My Mom was interested in becoming an EA, but she never followed through. Hopefully you find some use in the guide I made for her.
Learn to keep notes
Most executive assistants (EAs) keep their notes in a Google Document. You can do that, or keep a dedicated notation software such as One Note, Notion, or Obsidian. (I suggest you stick with Google Docs for now!)
To be an amazing EA, it’s important to hear from people who’ve already been there! Listen to this podcast for a look into a part-time EA’s life.
Also, if you’re working with a remote boss, you might want to check out this YouTube video.
When you have the job, consider creating a personal manual with critical information that you can refer back to for future work.
Improve Your Typing
You don’t need to be the fastest typist, but you do need to type fast. You can test your typing speed, try to type at a minimum speed of 40 words per minute (WPM). Aim to hit 50 WPM or more.
Learn Microsoft Office 365
Learn the basics of PowerPoint, Word, and Excel.
Create Word documents which include tables and images. – Beginner Guide
Create Excel spreadsheets and understanding how to make charts and graphs, as well as simple formulas. – Beginner Guide | Common Formulas + Functions | Charts + Graphs
Create a business-focused PowerPoint. – Beginner Guide | Creating a Presentation |
Understand Emails
As an EA, you’ll be sending emails to people outside of the company. Your words are a reflection of the company, so be respectful!
The average email should look like this:
Short Subject Line
Person’s First Name,
Goal of the email.
Next steps.
Best,
Your Name
For example, your boss, Lindsay, has to set up a meeting with the Anthony, the Vice President (VP) of Sales at Oracle. Lindsay is available to meet Wednesday morning, but you don’t know when Anthony is available. Your email to Anthony might be:
[!Note]
Anthony – Your meeting with Lindsay
Anthony,Lindsay is looking forward to speaking with you about the new sales motion. Her schedule is free this Wednesday morning between 9-11:30 am. Are you available then as well?
Let me know. I’ll send a Zoom invite for the meeting.
Best,
Lea
ALWAYS take time to check your spelling and grammar! There are plenty of resources available online to check spelling and grammar. LanguageTool is a chrome extension that uses AI to evaluate your writing. QuillBot is great for grammar. And of course, Google is great if you don’t know how to spell something!
Finally, be sure to check out this video on email etiquette tips from Harvard.
Set Meetings
Secretaries must be able to schedule meetings through Google Calendar or Outlook. Outlook also comes with a built-in Scheduling Assistant, so check out how to use that here.
Be aware of time zones when booking meetings out of state or country. Using World Time Buddy, you can write down people’s locations and see how time zones align. Compare that to people’s calendars to see when it’d be best to set a meeting.
Video conference software like Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams are the most common reasons that people will set aside meetings. As such, its important to include a good description of what the meeting is FOR.
Under the description section, always explain the goal of the meeting. Using the meeting between Lindsay and Anthony from before as an example, the description might be:
A quick discussion on the new sales motion for the Oracle sales team.
- Introduction
- Status Update
- Timeline Changes
- Resources
- Next Steps
During the meeting, you will be expected to take notes (also known as “minutes”) on what’s been discussed. It helps to have a template to help you know what’s needed in the future.
Watch this video for an example.
Make sure that the writing is legible. Make things clear, grammatically correct, and check for spelling mistakes.
Book Travel Plans
Be aware of time zones when booking travel out of state or country. Using World Time Buddy, make sure you keep time zones in mind. You don’t want the executive to miss their flight or an important meeting!
Set a quick 1-on-1 meeting with your executive and ask what their preference is for their travel plans.
Travel plans include plane rides, hotels, dinners, etc. Watch this video for an assistant’s perspective on the different aspects of travel plans.
When it comes to flights, use Google Flights to look at the various flights available and the different prices.
When it comes to catering for meetings, learn these things:
- How many people are attending
- What’s the budget
- What’s been catered before
- Possible dietary restrictions (ie Gluten-Free, Vegan)
Get an EA License
Executive Assistants don’t need a certification to do the job, as most of the work is very straightforward and can be learned on the job.
However, having some sort of certification could give you an edge in the hiring process.
The Professional Administrative Certification of Excellence (PACE) certification, offered by the American Society of Administrative Professionals, might be what you’re looking for. You can learn about it here.
Get a Job!!!
Okay, you did all the work. Now you’re an EA in all but name. Time to get a job!
There are many job posting websites out there, but it’s common for them to sell your personal information.
To avoid this, make a separate email account and phone ONLY for the job search!
To make an alternative phone number, let me know and I’ll help you set one up!
Once you have a phone number and email, you can go to job search sites and look for job postings. Here are a few:
- LinkedIn Job Search – Link
- Glassdoor – Link
- Workable – Link
- USA Jobs – Link
- ASAP Career Center – Link
ASAP also offers career coaching – link - IAAP Career Center – Link
- Career Builder – Link
The job titles you’re looking for are:
- Executive Assistant
- Administrative Assistant
- Secretary
- Personal Assistant
DO NOT APPLY on the career website itself!
Instead, go to the company’s website and apply there. Companies check applications to their website first, so you give yourself an edge by going to their site.
Also, sometimes companies forget to update that the job’s been filled, so checking the company website makes sure you’re not wasting your time!