An executive assistant has to wear many different hats. You are not only your boss’s right hand, but also a strategic partner, a professional problem solver, and a trusted ally. You help coordinate the different needs, aspects, and demands of your boss’s life and ensure that nothing slips through the cracks.
It can be quite a challenge if you’re not prepared for what’s ahead and don’t know how to adapt to changing circumstances without missing a step.
So, here are a few tips for executive assistants that are sure to impress your boss.
Communication Skills
A significant part of your job will consist of communicating and coordinating with the company’s departments, business partners, and even customers. Your ability to take note of other people’s requests and demands and communicate any message clearly is paramount.
Being a good listener is also key to being a good communicator. Pay attention to what the other person is saying, ask for clarifying questions, and rephrase your interlocutor to ensure you’ve got everything right. Active listening will enable you to understand better what your boss wants from you and respond accordingly.
Computer Skills
You may be an excellent communicator and have the organizational skills of an event planner, but if you don’t know your way around the computer, then you need to start working on your proficiency at once.
In this day and age, when almost everything happens in the digital world, you must know which tools can help make your job easier. A digital calendar, for instance, can allow you to organize a day’s activity with a few touches of a button and retrieve the information you need quickly and easily.
Keep in mind that your boss will expect you to know how to set up and maintain emails systems, filing sharing systems, calendars, databases, and so on.
Experience the Double A Difference
Time Management
One of the most valuable executive assistant tips that we could give is that you need to become a master time manager. Not only that you have to handle your time with grace, but you also need to become the air-traffic controller of your boss’s day too.
You need to be aware of everything that happens around you, coordinate the needs and demands of your boss and ensure that they stick with the schedule that you’ve laid down for them. You also need to be on top of your feet, in case a plan spontaneously changes.
Related: Ways to maintain your New Year’s Resolution for a Sustainable Office
Organizational Skills
As mentioned above, executive assistants juggle a lot of tasks, and if they are not organized, it can be easy to mix up documents and schedules. Even if you have an elephant’s memory, don’t ignore the benefits that the right tools can bring. Use digital calendars to keep track of every activity, color code to differentiate products, use printed stamps and labels to find important documents easily, and opt for quality paper that lasts for years to come.
Check Double A for all your paper needs. You will find a wide variety of sustainable paper made from the highest quality pulp available. Not to mention, everything they do is responsibly-sourced and environmentally-friendly.
Interpersonal Skills
As an executive assistant, you will have to interact with a lot of people. Whether it’s your boss, other employees, upper management or potential clients, you need to know how to engage them and inspire trust.
Being an executive assistant is no easy job. You have a lot on your table, and only the right set of skills will allow you to juggle with everything efficiently. Hopefully, these tips for executive assistants and will come in handy and help you climb the corporate ladder.