by Anne-Marie Jennings
Northern News Services

NNSL (Apr 24/98) - A secretary, according to the 1995 edition of the Oxford Minireference Dictionary and Thesaurus, is defined as a person employed to deal with correspondence and routine office work.

Receptionist, meanwhile, receive and direct clients.

The distinction between the two jobs seems simple enough -- but the continual blurring of the two positions indicates a general lack of understanding of where to draw the line.

For many people, the term secretary conjures up images of women operating outside the office doors of company executives -- answering the telephone and taking dictation.

But in the modern society of computers and voice mail systems, many purposes once fulfilled by secretaries are now obsolete.

In many cases, even the word secretary has been replaced to ensure there is no longer a stigma attached to the position, which is an essential one in most offices.

The people who work in these positions, however, know exactly how to define themselves.

Rosell Regidor works as a secretary/receptionist for Arctic West Adjustors in Yellowknife.

"I like my job," Regidor said. "I love working with people and being able to help them."

Regidor, who has been doing the typing, answering the telephones, and sending off faxes and doing the necessary photocopying. "I went to school at Arctic College for this," she explained.

Regidor's only complaint comes when she has to deal with clients who are not in a good mood.

"When you're nice to them and they're mad, it makes it really difficult to deal with them."

And although the position of a secretary may no longer be relevant, the skills of a secretary are still needed.

The perception of the secretary within the office has changed over the years. New office technology has led to the need for greater flexibility and adaptability. The increased pace of business has also required an increased ability to respond to any task presented in the blink of an eye.

But regardless of the title, the job remains a vital one. While employers may no longer need someone to type up a letter from time to time or answer phones when the employer is out of the office, there will always be a need for people who can deal with the public.

Regidor added she has no problem with the title of secretary. "I'm a secretary-receptionist," She said. "It's my job."