Secretary

By Dr. Zulk Shamsuddin

The Certified Professional Executive Secretary ™ (CPES) is a professional accredited skills certification that demonstrates the attainment of a defined level of knowledge in administrative and secretarial functions supporting corporate level executives, with the ability to multitask and prioritize tasks, excellent time management skills, well-developed organizational skills, attention to detail, great verbal and excellent written communication skills.
It forms the basis of the assessment that applicants must pass to gain the Certified Professional Executive Secretary status and inclusion in the Register of The Global Academy of Finance and Management® Directory of Certified Professionals. This book shall guide you to prepare for the Professional executive secretary examination. Stand out above the rest with the accredited Certified Professional Executive Secretary certification and get noticed by top recruiters.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: May 9, 2022
• ISBN: 9781387978724

Book preview

Copyright © 2020 Zulk Shamsuddin, PhD / GAFM ACADEMY

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-387-97872-4

INTRODUCTION

A Certified Professional Executive Secretary is an experienced individual who has earned the accredited gold-standard Certified Professional Executive Secretary ™ credential from The Global Academy of Finance and Management ®. This credential is offered to individuals with several years of secretarial management experience that includes communication skills, interpersonal skill, time management, organizational skills, project management, and office software.

It forms the basis of the assessment that applicants must pass to gain the Certified Professional Executive Secretary status and inclusion in the Register of The Global Academy of Finance and Management® Directory of Certified/Chartered Professionals.

Stand out above the rest with the accredited Certified Professional Executive Secretary certification and get noticed by top recruiters.

Benefits of becoming a Certified Professional Executive Secretary

Personal recognition from C-level management 

Enhanced your CV to stand out in the job market, get noticed by top recruiters.

A framework for the development of your career.

International recognition.

Assurance for clients of high standards and ethical practice.

Use of the post nominal CPES or Certified Professional Executive Secretary ™

Increased understanding, helping you to work more effectively.

Introduce yourself with this exclusive membership card during networking, business events, conference, anywhere. Membership has its privileges.

What is a Certification?

When you have the professional knowledge you need, a certification allows you to prove it.  Certifications indicate mastery of skills or standards. Professional certifications are granted by industry groups or career-related organizations. These groups assess your qualifications, usually through an exam or application process. Many certifications include the privilege to use a related designation following your professional title. A professional certification differs from a license, which permits you to work in a certain profession and is usually issued by government or regulatory agencies.

Benefits of Certification

Certification helps in learning new technologies, skills, and abilities for a specific promotion. Earning a new certification or an advanced certification in a particular area of expertise can help in advancing your career.

Professional certification shows consumers and potential employers that you are committed to your profession and are well-trained. It gives them confidence in your abilities and knowledge. Certification makes you more valuable to employers, so you can expect to earn more than someone without certification.

Certifications can give you the chance to learn needed skills and be a quick way to show employers you have those skills. On the other hand, certifications can require studying or coursework, and cost up to several hundred dollars to take.

Value of Certification

Certificates and certifications, the names for these credentials sound confusingly similar. But there are important differences. Here’s what you need to know about these resume-enhancing options and how they might advance your career.

Earning a certificate is about education. Certificates are academic credentials awarded by colleges, universities or other educational institutions. Students in certificate programs learn new knowledge in a specific subject or discipline and earn a certificate by successfully completing the coursework. An ideal student for a certificate program is someone who is willing to go through the experience of growing their own skillset, being real about what they want to learn, and working with others, says Jennifer Diamond, an instructor for the GAFM Academy Certificate in Project Management.  Many certificate programs have few, if any, admission requirements, making them an excellent option if you want to move forward in your career. The programs are usually noncredit and take less time to complete than a degree. Certificates are commonly listed on resumes as education, and some meet education requirements for first-time or renewed certifications.

Skills Certification

This book addresses the following skills and competencies to qualify for the Certified Professional Executive Secretary certification.

communication skills

interpersonal skill

time management

organizational skills

project management

office software

Application for Certification

https://gafm.com.my/application-for-certification/

Skills and Qualifications

Here are five of the key skills you need to master if you want to become a professional executive secretary.

Time Management: Good time management skills will help you to plan your tasks and activities in such a way that you are able to meet your deadlines while still maintaining a high level of productivity. For example, if your boss asks you to prepare a document that she needs by 10:00 on Monday morning, you need to make sure that it’s done, otherwise you’ll be in trouble. If you have other important tasks to do on Monday morning, you need to use your time management skills to figure out how you are going to fit it all in.

Project Management:  Good knowledge on project management.

Research:  Research skills will help you when it comes to finding important information. You may, for example, need to do some research before you reply to an email requesting funding from your department, or you may be required to research travel destinations before you make the bookings for your boss’s next business trip. If you don’t have the necessary research skills, you may miss out on important details, such as that your boss requires a work visa, and not a tourist visa, for her trip.

Computer Skills:  Since most of your work will be done on a computer, it is essential that you have the necessary computer skills, such as:

Typing

Scanning and printing

Using software programs such as Microsoft Office

Using internet browsers

Along with research skills, good computer skills will help you to perform your daily tasks quickly and more efficiently. Advanced computer skills may also count in your favor when it comes to applying for a job. 

Communication Skills: As a professional executive secretary, you will be in constant communication with others, either in person, or via channels such as telephone or email. You therefore need to know how to communicate clearly, professionally, and politely regardless of whether you are dealing with a visitor, a client, a colleague, your boss, or a service provider.

Becoming A Professional Executive Secretary

The Professional Executive Secretary role is light years away from the junior secretarial role in terms of duties, attributes and skill-set. Particularly as senior secretary, they often work at C-level. The titles Professional Executive Secretary and Executive Assistant are often used interchangeably. But this should not detract from the fact that professional executive secretaries are established professionals with proven managerial and operational abilities.

Senior executive secretary is expected to be fully aware of their executive's goals because helping their boss achieve his/her strategic objectives is a fundamental requirement of the role. The senior professional executive secretary's ability to priorities and remain focused under pressure is testimony of their flexibility, adaptability and change responsiveness in an atmosphere of constantly shifting priorities.

Professional Executive Secretary Training & Development

Professional Executive Secretaries adopt an attitude of regular professional development. They keep abreast of technological changes so that they can quickly master new technologies and keep a watchful eye on the latest gadgetry. Influencing decisions by recommending the latest and most cost-effective office technology is an aspect of the senior professional executive secretary's role.

Senior professional executive secretary’s invariably have a bachelor’s degree usually in Business Administration or similar. Many have a Master’s degree. For bright junior Administrators, the senior professional executive secretary role represents a clear career strategy, and a pathway for planning training and development. The Senior professional executive secretary role tends to expand to include important projects; therefore, the successful professional executive secretary should have multi-faceted skills that include project management. Attending Executive Assistant training courses and professional executive secretary seminars on a regular basis is a must for the professional executive secretary's continuous professional development.

Professional Executive Secretary CV

The senior professional executive secretary's CV shows a high level of IT literacy and the ability to trouble-shoot technical problems. It also shows good numeracy skills, an understanding of budgets and strong decision-making abilities. The professional executive secretary's CV would present evidence of their ability to work independently and with a high-level of autonomy, such as representing the boss at meetings and events, as well as running the business in the boss's absence. The senior professional executive secretary's CV would also show that she or he has mentored peers and perhaps even managed a team.

Being the Boss's Right Hand Person

Because of their understanding of the long-term goals of the organization and their dependability, accountability and proximity to management, executive secretary is considered to be key players in the organization - a fact that is not lost on colleagues. As the boss’s "right hand person" and his/her eyes and ears, executive secretary make up for gaps in their boss’s knowledge and memory. Senior executive secretary assumes a lot of power in organizations. As gate-keepers of the executive's time, they ensure that the executive remains sufficiently accessible, while keeping him or her on track with their daily objectives. As confidantes, executive secretary is discrete and maintain strict confidentiality. They have excellent verbal and written communication skills and often draft written communication in the guise of their executive. Many professional executive secretary work similarly anti-social hours as the boss and it's not unusual for them to attend to an emergency at 1 o'clock in the morning.

The Senior Professional Executive Secretary's Knowledge Base

In addition to the above attributes and expectations, senior executive secretary should have a general understanding of ecommerce, health and safety, human resources procedure, and the basics of public relations, such as how to deal with the press. Senior executive secretary should also understand their executive's statutory responsibilities in order to ensure that they are met.

The professional executive secretary is relied upon to develop and maintain systems and procedures, and translate protocols, such as the company's purchasing protocol. A basic understanding of corporate law and governance would help executive secretary to effectively support the Board of Directors; therefore, corporate governance is an important skill to develop.

Executive

Reviews for Certified Professional Executive Secretary

[Isabella Cruise · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Nice illustrations and content. Clear and concise in delivering the requirements and the skills you need to become a successful executive secretary.

[Sharifah Shawls · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent content, top quality certification. Great looking illustrations, highly recommended for anyone who needs to upgrade to an executive secretarial positions.