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all about executive assistant jobs.

If you are an organized individual who likes to have a sense of purpose in your work, you will probably enjoy being an executive assistant. In this role, you will assist your executive with their day-to-day tasks. In a broader sense, you act as a bridge between executives and employees, facilitating communication between the two. This role requires excellent communication skills and an ability to think on your feet.

what do executive assistant jobs entail?

Your role as an executive assistant is largely concerned with making life easier for the executive you are working with and, where required, the wider executive team. This typically involves things like coordinating with several parties to efficiently organize your executive's schedule, providing administrative support in the form of note-taking, spreadsheet creation, and more, and a host of other functions of that nature.

what is a typical work schedule for executive assistants

Generally speaking, your hours as an executive assistant will be right around the standard 40 hours per week mark that is commonplace for most administrative roles. That being said, the flexibility to be able to work irregular overtime is often an expectation. Additionally, if you are working for a top executive (such as a CEO), you will almost certainly be expected to work overtime, as your schedule will be inextricably tied to the hours of the executive you are assisting. As a general rule, you can expect more senior executives to keep less regular hours, but this is by no means a guarantee. If your situation or preferences do not allow you to be flexible with your hours, you may be better considering a different position.

what are the pros of executive assistant jobs?

• Experience a wide range of tasks/responsibilities: As an executive assistant, you will find yourself doing a little bit of everything in the course of your work. This has many benefits, such as giving you a range of experience to put on your resume. It also lets you sample a lot of aspects of the business for future reference.
• Interact with many people and departments: If you like working with people—or even if you just like knowing the lay of the land in your organization—you will enjoy the fact that being an executive assistant will introduce you to many people within the company. You will have to deal with many departments in the course of your duties.
• A position of knowledge within the company: This one is variable depending on the seniority of the executive you are assisting. As the person who handles their scheduling and communications, you will be in a position of knowledge. This can be to your advantage in situations of significant change within the company.
• Puts you in a position to progress: Being an executive assistant isn't just a great opportunity to develop skills and network. The experience gained in this role can be translated into other roles. This includes senior roles in the fullness of time, perhaps even executive roles.

what are the cons of executive assistant jobs?

• Irregular hours: As mentioned above, your hours as an executive assistant can be somewhat irregular. If your executive has a tendency to work late or work over the weekend, you will likely be expected to work those hours, too.
• Difficult personalities: It is by no means a guarantee that you will have a difficult boss in this role, but it is certainly a possibility. You will be working closely with your executive all of the time. If they are difficult to work with—or you just don't get on—this could make your work life harder.
• The job can be stressful: Executives often deal with a lot of stressful matters, and, as their assistant, you will be dealing with those same stresses. This includes things like deadlines.
• Salary can seem low: While the highest-paid executive assistants in Canada can earn as much as $67,000 per year, this is still less than the national average salary. And the average salary for this role is lower than that. Although, there are opportunities to move on to better-paying roles, of course.

what are common executive assistant interview questions?

When you are asked in for an interview, you should feel proud that you have done well enough to get there, but the hard work isn't over. Most people will get the best results from their job interview if they plan their answers out ahead of time. Of course, you can't plan for every eventuality, as you can't possibly guess what your interviewer will ask. Still, there are some common questions that are more likely to crop up in an executive assistant interview;

• Why do you want to be an executive assistant? This question is quite standard and should be answered honestly. The only thing that might be a concern for your interviewer is if you come across as both very ambitious and very impatient, as your desire to progress could hamper your duties as an assistant.
• How proficient are you with computers? Working with computers is an integral part of the role of executive assistant, and your interviewer will want to know how proficient you are. The answer to this question needn't just involve listing off relevant qualifications. Elaborate on your experience working with computers.
• How do you handle difficult people? This question may seem like a warning about the executive you are going to be working with, but that's not necessarily the case. You will be dealing with a lot of people in the course of your duties as an executive assistant. It stands to reason that not all of those people will be easy to deal with.

executive assistant resume and cover letter requirements

You should always make an effort to ensure your cover letter and resume are professionally put together. These are often the first things your prospective employer sees about you and will be the thing that determines whether you even get an interview in the first place. In your cover letter, highlight the most notable aspects of your past experience and academic career, including things like awards and notable projects. In your resume, be sure to include these elements;

• Name and contact information
• Brief summary of experience/skills
• Employment history
• Education/qualifications
• Awards/certifications
• Examples of accomplishments
• Social media accounts (if work-related)
• Work-related skills

what is the job outlook for executive assistants?

As an executive assistant, you have a quite positive job outlook in that this is a profession that is not expected to shrink over the next decade. It is also a profession that lends itself well to progression, with the experience gained from this role being translatable into other roles. Where the outlook is a little less positive is in the competition. You will invariably be up against a lot of competition for these roles, which will make getting hired as an executive assistant harder.

what are the different types of executive assistant jobs?

The role of executive assistant is largely divorced from the industry it is in or the business of the organization that employs them. While some industry-specific knowledge will be unavoidable, it is mostly the case that an executive assistant should be able to work anywhere. That being said, the title can vary a lot depending on who is hiring. Here are some of the titles you may see this role listed under when you are looking for a job;

• Executive assistant
• Administrative assistant
• Administrative secretary
• Executive assistant to the CEO
• Office assistant
• Executive admin
• CEO assistant

In many cases, the change of title will be tied to the executive you are working with. For example, your job title won't be "executive assistant to the CEO" if you are not working with the CEO.

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what is the average salary for an executive assistant?

Salaries for executive assistants in Canada range from $41,000 per year at the lower end to $67,000 per year at the high end. The average salary sits more or less in the middle at $50,000 per year. This average assumes an hourly rate of $26 and an average week of 40 hours. That being said, the amount you earn can be increased with overtime, which is common for this role.

average executive assistant salaries in canada

• annual: $50,000
• monthly: $4,160
• weekly: $1,040
• hourly: $26

Top paying areas for executive assistants in Canada include: Yukon, Northwest Territories, and British Columbia.

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what are the duties and responsibilities of executive assistants?

The overall goal of an executive assistant is to act as a middle person between employees and executives, generally lessening the burden of work on the executive. This can be broken down into several smaller duties, which include (but are not limited to) the following;

• Handle scheduling: In most cases, you will be almost entirely responsible for your executive's scheduling. This means things like ensuring they do not end up double-booked and making sure they are aware of planned meetings.
• Arranging travel: If the executive you are working with has to do a lot of travel in the course of their work, you will likely be responsible for making any necessary arrangements for said travel, such as booking flights and accommodation.
• Administrative support: You will be expected to undertake various administrative tasks, such as typing, filing system maintenance, and more. This will require you to be proficient with the relevant computer systems.
• Maintain confidentiality: You will inevitably come to see or hear sensitive information as part of your duties. It will be your responsibility to keep this information confidential unless explicitly told otherwise.
• Manage communications: You will be expected to manage a lot of communications between your executive and employees. This can involve scheduling meetings, responding to messages that don't need the executive's attention and more.

where do executive assistants typically work?

Your work as an executive assistant will mostly take place in an office environment. The exception to this will be during times when you have to travel as part of your job. For the most part, however, you should expect to be working in climate-controlled rooms. You will also be working in close proximity (both figuratively and literally) with your executive.

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what skills and competencies do executive assistants need?

The skills you will need as an executive assistant revolve mostly around communication, organization, and computer usage. The good news is that these skills can be honed and worked on through practice and experience. Here is a more detailed breakdown of the skills you'll need;

• Strong communication: You will be responsible for handling communication between employees and upper management. In some cases, this may even involve some interpretation, such as when a lengthy report needs summarising. You will need to have excellent communication skills to carry out these kinds of duties.
• Stellar organizational skills: One of the most fundamental responsibilities of an executive assistant is scheduling. You will need to be able to organize your executive's schedule in such a way to not only fit everything in, but in a way that works for your executive on a personal level.
• Computer proficiency: A large portion of your responsibilities will involve using various computer systems. In particular, the standard suite of office-related applications such as word processors, spreadsheets, and databases.
• Flexibility: You will sometimes be expected to work irregular hours. This will largely depend on the kind of schedule your executive keeps.
• Patience: Whether it is dealing with the employees or your executive, you are likely to encounter difficult people in the course of your work. It is important that you remain professional and keep your patience in these instances. Especially if the difficult person is your executive.

what training and certifications do executive assistants need?

Given the level of trust that will be placed in you in this role, a good deal of experience is often required. In general, employers look for at least 4 years of experience in an administrative role that reports directly to upper management. Regarding education, there is no set path to this career, though you will often find that a degree is required. That degree can be in any relevant subject matter, such as an administrative or business-orientated degree. Additionally, while experience is crucial, it might help to have some qualifications in related computer skills, such as word processing and spreadsheet use.

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