This is how secretaries are called nowadays, in case you snoozed and missed the news.
Now I just have to figure out how an “office support associate” is different from an “office support specialist.”
Aug
17
2012
This is how secretaries are called nowadays, in case you snoozed and missed the news.
Now I just have to figure out how an “office support associate” is different from an “office support specialist.”
There are lots of such job titles: Staff assistant, Administrative assistant, etc.
I suspect that ‘office support associate’ is a lower ranking job than ‘office support specialist’ but I am not sure.
The curious side effect here is that the title “Secretary” is likely to become a high status title, exclusively, since in this country it is synonymous with “Cabinet Minister,” as in Secretary of State, etc.
You are right! This is the direction where this is going.
If you ever read William Lutz’ essay Life under the Chief Doublespeak Officer you’ll see that there is a rampant proliferation of job titles and euphemisms.
I have recruited numerous secretaries for my clients and I can tell you that the term/title is losing its popularity. I use ‘administrative coordinator’ which is widely successful and attracts a lot of candidates. Many younger candidates tell me that they do not want to work as secretaries, but rather as assistants or coordinators. The tasks are the same: filter calls, make coffee, get lunch, run errands, book travel, type letters, but the actual title makes all the difference.