From persuasion to attention to detail, here is a list of skills that every executive assistant should possess. As an executive assistant, your high-level role requires a unique combination of soft and hard skills that can only be developed with time, experience and determination. Whether you're a new EA eager to learn the skills that will accelerate your success, or an experienced EA looking to hone your skills, it's essential to understand the key strengths that will help you succeed. Organizational Skills are one of the most important skills for executive assistants.
It's a must-have skill for executive assistants, and your executive will appreciate it saving them dozens of hours a month simply by keeping their inbox tidy. Of course, getting to zero in the daily inbox can be overwhelming, especially if your executive is receiving emails almost every second of the day. Here's a great guide on how to start managing email. Excellent email management skills are a small part of a much larger job, and maintaining your executive's inbox quickly so you don't waste time can be a surprisingly difficult task.
The deadline for a major project is in a few hours and a team is running short. Someone just accidentally deleted 5000 contacts in the company's CRM. Their executive is going to be late for a big meeting and they're making a presentation together. An executive assistant (EA) is a highly valued staff member in any organization. If you're planning to expand your team, it's essential to understand the skills and qualities of the senior executive assistant.
A first-level executive assistant working in a fast-paced environment is more than just a primary administrative assistant. Ultimately, they offer a wealth of experience that can help an executive succeed. Here, we look at the high-level skill set that an executive assistant can possess along with their general functions. Organizational skills are essential in any type of administrator role. Executive assistants must be able to prioritize tasks, as there may be deadlines to meet.
Tasks such as booking trips and organizing meetings should be carried out efficiently. If an assistant can implement processes to ensure that all tasks are thoroughly completed, that's a significant advantage. Being organized often goes hand in hand with good time management skills. When tasks need to be done quickly and efficiently, knowing how to manage time during a workday and being able to perform tasks with confidence are essential if you want your company to stand out. It's imperative to interact politely and professionally with people at all levels of an organization.
An executive assistant is often the company's first point of contact with which a customer comes into contact. Having a warm and friendly attitude instantly makes a good impression, so customers or customers are likely to keep coming back. Of course, confidentiality is also an essential trait for any EA. Check out Inc's 10 Commandments of Emotional Intelligence for other things you can do to develop your skills with people. Once you've prioritized your tasks, give them 100% of your attention, even if your thoughts are focused on all the pending tasks that you need to tackle next. Many foremen rely on the Pomodoro Technique to review their to-do lists.
With templates, you can be sure that the structure and format of your executive assistant resume are top notch. One of the main technical skills for executive assistants is the mastery of Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel and Outlook. An experienced executive assistant will be able to intuitively understand how to analyze the critical factors that will influence the long-term success of an organization. Your company's best executive assistant will be able to present big ideas clearly and concisely to achieve outstanding achievements. Situations like these happen to EAs on a daily basis, and working well under pressure is an essential skill of the executive assistant. Because of this, many of the top executive assistants are familiar with these systems, even becoming certified in their use. Chances are, if you're an executive assistant and have even half of the skills listed here, you're very resourceful.
That's why USA Today described the executive assistant as Silicon Valley's “power role” and reported that it's not uncommon for EAs from the tech mecca to get six figures. One of the best ways to gain the skills needed to be an executive assistant is to take an online course. Let's find out what skills an executive assistant really needs to succeed in the workplace. Executive assistants are often already experts in project management, even if they don't know it yet. A good executive assistant will know the preferences of their executive and will have made those decisions in advance, ensuring that the executive's promotion is as minimal as possible (Base's Decision Stream feature is a tool that can help you make those decisions quickly). Executives have demanding and high-pressure jobs, and there may be times when their assistants need to work well under pressure, especially when deadlines must be met. Another difficult and important skill for executive assistants is being able to properly plan and manage meetings.
Working as an executive assistant can be good if people like being exposed to different areas of the business and supporting higher levels.
