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Computers are changing the office
by leaps and bounds.
And if you think your job won’t be among those changing, think
again.
No job will escape the impact.
For an idea of how jobs have changed and will change, take a look
at the evolution of the secretary’s job.
“Twenty years ago we didn’t have data entry, we had typing tests,”
said Nancy Murton, a branch manager for Manpower Temporary
Services in Mt. Pleasant. “Testing has changed with the times.”
Manpower is now offering a preview of Office 2000 for people to
learn.
The training it offers has changed with times as well. People can
now learn software over the Internet in the comfort of their own
home.
“We give them the setup instructions and e-mail them a password
valid for 90 days,” Murton said. This allows people to learn the
software without having to buy it and they can learn at their own
pace.
The nature of secretarial work is rapidly expanding.
“It’s no longer just sitting at the typewriter banging keys,” said
Sharon Williams, owner of
The 24 Hour Secretary in Maryland. “Ninety percent of the work
is computerized.”
Some businesses store records on CDs instead of filing cabinets.
This can be done by scanning documents into the computer.
The Internet has changed the very nature of the office.
Secretaries are now able to telecommute instead of going to the
office everyday.
“You don’t need to see your secretary,” Williams said. “With a
virtual secretary sometimes you don’t even know who I am.”
The Internet made it possible to transfer work from one place to
another quite easily and faster than conventional methods.
Smaller companies can also contract with someone to do secretarial
work without having to hire them full time and add to the office
space. That person can now work from their home.
The training necessary to become a secretary has changed too, of
course.
Secretaries now have to go beyond typing and know the software.
For people going into specialty work, such as a medical or
law-oriented office, the education is even more extensive, but the
pay is also higher.
“You have to have more education than just a high school diploma
if you’re going into the specialty occupations,” Williams said.
Like many other fields, employers not only want education but also
experience.
“They don’t even want to train,” Williams said.
While there are those who are still resistant to the new
technology, more offices are moving into the computer age.
“Definitely you will still have your major corporations where some
work cannot outsource and some people who do not work with the
latest technology”, Williams said. And those that do work with
outside companies can always contact someone who is on-call 24
hours a day by e-mailing the 24 hour secretary at
info@the24hoursecretary.com. |
Message
from Denise Trifiletti of 
