OCCUPATION: SECRETARY

Name: Mike French

Company: Remedy Temp Inc.

Thumbs up: “The best thing I like about the job is that I get to be a pleasant and helpful servant. And I have the opportunity to minimize stress for my superior and in the office environment.”

Thumbs down: “Not always having the opportunity to make the more important decisions for my superior.”

Next step: “Personally, I’m going to school to take the necessary courses to get into the accounting field.”

Advice: “Have a cheerful and attentive attitude. Your focus should be to assist your superior and to make his or her job more effective by attending to all the minor details for which they have minimal time.”

Salary range: In Orange County, from $1,000 to $3,900 monthly.

Fringe benefits: Paid vacation, sick leave, health and life insurance, profit sharing, tuition assistance and a pension plan.

Hours: Secretaries generally work a 37 1/2- to 40-hour week.

Educational and training requirements: Should be able to type at least 45 to 60 words per minute, have training in grammar, spelling, composition and arithmetic, and possess good phone skills. Most companies prefer knowledge of computers and spreadsheet and word-processing programs.

Size of work force: Large. In Orange County, 145,850 people, or 12.0% of the labor force, work as secretaries.

Expected demand: Growing, as workers are promoted, change jobs or leave the labor force.

Job description: Secretaries perform a variety of administrative and clerical tasks, screen phone calls, set up appointments, draft letters and reports and monitor the day-to-day office operations.

Major employing industries: Government agencies, law firms, medical offices, schools, colleges, corporations, businesses, real estate agencies, retail stores, temporary agencies.

Advancement: Secretaries can become administrative or executive secretaries, supervisors, or be promoted into managerial positions.

For more information: Call or visit the job service window at any office of the state Employment Development Department. In Orange County, the offices are at 900 E. Pacifico Ave. in Anaheim (714) 978-7421; 233 E. Commonwealth Ave., in Fullerton (714) 680-7800; and 1001 S. Grand Ave. in Santa Ana (714) 558-4294.