Do you have what it takes to be successful as a legal secretary? Certainly you have the training and the experience, but many businesses are looking for those soft skills that can’t be trained. Before you begin to apply and interview for your dream legal secretary job, consider concentrating on these traits to ensure that you are picked for the job.
- Reliability. The number one most important trait in a legal secretary is reliability. You must be on time every day. Tardiness and excessive absences are an immediate career killer and a red flag for your employer. Ultimately, punctuality isn’t about being on time, it is about the expectation that you are available and reliable for the job you’ve been hired to do.
- Initiative. Successful legal secretaries take initiative in the office. Some businesses might refer to this as being a “self-starter.” You take direction well, but you are also willing to look one or two steps ahead and handle some of the additional aspects of the job on your own. You must be able to anticipate the needs of management and the law firm as a whole.
- Efficiency. A good legal secretary doesn’t waste time on the job. You must be able to efficiently and effectively accomplish goals without a lot of drama or time sinks. When someone in your firm needs information time is almost always the most critical challenge. You need to develop skills that can help you accomplish tasks quickly and correctly.
- Discretion. The legal industry is nothing without privacy and confidentiality. A legal secretary may be exposed to delicate information that should be treated with respect. A successful candidate will completely understand the need for discretion and not participate in gossip or discuss cases with outside sources.
- Flexibility. Finally, a successful legal secretary needs to be flexible on the job. The daily duties can change at a moment’s notice and you need to be able to work with this kind of stress and pressure without showing weakness. You must be able to alter your course of action as directed and not create unnecessary drama.
Are you looking for your next legal secretary job? NRI Staffing is hiring for legal jobs in Washington DC so call today!
