They often serve as the information clearing house for an organization. In many cases office specialists, such as receptionists or secretaries, advance to more responsible positions by promotion. Those who broaden their knowledge of a company's operations and enhance their skills may be promoted to positions such as Administrative Assistant, Office Manager, or Word Processing Specialist. Some office employees perform highly specialized work requiring knowledge of technical terminology and procedures.
Legal secretaries prepare legal documents and correspondence and assist with research.
Medical secretaries transcribe dictation, prepare correspondence, and assist physicians with reports, speeches, articles, and conference proceedings. Accounting clerks work with general ledger and spreadsheet software and may be assigned to a specialized area such as payroll. As office automation continues to evolve, retraining and continuing education will be an integral part of office jobs. Workers may have to attend classes to learn how to operate new office technologies. The rapid spread of new technology has increased the demand for office professionals who are adaptable and versatile to changes in the office.