The profession of a social secretary is a key position within each establishment, because it is the best ambassador of its company. This is why she must be welcoming, smiling and benevolent, especially in the social field. Indeed, it is a position focused on welcoming users, as well as on meeting their needs and guaranteeing them good follow-up.
Reception and relational
The social secretary must have great relational ease, demonstrate a marked interest in human contact. These qualities allow it to ensure the reception, the reception of users and to respond to their request (information, orientation, making appointments, etc.), by identifying the nature of the request, its degree of urgency and , if necessary, by carrying out an initial social orientation when the situation justifies it.
Sometimes, a social secretary may encounter unforeseen events that she has to deal with. For example, I can share my professional experience within the General Hospice where several times, when there were no interpreters, I had to play this role in order to facilitate exchanges between migrants and social workers. Indeed, my language skills in Arabic allowed me to establish a benevolent communication and moreover to support my colleagues.
Logistics and administration
Thanks to her sense of organization as well as her detail orientation, the social secretary takes on the logistical and administrative tasks of the unit. This consists of the management of schedules, documentation and displays, the monitoring of statistics, the reception and transmission of documents, etc. She also takes care of simple secretarial tasks for the professionals of the unit. For this, the mastery of computer tools, such as Word, Excel, Outlook… as well as writing and linguistic skills are essential.
Team collaboration
Close collaboration with colleagues ensures the transmission of useful information and optimized reception management (reception of requests and documents, management of agendas, transmission of messages, etc.).
The essential qualities
To exercise the profession of social secretary as well as possible, it is essential to appreciate dynamic work environments offering a sustained pace of activity, to have proven skills in resistance to stress, to show tact, patience, diplomacy. Knowing how to ease tensions when they arise, being flexible and versatile, having the ability to integrate into a multidisciplinary team are also recognized qualities.
Given that the social secretary processes the data and personal information of users, it is crucial that she be discreet and respectful of professional secrecy with regard to this information.
The specificities of a social secretary
Ideally a social secretary should have knowledge of social insurance. In addition, she will have to familiarize herself with the software specific to each institution.
Training
To be able to exercise the profession of a social secretary, in this case within the General Hospice, it is necessary to hold the CFC of commercial employee or a training considered equivalent, ex: diploma secretarial and administrative management qu can be obtained in recognized schools in Geneva such as IFAGE, FUTURPRO +. In addition, the General Hospice has a catalog dedicated to courses and training available to employees allowing them to progress in their professional career.
Ultimately, the job of a social secretary, particularly within the General Hospice, is fascinating in many respects, not only on a professional level by helping and meeting the needs of users, but also on a personal level because we feel useful and valued.
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