As you may have guessed based on the name, the role of an executive admin assistant is to manage the administrative tasks needed to run an efficient office. In short, they help their employers oversee the day-to-day activities of the workplace. But do solopreneurs and small business owners really need someone to fill that role? Read on, and we’ll show you how an executive admin assistant can change your life.
One of the myths regarding executive admin assistants that you should debunk is that they are nothing more than glorified secretaries. Sure, some of the functions and responsibilities of the two positions do overlap, but an executive admin assistant is expected to do so much more.
Similar to a secretary, executive admin assistants can perform clerical duties like scheduling meetings and appointments, making travel arrangements, maintaining your calendar, taking notes during meetings, taking and directing calls, sorting through emails, assisting in the preparation of reports, performing basic bookkeeping duties, and other any ad-hoc tasks as required. However, they are also expected to perform high-level tasks like preparing materials for presentations and conferences, conducting market research, analyzing data, representing the employer in calls and meetings, handling requests and queries from clients, maintaining good office relations, and other office management tasks that are integral to a company’s success.
As you can see, an executive admin assistant can add so much value to an organization. They will do their best to make you look good. They can use their strengths to complement your weaknesses. They are capable of anticipating the needs of their employers. And they work behind the scenes to make sure that everything is running smoothly and efficiently.
Your goals should be to work ON your business, not IN it. That saying is popular in entrepreneurial circles, but if you’ve never heard of that phrase before, allow me to explain.
When you are working in your business, you’re using too much of your time handling the day-to-day responsibilities that can easily be delegated to someone else. You’re limiting yourself by doing this, and it’s a quick way to burn out. Let your executive admin assistant handle those tasks.
This is actually a struggle for many entrepreneurs. According to a study by The Alternative Board, entrepreneurs spend 68.1% of their time working IN their business, and they only spend 31.9% of the time working on their business. This is a problem because 73% of business owners in the survey prefer to work on their business.
Working on your business is working on growth. Your focus should be on a question like, how can you transform your business into a well-oiled machine? So learn to be a leader and let go of the controls.
The Alternative Board survey also shows that the most common time wasters are email (33% of entrepreneurs) and administrative tasks (24%). These are two tasks that can easily be handed off to an executive admin assistant.
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Now that we’ve talked about why getting an executive admin assistant is necessary, it’s time to take a look at the key skills we want to see in our ideal candidate.
• Leadership – Executive admin assistants should have leadership skills, especially if their responsibilities include supervising and training office staff. While leadership skills can be developed, you’d want someone proactive to fill this role because having a person who can anticipate issues before they become full-blown problems is a huge plus. Remember, taking initiative shows the hallmarks of a leader in the making.
• Communication – As the first point of contact, both internally and externally, an executive admin assistant should know the rules of grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Of course, that communication is more than just talking. Executive admin assistants should be good listeners as well, and they should be able to communicate their ideas in a way that makes sense to others.
• Multitasking – Multitasking is usually not a good idea in the workplace since it can get in the way of effectiveness. However, a good executive admin assistant knows how to do this efficiently to optimize their output. A person in this role should be able to shift their attention from one task to another without losing focus.
• Organization – This one is a given. If an executive admin assistant can’t keep track of what task needs to be done, they shouldn’t be considered for this role in the first place.
• Technology – Executive admin assistants should have the ability to adapt to new technology and keep up with industry trends if they want to perform their duties to the best of their abilities.
Where can we find an executive admin assistant that will fit within your budget if you’re a small business owner?
A great place to start your search is on OnlineJobs.ph. We’ve been using the site for a long time now, and since they have the largest online job board exclusive to Filipino job seekers (with over 1,000,000 resumes), you should be able to find a lot of highly skilled and experienced professionals with affordable hourly rates. That’s just one of the many reasons why we prefer to hire from the Philippines. The rates there are just so affordable because of the lower cost of living. For around $500 a month, you can already get an executive admin assistant who’s a bachelor’s degree holder. So head to the site, create an account, post your job ads, and begin your search.
You do have to pay a $69 monthly fee if you want to hire someone from the site. The good thing is you can cancel the subscription once you’ve hired someone. OnlineJobs.ph also doesn’t charge you a fee on top of your transaction, and they don’t deduct fees from your employee like other freelance job sites.
So what are you waiting for? Go get yourself an executive admin assistant so you can focus on the things that only you can do.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to send us a message.
* Disclosure: The link above is an affiliate link, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. To find out more about our view on affiliate products, please see this page.
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