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Executive Secretary/Executive Administrative Assistant

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AVG. SALARY

$62,830

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EDUCATION

Post-secondary training +

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JOB OUTLOOK

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Interviews

Insider Info

Not long ago, executive assistants spent much of their day at a typewriter. Today, an executive assistant is the backbone of a business, ensuring everything runs smoothly on a daily basis.

"In essence, they are the ones who make the office run," says Elaine Tallmon. Tallmon is an executive assistant working in Charlotte, North Carolina.

"I set the mood of the office as well as take care of the needs of those in the office, whether I work directly for them or not," she says. Tallmon says she keeps things running efficiently in her office, often fixing a problem when something goes wrong.

"I run the errands no one wants to run, I make the phone calls no one wants to make, I make the things happen no one else can make happen," she says. "But that is what an executive assistant does. She or he assists those they work for and they're good at it."

With advances in technology, these backstage employees have much more elaborate jobs now than they did a just a few years ago. This is a job in which knowing how to multi-task is very important.

"We used to be secretaries, doing normal secretarial duties," says AlVerta Harty. In addition to working as an executive assistant for a pharmaceutical company in Richmond, California, Harty is president of the California Division of the International Association of Administrative Professionals. "Now we are meeting planners, travel coordinators/planners, project coordinators, etc."

On any given day, Harty can find herself arranging travel arrangements for any of the 26 scientists in her department, as well as looking after the travel needs of the director and the vice-president. She does this on top of taking care of thousands of little details such as scheduling and coordinating meetings, doing expense reports, maintaining databases and ordering office supplies, just to name a few -- often while also supervising a new intern.

"It's unreal how it's changed in the past 12 years," says Decolynne-Jo Barteski. Barteski is an executive assistant. She has been in this field of work for about 15 years.

"Assistants are getting to do more complicated tasks," says Tallmon. These tasks could include things like assisting executives with presentations and marketing and helping plan a company event. Executive assistants will do everything required to make an executive's work easier.

That means that a lot is expected from today's executive assistant. "It's so fast-paced, it's always changing, it's always on the go," says Barteski of her career. "You need to be very flexible, organized, detail-oriented."

And while this is still a female-dominated career, it has also become a little more common to see a man behind the desk. "Off the top of my head, I can think of a few assistants to the deans, directors, or department heads who are male," says Fred Woo. "This is becoming more common although ... it is definitely still a female-dominated profession."

Woo works as an executive assistant. He feels that within the next couple of years there will be more and more men filling executive assistant positions.

Harty says that because of technological changes, people in this career are always on the move. "Being proactive and not waiting to be told what to do is a plus," she says. She adds that interpersonal skills are extremely valuable in this career. In addition, the need to keep up with technological advances makes continued professional development very important.

"Globalization, acquisitions and changing technology means organizations are constantly changing. The executive assistant must stay abreast of changing corporate climate as well," she says.

"You are at the hub of the action," says Woo. "It's fast-paced and, most times, very hectic."

However, the hardest part of the job for many of these employees is not being recognized for all the work they do. This is the case for Tallmon. "Sometimes ... people tend to look down on executive assistants like bottom-rung employees," she says.

The lack of public recognition could make it difficult for some people to survive in this career. That is why this job is not for everyone. "This field is a field where there are a lot of expectations and very little recognition," says Tallmon.

"You do a lot of work to help other people be successful," she says. "You must have a personality where you can be a caretaker of people and not mind that. I have found much reward in being an executive assistant because taking care of others comes easily to me and I find great reward in it."

Contact

  • Email Support
  • 1-800-GO-TO-XAP (1-800-468-6927)
    From outside the U.S., please call +1 (424) 750-3900
  • North Dakota Career Resource Network
    ndcrn@nd.gov | (701) 328-9733

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