Tips about how to become an executive assistant, as duly researched and garnered in this content, have proven to be much more useful especially to students and individuals who perhaps have been grappling with the question of what could be the basic logistics around the office.
Well, there is no point stressing yourself over what to do and what to avoid when becoming an executive assistant in a reputable organization. Douse your fears as you will be kept abreast with what and what are the essential skills and responsibilities. Speaking of responsibilities, an executive assistant works directly with top executives in a company or organization, fulfilling high-level administrative needs and standard assistant tasks. Other basic responsibilities are:
- Performing administrative tasks such as writing emails, creating memos, and drafting communications
- Maintaining comprehensive records and creating accurate reports
- Completing payroll and other accounting needs
- Planning meetings by managing schedules and sending reminders
- Answering the phones in a timely and helpful manner
- Being the face of the company for anyone entering the office
- Managing the executive’s calendar, appointments, and travel details, with a key focus on organization
This career path can offer many rewards, including getting to work alongside high-level executives, serving as the point-of-contact for internal and external stakeholders, and developing skills that can transfer to a variety of other careers. As an executive assistant, you represent both the executives and the company. Think of yourself as the “face” of the company, as you interact with customers, clients, and coworkers. In many instances, you’ll set the tone for the workplace.
Becoming an Executive Assistant
This is finally the answer to your question about how to become an executive assistant. Pay attention to doing these few steps and you will get to become the professionally proficient executive assistant you want to become:
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Education
The first step to becoming an executive assistant is to obtain the necessary education and experience. While there is no specific degree required for this position, most employers prefer candidates who have at least a high school diploma or equivalent, and some college or vocational training in business administration, office management, or related fields. Additionally, you will need to have several years of experience as an administrative assistant, secretary, or similar role, preferably in the same industry or sector as your target employer. You will also need to demonstrate proficiency in various computer software, such as Microsoft Office, Google Suite, or other tools relevant to your industry.
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Professional Certification and Training
The third step to becoming an executive assistant is to pursue any certification or training that can enhance your credentials and skills. While certification is not mandatory for this role, it can help you stand out from the competition and demonstrate your commitment and expertise.
There are several organizations that offer certification programs for executive assistants, such as the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP), the American Society of Administrative Professionals (ASAP), or the Association of Executive and Administrative Professionals (AEAP).
These programs typically require you to meet certain eligibility criteria, such as education, experience, and membership, and pass an exam that covers various topics, such as office administration, project management, communication, ethics, and technology. Additionally, you can also seek out any training opportunities that can help you improve your skills or learn new ones, such as online courses, webinars, workshops, or conferences.
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Develop Career
Another step to becoming an executive assistant is to pursue your career development and advancement. Executive assistants can have various opportunities to grow and progress in their careers, such as taking on more complex or strategic projects, managing a team of assistants, or representing their executive in meetings or negotiations.
Additionally, they can seek more variety and challenge, like working for different executives, departments, or organizations, or switching to a different industry or sector. Furthermore, they can strive for more recognition and reward, like negotiating a higher salary, bonus, or benefits, or earning a promotion to a senior executive assistant, chief of staff, or office manager role.
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Grow Your Networking
The fourth step to becoming an executive assistant is to network and apply for suitable positions. Networking is a key strategy to find and secure executive assistant jobs, as many of them are not advertised or are filled through referrals or recommendations. You can network by joining professional associations, attending events, reaching out to your contacts, or using social media platforms, such as LinkedIn or Twitter.
You can also use online job boards, websites, or agencies that specialize in executive assistant positions, such as Indeed, Glassdoor, or Robert Half. When applying for executive assistant jobs, you will need to tailor your resume and cover letter to highlight your relevant skills, experience, and achievements, and provide examples of how you have supported and added value to your previous or current executives.
You will also need to prepare for the interview process, which may involve multiple rounds, tests, or assessments, and showcase your personality, confidence, and enthusiasm
Essential Skills to Become a Good Executive Assistant
Check out some of the essential skills to become a good executive assistant in this game:
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Discretion
Senior executives deal with a lot of sensitive, confidential information daily. These can be news about acquisitions, finance reports, or even Human Resource matters. Naturally, this means their executive assistants are also aware of this information.
However, for any executive to be fully transparent with their executive assistants, they must trust them and know this information is safe. Trust is the foundation of the relationship between an EA and their boss. This goes for any profession. It’s imperative that executive assistants do not reveal company secrets and stay out of corporate gossip and rumors.
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Multi-Tasking
A good remote executive assistant needs to handle multiple projects without letting the pressure get them. For example, they can utilize the waiting time to respond to calls and other messages while making hotel reservations and other bookings.
Prioritizing is also an important quality to have for executive assistants. They must understand which tasks require immediate attention and attend to those first.
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Communication
Essentially, an executive assistant represents and acts as a spokesperson for their executive. They are the gatekeepers. All communications to and from their boss often happen through them. Therefore, professional communication skills and excellent grammar, phone, and email etiquette are necessary if you want to succeed as an executive assistant.
Additionally, you must have some business and persuasive skills and must communicate strategically on your boss’s behalf. The executive assistant must also communicate their thoughts and ideas clearly. Often, they act as a confidant to their executive.
So, they must advise them on when good or bad decisions are being made. What separates a good Executive Assistant from a great one is their ability to have individual thoughts and opinions and be more than just a yes-person.
5. Systems and Process Management
Executive assistants need to know the ins and outs of their organization’s systems and processes, like databases, software, and other cloud tools such as AWS. It’s their job to keep these systems running like a well-oiled machine so that everything runs smoothly and efficiently.
Moreover, executive assistants can enhance their capabilities by taking help online. These provide them with valuable skills and knowledge to effectively manage and optimize the processes, further contributing to organizational efficiency and success.
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Project Management
Executive assistants play a vital role in managing projects. This includes organizing important information, monitoring progress, and keeping everyone in the loop. Keeping a project on schedule and within budget takes great organizational skills and the ability to handle many tasks simultaneously. Thus, project management is one of the necessary executive assistant key skills every virtual assistant should have.
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Resourcefulness
A good executive assistant should be able to make the impossible possible. They need to have a knack for building relationships, improving their networking skills, and thinking on their feet to deliver results when needed the most. For example, business people have many important meetings and travel as a part of their day-to-day job. These meetings often happen in restaurants, and getting a good reservation can sometimes be hard.
That is where a good executive assistant should cash in on the relationship they’ve built with restaurateurs over time and pull some strings to get the reservation. Good negotiating skills are hard to come by. Yet, it’s something that should come naturally to an executive assistant.
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Proactiveness
When working for a high-level executive, there is no time for anyone to spoon-feed an executive assistant. Instead, they need to be proactive and show initiative to stand out on the job.
A good EA should learn about their industry and educate themselves on the ins and outs of the company to provide their boss with strategic advice.
As we said before, a good assistant is more than just a yes-person. They should provide their employer with helpful opinions and a fresh perspective.
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Email Management
One of the most necessary skills for an assistant of this category is to be good at email writing and management. In this day and age, email is an absolute must for effective communication. Executive assistants need to master the art of managing emails. This includes filtering and prioritizing emails, writing professional and succinct replies, and staying on top of the inbox organization.
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Emotional Intelligence
One of the most necessary key skills for executive assistant needs is strong emotional intelligence. Executive assistants must be emotionally intelligent, pick up on nonverbal cues, and understand others’ needs and feelings. They must also be able to manage their own emotions, especially when things get stressful. They need to be able to build relationships, handle conflicts, and offer empathy and support.
