Secretary (General) – ANZSCO 521211

Secretary (General) performs secretarial, clerical and other administrative tasks in support of Managers and Professionals.

Skill Level

3

Skills Assessment Requirement

Unless you are exempt in very limited circumstances, you are required to have a positive Skills Assessment to apply for the visas listed above.

Skills Assessment authority for Secretary (General) is Vocational Education and Training Assess (VETASSESS). To have a positive skills assessment, you must meet the following criteria:

• Qualification assessed at AQF Diploma level WITH a highly relevant field of study AND at least one year of post-qualification highly relevant employment at an appropriate skill level in the past five years; OR
• Qualification assessed at AQF Diploma level WITH an additional qualification at AQF Certificate IV in a highly relevant field of study AND at least one year of post-qualification highly relevant employment at an appropriate skill level in the past five years; OR
• Qualification assessed at AQF Diploma WITHOUT a highly relevant field of study AND at least two years of post-qualification highly relevant employment at an appropriate skill level in the past five years
• Applicants must meet both the qualification and employment requirements to obtain a positive skills assessment
• Highly relevant fields of study include:
  • Business Administration
  • Management
  • Office Management

Potential Visa Pathways for Secretary (General)

Group: 5212 Secretaries

Description

Perform secretarial, clerical and other administrative tasks in support of Managers, Legal Professionals and other professionals.
Medical Secretaries are excluded from this unit group. Medical Secretaries are included in Unit Group 5421 Receptionists, in Occupation 542114 Medical Receptionist.

Tasks

• Liaising with other staff to arrange meetings, and to gain and provide information
• Preparing reports, briefing notes and correspondence, and proofreading work for typographical and grammatical errors
• Maintaining appointment diaries and making travel arrangements
• Processing incoming and outgoing mail, filing correspondence and maintaining records
• Answering telephone calls, responding to inquiries and redirecting callers
• Taking and transcribing dictation of letters and other documents
• Greeting visitors, ascertaining nature of business and directing visitors to appropriate persons
• May implement management decisions and maintain records of meetings
• May handle bookkeeping and petty cash functions

Skill Level

Most occupations in this unit group have a level of skill commensurate with the qualifications and experience outlined below.
In Australia:
AQF Certificate III including at least two years of on-the-job training, or AQF Certificate IV (ANZSCO Skill Level 3)

In New Zealand:
NZ Register Level 4 qualification (ANZSCO Skill Level 3)

At least three years of relevant experience may substitute for the formal qualifications listed above. In some instances relevant experience and/or on-the-job training may be required in addition to the formal qualification.

Occupations in this Group

• 521211 Secretary (General)
• 521212 Legal Secretary