A college degree is not required to work as a secretary of any organization, there are free online secretarial courses with certificates you can acquire to gain the skillset and knowledge to be employed as a secretary. These courses are curated under this blog post to help you find them easily.
Secretaries are found in every organization, in an office specifically, assisting with correspondence, making appointments, and carrying out administrative tasks. You must have met a few, and they may not look it, but their presence in that office building matters a lot which makes them one of the most important people in an organization.
Their duties and responsibilities make up part of what keeps an organization operating seamlessly. Secretaries are also known as personal assistants (PAs) or administrative assistants. Some of their responsibilities include answering calls, booking and scheduling meetings, taking meeting minutes, scanning documents, taking messages, filing, typing, preparing and collating reports and documents, and supporting other staff.
To become a secretary is very easy as a college degree is not required to apply for the role. There are even some organizations that will employ an individual without experience for the role of secretary if the candidate agrees to on-the-job training and can learn fast. However, things are changing and this is now very rare.
Organizations and businesses these days require a secretary to hold a college degree or have some years of experience as a secretary to be employed. But, like I said, things are changing and one of the biggest changes or developments is the advent of online courses, where you can literally lay on your bed or sofa and acquire pretty much any skill you want and receive a recognized certificate that you can use to get a job.
Free online secretarial courses with certificates are among the skills you can learn online and acquire the necessary skillset and knowledge to work as a secretary in any organization. The certificate you obtain when you complete the courses is proof that you truly have the skillset and when applying for the position of a secretary, you can use the certificate.
Enrolling in the free online secretarial courses will train, develop, and equip you with the qualities of a good secretary which include essential organizational skills and professional communication skills. The courses are not only for those who are just starting as secretaries, they are also for you already working as secretaries so when you take the course, you will learn new things and acquire the latest skillset to apply at work.
Benefits of Free Online Secretarial Courses with Certificates
Aside from the courses being entirely free and offering flexibility, there are lots of other benefits that come with enrolling in free online secretarial courses. The benefits are so many that it could serve as another article but in order not to derail from the main topic, I will just go ahead and list only the vital benefits of free online secretarial courses with certificates.
- You will gain hands-on skills on how to write error-free emails and letters and distribute them.
- Secretaries use various software like Microsoft Word, Excel, Google Docs, PowerPoint, etc. Enrolling in the free online secretarial courses with certificates will equip you with practical skills to use this software as a pro.
- You will learn the proper way to handle confidential information and documents including how to properly dispose of them.
- Taking a secretary course online increases your skillset which can qualify you for career growth.
- The courses will equip you with the relevant skills to coordinate inter-office communications and organize busy schedules.
- You will gain essential communication skills to properly communicate with others both virtually and in person.
- Completing the online secretary course and acquiring the certificate will improve your CV or resume thereby setting you apart from the crowd.
- The course will teach you how to welcome visitors
- You will learn how to stay calm and organized always, especially under pressure.
- If you have struggles working with a team then take the free online secretary course and acquire knowledge and understanding with working with any team in the workplace.
Free Online Secretarial Courses With Certificates
The following are the free online secretarial courses with certificates:
- Diploma in Medical Secretary
- Effective Minute Writing
- Guide to Being a Legal Secretary
- Basics of Touch Typing
- Diploma in Presentation Skills
- Microsoft Word: Improve Your Writing by Mastering MS Word
- Creative Problem Solving and Decision Making
- Certificate in Admin, Secretarial & PA
- Business Communication – Managing Successful Team Meetings
- Essential Soft Skill: Listening
- Diploma in Soft Skill Development
- Office Administration Short Course
1. Diploma in Medical Secretary
Would you like to work as a secretary in a medical setting? If yes, then take this course to learn the ropes but if you already work as a secretary in a medical facility then take this course to learn the latest skillset and techniques that you can apply to your job as a medical secretary.
If you are just starting, you don’t need to have medical knowledge or experience or go to medical school to apply for the job of a medical secretary. Just take this diploma course to acquire the necessary knowledge, receive your certificate, and start applying for open positions.
2. Effective Minute Writing
One of the tasks of a secretary is to write minutes, especially during meetings. A lack of this skill will not make you a strong secretary, therefore, you must acquire it. This course will teach you all there is to know about taking minutes during meetings equipping you with skills and techniques you can apply to be effective at minute writing.
If you are struggling with writing an effective minute, take this course to counter that challenge. The course is entirely free and comes with a free certificate of completion.
3. Guide to Being a Legal Secretary
If you want to work as a secretary in a legal setting, you don’t need to go to law school or have a background in law because this course right here is all you need to complete to get started in the role. The course will equip you with the legal knowledge and practical skills required to work as a legal secretary. If you are already working as a legal secretary and want to upgrade your skillset, this is also a helpful course to take.
4. Basics of Touch Typing
As a secretary, you have to be a fast typist because there are piles of documents waiting for you to curate into the system. You can learn how to type fast in just a few hours with this course even if it is your first time handling a computer, as long as you have basic reading and writing skills.
The course will guide you through the process of becoming a proficient typist so that you can work faster and become more efficient in the workplace.
5. Diploma in Presentation Skills
If you are not yet a secretary then you should know now that one of the duties of a secretary is presentation. You need to possess essential presentation skills to be a quality secretary. This course aims to train you to become an effective communicator and hone your presentation skills whether you have a phobia for public speaking or can’t get others to understand you.
You will learn how to speak professionally, overcome nervousness, and most of all, develop powerful presentation and communication skills. No prior knowledge or experience is required to take this course and there is a free certificate when you complete the course.
6. Microsoft Word: Improve Your Writing by Mastering MS Word
Now this is a very vital course to take as a secretary. Remember where I mentioned earlier that secretaries must be proficient at using certain software and MS Word is one of them. As a secretary, you cannot escape MS Word so it is best you learn it and get the hang of it now through this course, it is never too late to master the use of MS Word.
When you complete this course, you will use MS Word from any year.
7. Creative Problem Solving and Decision Making
Problems are bound to arise in every work or business operation and as a secretary, you are not left out. You could even face the most problems but with creative problem-solving and decision-making skills, you will learn how to handle problems that arise in the office and make effective decisions.
8. Certificate in Admin, Secretarial & PA
This is a 6-month free online secretarial course with a certificate designed to train, develop, and equip you with all the necessary skills to instantly start working as a secretary or personal assistant. All the duties of a PA will be explained to you in this course then practical, hands-on training will follow suit to ensure that you master the duties.
Successful completion of the course will earn you a free certificate that you can attach to your CV or resume when applying for a job.
9. Business Communication – Managing Successful Team Meetings
You didn’t skip out where I mentioned that secretaries schedule meetings, did you? I mentioned this in the beginning part of this article. As a secretary, you must know how to set up meetings properly because this can lead to a huge success of the meeting.
The meeting can be between two people or a group of people and you have to be able to handle whatever the meeting demands. This course will equip you with relevant skills and deeper knowledge to successfully manage team meetings irrespective of the number of people involved, it will always turn out to be successful because you have acquired the right skill.
10. Essential Soft Skill: Listening
Possessing quality hardcore and softcore skills is what makes you a quality secretary. Now, you have developed and equipped yourself with various hardcore skills, which is good, but without soft skills, you are incomplete. This free online secretary course will teach and equip you with a soft skill – listening. When you build this skill, your productivity is sure to improve, and you are one step closer to becoming a quality secretary.
11. Diploma in Soft Skill Development
This online diploma course is an essential part of your journey to becoming a better secretary. Just as hardcore skills are important, softcore skills are equally essential. So, after you have developed all the necessary hardcore skills, hop into this course to develop and acquire relevant soft skills.
The skills you will acquire include communication, emotional and social skills, leadership, problem-solving skills, persuasion, creativity, negotiation, and motivation. The acquisition of these soft skills, many others, will 10x your productivity in the office.
12. Office Administration Short Course
Office administrative job roles are office manager, personal assistant, clerk, receptionist, and secretary. If you wish to pursue careers in any of these positions then take this Office Administration Short Course to gain relevant skills and knowledge in office administration and use your certificate to apply for jobs in any of the available roles.
Conclusion
If you want to work as a secretary, do not apply without a certificate showing your knowledge of the field or without prior experience, your application can get rejected because the bar for such jobs has been raised higher. Some even require a degree but a certificate from a recognized institution can get you into the field.
All of the free online secretary courses with certificates curated here are from established institutions therefore employers will recognize your application because it is going to stand out among others. So, start learning, acquiring new skills, or improving on existing skills, and grow your career to the next level.
Recommendations
- 12 Free Online Courses In Singapore With Certificates
. - 13 Free Online Python Course for Beginners
. - 10 USAID Free Online Certificate Courses
. - 16 Best Free Online Media Courses with Certificate
. - 9 Free Online Hospitality Management Courses with Certificates