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Executive Secretary

Business

Provide high-level administrative support by conducting research, preparing statistical reports, and handling information requests, as well as performing routine administrative functions such as preparing correspondence, receiving visitors, arranging conference calls, and scheduling meetings. May also train and supervise lower-level clerical staff.

You can enter this career straight after SPM. A degree is optional, not required.

Business

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Manage and maintain executives' schedules.
  2. 2Process payroll information.
  3. 3Make travel arrangements for executives.
  4. 4Prepare invoices, reports, memos, letters, financial statements, and other documents, using word processing, spreadsheet, database, or presentation software.
  5. 5Coordinate and direct office services, such as records, departmental finances, budget preparation, personnel issues, and housekeeping, to aid executives.
  6. 6Answer phone calls and direct calls to appropriate parties or take messages.
  7. 7Prepare responses to correspondence containing routine inquiries.
  8. 8Open, sort, and distribute incoming correspondence, including faxes and email.
  9. 9Greet visitors and determine whether they should be given access to specific individuals.
  10. 10Prepare agendas and make arrangements, such as coordinating catering for luncheons, for committee, board, and other meetings.
  11. 11Perform general office duties, such as ordering supplies, maintaining records management database systems, and performing basic bookkeeping work.
  12. 12Conduct research, compile data, and prepare papers for consideration and presentation by executives, committees, and boards of directors.
  13. 13Interpret administrative and operating policies and procedures for employees.
  14. 14File and retrieve corporate documents, records, and reports.
  15. 15Read and analyze incoming memos, submissions, and reports to determine their significance and plan their distribution.
  16. 16Set up and oversee administrative policies and procedures for offices or organizations.
  17. 17Provide clerical support to other departments.
  18. 18Meet with individuals, special interest groups, and others on behalf of executives, committees, and boards of directors.
  19. 19Compile, transcribe, and distribute minutes of meetings.
  20. 20Attend meetings to record minutes.
  21. 21Supervise and train other clerical staff and arrange for employee training by scheduling training or organizing training material.
  22. 22Review operating practices and procedures to determine whether improvements can be made in areas such as workflow, reporting procedures, or expenditures.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • Scheduler
  • VP Assistant
  • VP Secretary
  • Staff Assistant
  • Office Assistant
  • Protocol Officer
  • Project Assistant
  • Personal Assistant
  • Personal Secretary
  • Administrative Aide

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. Typical entry

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationAssociate's degree

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

BusinessDraws directly on Administrative — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EnglishDraws directly on English Language — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Computer Science / ICTDraws directly on Computers and Electronics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Electrical & Electronic Eng. StudiesDraws directly on Computers and Electronics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EconomicsDraws directly on Administration and Management — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Administrative90%

    Business

  • English Language83%

    English

  • Customer and Personal Service69%
  • Computers and Electronics66%

    Computer Science / ICTElectrical & Electronic Eng. Studies

  • Administration and Management64%

    BusinessEconomics

  • Personnel and Human Resources55%

    Business

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
  • Leading or coordinating othersVery high
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
  • Noisy environmentAlmost never
  • Time spent sittingAlmost all the time

Where this job is heading

Newer tasks O*NET has flagged for this occupation, a hint at how the role is changing.

  • Keep track of employees' time.

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

62%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

0.31%

Of Malaysian Claude conversations, about this kind of work

Measures how much people use Claude for this work, not how many Malaysians do this job — and more AI use can mean people relying on it, not that it's replacing them.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

Related careers

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About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org

Programmes that lead here

Programmes from the official UPU (KPT) and MQA catalogues whose field of study typically leads to this career. Matched by field, not a job guarantee.

Public universities (UPU)

Private institutions (MQA-accredited)

Search the programme catalogue