What steps can you take to become an executive assistant?

An effective EA is one that knows everyone and can build relationships with anyone. So if you want to become an EA, it is important to make your presence known and introduce yourself to people outside of your team, executives that you may not normally interact with, vendors, Board members, etc.

Remember you are an individual. You might be working for someone but having your own personality and being able to suggest your own ideas will stand you apart from everyone else. Most Executives will value your contribution and healthy challenge and the benefits it will bring to them and their teams.

Skills and software can be taught. EAs must possess the Emotional Intelligence that completes the package. If you care about others, enjoy helping others succeed while stepping out of the spotlight, and have a kind, welcoming personality, then you’re more than halfway there. EAs are a representative of the Exec they support. Your Exec should feel confident sending you in to represent them and the team in their place. Professional appearance, proper etiquette, and a well-spoken EA is an extension and reflection of not only the Exec, but also the company. What people see in an EA goes a long way and could make or break business relationships. In many cases. If the EA makes others feel comfortable then the foundation for success has been laid.

I didn't write a cover letter, I assume nowadays it's not required anymore (in my experience). However, the resume is very important. Feel free to show a bit of your personality by using one colour theme and adding hobbies. Show your language and organizational skills. Show your work experience. Don't forget a friendly, clean picture.

You are going to keep a top-notch executive organized and productive! So your resume should reflect that. Keep it crisp with a summary upfront that puts the entire package together. Use keywords that are automated recruiting software friendly. Use the cover letter to tailor your candidacy to the EXACT role you are applying to. A short but effective cover letter can grab eyeballs. Good luck, go get them now!

In my experience, resumes are like a walking billboard or ad. They can either land you the role of your dreams or land in the trash can. With that being said, you’ll want to highlight your strengths and achievements within each role. Leave the second and third hand speaking in the dust while you’re at it. (Ex: Types letters, files etc. doesn’t do it anymore) I keep a notepad for each role I’ve ever had and take note of what I am doing and how often I am doing it. This allows me to collectively gather an accurate list of my duties and easily keeps track of my work load as well. By having this list at my disposal, I can quickly plug the details into my resume and keep my resume up to date and refresh from time to time as needed.

EA role has a lot of specifics: 1. Who you report to? If you report to the CEO or MD or any of the Top-of-the-line positions, then you better be aware that your job is not to handle just their office but also to COLLABORATE with the team/functions that report to them. Additionally, it is important to bring clarity to the team of your role and function so that you don't feel like someone who doing all "ODD" jobs. Additionally, these roles come with greater responsibility like Administration- which means you are someone who holds the key to the office. Always be approachable, communicative proactive and witty.

I think that for EA/LEA positions/roles, it can't just be your resume or cover letter. It has to be your reputation. The difference between EA and AA is the extra mile, the invisible hand, the person that just gets it. And that isn't something you can always convey. But it will be the first thing your reference(s) will say — "I can't imagine doing what I do [or did] without [them]."

Usually, you will form connections naturally. It's part of your daily business. Your co-workers will ask you for small favours, your peers will give you new contacts, you will seek out the right people to contact outside of your organization. Keep an open, sociable and discreet attitude and nothing can go wrong.

Join organizations, clubs, churches. Do volunteer activities. Talk to your friends’ friends, connect with your parents’ friends, your children’s classmates parents. Stay connected with former coworkers. All these things can help expand your network, and you don’t know you might just land your next job referral thru these connections.

Join a network/community of other EA's that you can learn from. It's also important to keep learning new skills or developing the ones you already have further. One way to do this is to attend trainings and webinars - a lot of them are put on by EA communities.

You can always network both in and out of the business. Often times as an executive assistant, it is best to assist in community outreach programs, sponsored events, and local events with the direct clientele of the business. who better to assist in the marketing then someone that works with the company or would like to?

1. **Get the right education.** While a bachelor's degree is not required for most executive assistant positions, it can be helpful to have one, especially if you want to work for a large corporation or in a specialized industry. Some popular majors for executive assistants include business administration, communications, and public relations. 2. **Gain relevant experience.** 3. **Get computer qualifications.** * Be organized and efficient. * Be able to prioritize and delegate. * Be a good communicator. * Be a team player.

As a coach, I always recommend that my clients prepare for interviews by putting together a list of scenarios/stories of how they handle situations. Interviewers want to know about your communication skills, how you handle conflict, how you deal with difficult decisions/people/situations, solve problems, and more. From these scenarios, the interviewer will determine how you think on your feet, prioritize, use good judgment, take initiative, if you're a leader, how you respond in stressful situations, etc. Take the time to identify your stories so you can confidently and positively present yourself. If you want to practice, reach out to a coach, mentor, or someone in recruiting to help you knock that interview out of the park!

A key attribute to have is to be able to take dictation by shorthand. Also use the language in a superior capacity. Use good grooming to have the best appearance. These are helpful tips.

A clean and reliable appearance are desired. You will take over a lot of responsibility, as my peer says: You're their external brain. You are keeping the overview. Show them you are the right fit for the challenge by presenting reference letters (if applicable) and highlighting your organizational achievements.

The interview is the time to shine with humility, confidence and competence. Presenting yourself in a professional manner (outfit, posture, hair, language, nails, everything visible needs to match the role and business) combined with well articulated responses is absolutely important in an interview setting. Showcase what you can do, how your values align with the organisational values and be confident in your achievements. Asking questions shows the recruiter many things about you; similarly a lot of the questions you get asked are designed to filter for particular behaviours and traits.

One hundred percent this. Get someone to practice mock interviews. Go onto YouTube or Pandora/Spotify/iTunes podcasts about your industry and job searching, they can be invaluable tools to prepare you for your interview.

Feedback is crucial for this role, as small changes in habits and processes may have great impact on the overall picture. My suggestion is to always seek out feedback, proactively challenging friction points that may arise and also give feedback in a constructive manner. There's always room for improvement both ways.

Feedback has been a cornerstone of my growth. Whether it's from peers, managers, or even interviews that didn't pan out, every piece of advice offers a chance to refine and evolve. Setting tangible goals based on this feedback and tracking progress is crucial. Embracing new challenges not only showcases our initiative but also propels our career forward. Continuous improvement is the key to success in any role!

Feedback is vital for improvement and growth. Actively seeking feedback is a great way to improve and signal to the person that you are keen to better yourself. Asking for feedback on how to improve your application for the future when you weren’t successful with your application is a great way to initiate a second conversation and better yourself. But, be prepared, not all feedback is positive! And some feedback is very subjective and based on a persons preference rather than objectively based.

Always send a follow up email to the interviewer the day after reiterating your interest in the role and then a week later asking for feedback.

Networking is key! Get in front of people and attend hiring events in person. Put together a portfolio that has a cover letter, your resume, and letters of recommendation to take with you to the events to hand out to the recruiters and hiring managers you meet. Make an impression to show people how valuable you are and what you’re capable of. Soft skills are most important for breaking into this profession. Most of the skills we use daily are soft skills you can and will acquire in other occupations. Emotional intelligence and problem-solving are essential skills. If you have these skills, you will be successful because you can read a room and figure it out even if you’ve never done it before.

Don't be afraid to share your creativity and sense of humor! If you are an EA and support a department, utilize your creativity to make team meetings fun, one-of-a-kind, and engaging. You will be amazed how many people will appreciate having a fun and unexpected component to a team meeting.

Join a network. Anything is more enriching than exchanging view and ideas among peers ( even better if beyond borders). Moreover establishing professional friendships could be useful for everyday work, several times I have queried support to my network for international trips organization, network members have always provided valuable support!

If you have no prior EA or admin experience, but you do have experience in customer service, you could gain admin experience but starting off with temp agencies. My first job in high school was through a temp agency as an office assistant. I worked for that company for two years which led me to an EA position which led to my recruiting career!

Having a flair for project and event management might come in handy. You will organize many complex multi-day workshops. Also, touch-typing is a must.

Especially in a smaller organisation, IT skills are a must. Being able to fix your Exec's printing issues, or her Zoom connection, or help her access to your board portal - all in a day's work