What makes a great executive assistant? What are the skills that separate the average from the exceptional? In this article, we’ll talk about how an executive assistant can become an indispensable member of your team with the right combination of hard and soft skills.
1) Communication Skills – Since she is expected to interact and work with all levels of personnel both within the company and with customers and business partners on a daily basis, an executive assistant has to have excellent verbal and written communication skills if she is to do her job efficiently. And remember, listening is a fundamental part of the communication process as well. It is more than just hearing. The executive assistant you need is someone who can actively listen to what people are saying, so she can accurately receive and interpret the messages.
Good communication is crucial in the business world. For someone who often serves as an extension of her superior, the ability to communicate in a clear, efficient way is absolutely critical.
2) Organizational Skills – This is a must-have skill for an executive assistant. Since they are responsible for handling a lot of documents and information, executive assistants must know how to keep track of things. This skill helps the executive assistant accomplish her tasks and meet deadlines.
Let’s not forget that your assistant is supposed to manage your calendar as well, so she will be scheduling meetings and managing the travel planning process. Can you imagine having an executive assistant whose organizational skills are lacking? There would be total chaos.
3) Adaptability – Since their duties and list of responsibilities vary greatly, executive assistants should be versatile enough to adapt to any situation on the fly. The more adaptable they are, the more comfortable they will be in embracing new ways of doing things. So if new workplace technologies are being implemented, the perfect executive assistant should be able to adjust as necessary.
Being adaptable also means that they’ll have the mindset to handle adversity when things don’t go as planned. So no matter what challenges they face in the workplace, they are ready to take on those challenges head-on.
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4) Technology and Software Skills – Being computer literate is a requirement in just about any workplace, and executive assistants have to keep up to date with the latest software and apps to stay productive in multiple ways.
These days, proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook) is a given, but executive assistants have to be familiar with the latest communication software as well so they can efficiently manage the multiple pieces of information coming their way. Productivity apps are also quite useful in managing time and tasks, so executive assistants need to know how to use them to their advantage.
5) Time Management – This one of the skills that every executive assistant should have because they will have to keep track of a lot of things. Aside from their bosses’ busy schedules, executive assistants are also expected to oversee the work done by lower-level administrative staff, so they have to know how to prioritize in order of importance to make sure things are on schedule.
6) Proactive – Executive assistants must have the ability to think critically and take the initiative. They need to have the ability to think ahead so they can put out fires before they even start.
Of course, the problem here is that it’s difficult to identify proactive people during interviews. One way to gauge if a candidate is proactive is to determine if they are willing to learn new skills. This will tell you a thing or two about their attitude and their willingness to look ahead.
Another way to see if someone is proactive is to find out if they researched your company prior to their interview. Proactive people are likely to do their research and find out more about your business before you meet, so they will be prepared for any questions you may have for them.
7) Emotional Intelligence – University of New Hampshire psychology professor John D. Mayer, one of the people credited with first defining the concept of emotional intelligence in the early 1990s, described emotional intelligence as “the ability to accurately perceive your own and others’ emotions; to understand the signals that emotions send about relationships; and to manage your own and others’ emotions.”
That’s exactly what an executive assistant does. An executive assistant must learn how to respond to subtle cues and body language, so she can react appropriately. Good executive assistants know what stresses their employers. They know how to act as the bridge between the executives they serve and the audience. And they are aware of the needs and expectations of their bosses.
People skills are a must in this role.
There you have it. That’s the recipe for an indispensable executive assistant. By combining those skills, an executive assistant can learn to think, talk, and act like a partner in your business.
Now, the problem is that executive assistants make over $50,000 per year in the United States. There’s no way you can afford one if you’re running your business on a shoestring budget. Fortunately, you can always find one overseas. Yes, executive assistants can do their job remotely.
So, where can you hire an executive assistant without breaking the bank? You have two options here – you can hire one from an outsourcing agency or you can go to an online job site and do the recruiting yourself.
Outsourcing agencies can ensure that the candidate you hire is ready to work with minimal training, so it’s a great option for someone who doesn’t have time to do the training themselves. However, the agencies will add a markup or take commission fees for their services. If you decide to do the recruiting yourself, go and check out OnlineJobs.ph. The site has over 500,000 active profiles, so you shouldn’t have difficulty finding the right executive assistant for your business. Just create an account (choose the $69 plan) and post your job ad.
If you have any questions just give us a nudge.
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