Executive Assistants...HELP??!!?

I've been in the admin and paralegal business for 20 years and here on some tips I'd like to share:

Maintain professionalism and treat everyone with respect.

Be careful about gossip. Don't participate in it whatsoever.

Be careful on what you write in emails. It could come back to haunt you.

Don't wait until the last minute to get work done. Get an early start on tasks. Your bosses will appreciate it.

Keep a to-do list.

Take notes when given instructions.

Be proactive and try to anticipate the needs of your bosses for future projects or tasks.

Take notes on lessons learned for projects you are involved in so it goes seamless the next time.

Truly master the software you use (Word, Excel, PowerPoint). Buy books or take classes. Believe me my excellent software skills have opened doors for me.

Take initiative when possible.

Good luck and congratulations on your new job.

I'm an executive assistant and support a senior and regional vice president. Manage their calendars, screen their calls, travel etc etc.........I find that going over their calendars early in the morning works good for me. Also, I check in them throughout the day to make sure they have what they need for meetings. The downfall to supporting these 2 guys is that I cannot remember the last time I worked only 40hrs a week. :) Exec asst have a very demanding job that requires us to be on the move and always doing stuff like presentations or spreadsheets at the last minute. I do love my job!! Oh, I cannot stress the importance of DOUBLE TRIPLE CHECKING EVERYTHING with spellcheck and re-reading memos/letters outloud to make sure they sound right. Never leave things for the last minute. Good luck!!

all of the replies you've gotten so far are great!

I would add:

schedule time on your executives calendar every couple of days if they're busy or even every day if they are very busy. 15 mins should do it.

Volunteer to take minutes at team meetings - this will keep you in the loop of what's going on & help the execs keep track of what was discussed & what their responsibility / timeline is.

Keep a team or group calendar so team members know what's going on with each other and circulate it to the team. Also provide an online copy they can access.

I file items in my computer by date. For ex, if I do a memo for an exec - I name my file 040608-JJ mem to XYZ Corp. also file it under MEMOS and under JJ's files.

On emails, don't know how long your company keeps them available to you - some only 60 or 90 days. If so, you will need to archive important emails so you don't lose them.

One other piece of advice, keep a "brag book". this is a file of thank you letters, emails, etc. for a job well done. These can be from people on your team, clients or vendors you deal with,etc.

I'm not on your level but I have been in the position in the Army

I had to provide and support 2 Majors, 4 Captains, 1 Full bird Colonel (06) and 1 Two Star General.. when I became confused as to my specific duties I would approach the General and ask him to give me guidance. This usually helped...... So before you accept, your best option would be to sit down with the main leader or boss and ask just what is expected from you...... Too many except a position without knowing what is expected than learn that it was a lot more than they knew.... So a clear and descriptive explanation of your responsibilities is a necessity here.

You're a walking example that working as a Temp can be great!

Remember, at this level, you will hear/see priviliged information. Sometimes someone may use you as a sounding board, other times you will overhear something. Learn to be discreet and keep things to yourself.

Don't become a doormat. You may be so good that managers may feel they can dump work on you they are responsible for. Walk a fine line there.

Keep good notes to yourself as to your duties. Basically continue to build your resume as you learn new tasks, take on new responsibilities. Being an EA should lead to more within the company, if not there than somewhere else. Don't be surprised if you get offered jobs from other people who see how good you are.

Congrats.

Congratulations on the job. Executive Assistants have a very demanding line of work.

You covered your bullet points well. I few other suggestions I can offer is.

*Never let your guard down, becoming too comfortable in a position can be interpretted as being lazy.

*Before leaving for the day/weekend ask if there is anything else that they need from you

*Be confident in the work that you give them, buckling underpressure can raise doubts.

Other than that, you have it right on the ball. Good luck

Congrats on the new job!! I was a PA for a couple of years in between uni and it sounds like you're on the right track already. I dont know whether you have access to their phone message bank but I used to check my boss's pretty regularly as he was in meetings or out of the office a lot. Like you said, organisation is the key so make sure all schedules are updated and even circulated to other staff members so they are aware of your exec's schedules. Get to know their habits, from the littlest detail like where they go for lunch to who their major clients are and keep a contact list handy! Good luck!

EXEC's you either hate them or love them! Stay a little late, never leave earlier that everyone else, give always your 110%, Be honest, dont talk ill about co workers, bosses, be positive and always look at problems as new challenges!

Good luck!!

i would say this-always cover your ***. keep emails, documents, and contact info. execs are scatterbrains who don't remember anything. be prepared that you'll have to do things over and over and pull out random old files.

also really important-follow your gut. if you think about cutting corners and have a feeling it'll backfire, then don't do it cause it will!

just get attuned to their habits and be one step ahead of them. good luck

Hahahahhaaaaa, a brilliant retort pmsl.