An executive assistant is a professional responsible for managing the schedules and communications of key executives in a company. They prioritize emails and phone calls, organize meetings and business events, and maintain internal contacts with many departments. Executive assistants are expected to have detailed knowledge of the Microsoft Office suite, be quick to resolve issues, and have experience as an executive or management assistant in the past. The job description should advocate for a professional person who is well presented at all times.
Scheduling and calendar management are two of the most important skills an executive assistant should perfect. As the world is slowly reopening since the COVID-19 pandemic, booking and coordinating travel arrangements is once again another major responsibility of executive assistants. At any given time, there are likely to be a handful of projects that an executive assistant is expected to manage efficiently. An EA is the person that executives go to for all their business (and sometimes personal) needs.
Executive assistants are also expected to possess the communication skills needed to write and send various types of communications (both internal and external). In its simplest form, an executive assistant is an organizational professional who provides administrative support to an executive-level position within a company. This may include tasks such as scheduling; reviewing, prioritizing and responding to emails; answering and answering phone calls; organizing documents; keeping records; taking notes at meetings; planning events; and any other administrative task that helps the executive to carry out his duties. The salary of an executive assistant is normally determined by the number of years of experience, the technical and social skills, and the scale of responsibilities of the organization.
Executive assistants should also consider learning more about open positions in a department or field that has piqued their interest.
