Message #76901

[StephanieP]

I think it's still quite standard for assistants to answer phones for their boss.  I am not doing it in my current role, but in my prior position at the same company, I was asked to do it and did not consider it to be an archaic request.  The corporate switchboard actually transfers anyone who asks to speak to my boss to me (with the understanding that most people she'd really want to speak to would have her direct number,) and in most cases I'm able to resolve the reason for the other person's call so my boss doesn't have to.

I wouldn't consider the photo associated with the article to be stereotypical either - it just looks like a woman in an office to me.  Not necessarily the way I'd dress, but I do see some of my colleagues with their hair up, and we do often wear suits, so it's not unheard of.

I look at the article as a tool that might be useful to an entry-level person who might have limited experience with screening calls.  I don't expect everything I see professional websites to directly apply to my environment.