How to Become an Awesome Executive Assistant

It’s Joan from Mad Men. It’s Emily Blunt in The Devil Wears Prada. Heck, eventually it’s Anne “Andy” Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada. For our elder Millennials, the Executive Assistant role is perfectly portrayed by Christina Applegate in Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead. 

While many of these roles are exaggerated and often plagues with misogynistic undertones, they are fascinating because Executive Assistants get it done—with ease. 

Executive Assistants can juggle enough projects, names, calendars, and dates to make a circus clown gasp at their dexterity. 

How do they do it? We teamed up with ZipRecruiter to find out how executive assistants make it all work, the skills necessary to achieve success in the role, and how to land your own EA role. 

What Is An Executive Assistant?

If you’ve ever laid eyes on an executive assistant job description, you learn pretty quickly that they are expected to take care of a lot. 

In short, executive assistants provide administrative support to upper-level executives.

Sure, a CEO has a public-facing persona with pressure, money, and board members to please. However, the person behind it all, the “Oz” of any company, is likely the executive assistant. 

Here’s just a sampling of common executive assistant duties:  

Beyond this list, every organization has its own customized list of duties and responsibilities. An executive assistant is responsible for keeping everything together, keeping everyone informed, and making sure that no details are overlooked. 

Executive Assistant Job Description Template 

To put it all together, we created this job description template based on ZipRecruiter's EA job description template—to illustrate how involved the position can be. For job seekers, we highlighted the key skills and characteristics to focus on when applying for an EA role: 

Check out more EA Roles on ZipRecruiter today.

The Required Credentials to Become an Executive Assistant 

To become an executive assistant, a candidate must have relevant administrative-based support experience. It’s unlikely that a C-level executive would entrust confidential conversations, passwords, and other sensitive information to someone without a proven history. 

While, strictly speaking, executive assistant roles do not always require a degree, many employers do prefer candidates who have an associate degree or a bachelor's degree.

In larger companies, a high-level executive assistant could be required to have a master’s in business administration to allow for greater responsibility in the operation of a business. 

There are circumstances where a personal relationship supersedes relevant experience. In this case, a candidate with an existing relationship could obtain an EA role. 

Similar Roles to Executive Assistants 

If you are looking for an entry-level administrative position with your eyes on a future as an Executive Assistant, these roles might be a great fit for you to hone and develop your skills while gaining real-world experience. 

Key Skills For An Executive Assistant

In the next section, we’ll get more into the characteristics and personalities of the best EAs. 

For now, we’re talking about the key skills that any candidate would want to communicate in order to be considered for an EA role. 

These are the skills that can be found in every executive assistant job description. If you’re looking for an EA role, ensure that these skills are highlighted on your resume and cover letter. 

1. Technical Proficiency

Do you know how many words you type per minute? Me neither. 

While the Mad Men-esque days of an assistant taking dictation over a typewriter from their boss are (mostly) over, there is still a huge emphasis on technical proficiency expected in an executive assistant's duties. 

At a minimum, any executive assistant job description will require basic Google or Microsoft Office Suite skills. Typically, assistants are expected to be able to type about 70 words per minute (although it’s a fairly commonly-held belief that a words per minute requirement is a little antiquated), be adaptable to learning new software, and have the ability to conduct in-depth research when needed. 

The Peter Principle

There is also the concept of The Peter Principle. This concept describes that people in a hierarchy (ie. a work environment) that rise up the ladder develop a respective level of incompetence. 

For example, a CEO of a software company that sells inventory tracking for automobile manufacturers probably has no idea what an engine even looks like. 

Executive assistants often serve as a crucial bridge, especially in regards to technology. The trope about the boss who doesn’t know how to turn their computer on is…not that far off at times.

For this reason, technical prowess is a powerful tool for each and every Executive Assistant. Know how to convert documents to PDFs with Adobe Acrobat. Know how to rebook a last-minute flight. Memorize all the passwords. EAs can (and often do) hold the keys to the kingdom. 

2. Networking Skills 

On any given day, an executive assistant may interface with billionaires, colleagues, mail carriers, food delivery persons, competing CEOs, and singing telegrams. Okay, the last one was just making sure you were paying attention, but EAs must have great people skills. 

We’re calling these networking skills because many of these interactions can come from folks looking to gain access to your boss, the big Executive. 

Networking skills are especially crucial for executive assistants looking to advance down the line. While this aspiration may not be something an assistant advertises on their resume, networking and people skills are going to be crucial in any EA’s day-to-day work. 

3. Time + Calendar Management 

We all know the old “time is money” phrase. An executive assistant to a CFO (Chief Financial Officer) is actually living within that phrase. 

Time management is crucial for an EA for a multitude of reasons. 

Beyond managing actual time, creating a calendar that is clear, intuitive, and communicative makes a huge difference. Learning how to schedule, prioritize, color-code, and streamline a calendar can be a huge advantage to any EA-hopeful. 

4. Communication Skills

As we touched upon earlier, EAs can speak with any number of people on a given day, Each form of communication with each type of person has its own set of nuances. 

We could tattoo this on our foreheads at this point, but communication is the cornerstone of any successful workplace. Period. As a backbone of an organization, an executive assistant must possess the very best communication skills.  

5. Strong Organizational Skills

A great executive assistant can coordinate multiple persons' worldwide travel plans with their eyes closed. 

They have calendars, preferences, airport codes, and taxi drivers' numbers hard-coded into their brains.

5 Core Personality Traits of an Executive Assistant

One very unique element of an executive assistant role is how varied it can be. 

Depending on the industry, the size of the organization, and the executive one might be assigned to, an executive assistant role requires a certain personality that is both determined and adaptable; creative and compliant; respectful and innovative. 

The following personality traits and characteristics are crucial to your resume, cover letter, and interview when considering an executive assistant role. 

1. Positive Attitude

EAs need to excel in pressure situations. A great executive assistant will have an approachable style and an ability to professionally interface both with high-level executives as well as each and every employee of the company. 

As the support structure to powerful businesspeople, EAs often feel the pressure resonating in times of stress–and they need to remain composed, level-headed, and solution-oriented. 

2. Detail-Oriented

We often joke that every applicant seems to like to call themselves a details person. However, details are integral to a great EA. When working alongside multiple personalities and priorities, an executive assistant must always deliver on high-quality results, minimal (if any) errors and proactive follow-through.

This is no small feat. Like a well-oiled machine, a great EA will be able to swiftly switch modes without missing a single beat. 

3. Reliability + Flexibility

In fast-paced environments, the best candidates for an EA position possess the ability to multi-task, change gears, and seamlessly reroute when they hit a barrier. 

As EAs are typically the organizational arm of executives, they are heavily relied upon to preserve the reputation and reliability of an entire organization. This can translate to anything from making sure that all correspondences are handled to ensuring that every slide deck for every meeting is clear, communicative, and free of errors. 

4. Discretion + Good Judgment 

When it comes to working with high-powered c-level executives, EAs will find themselves handling documents, data, and other information that require serious confidentiality. Yes, that means no babbling about it over post-work drinks. 

A successful executive assistant will know the importance of maintaining all business with the utmost confidentiality. 

5. Professionalism 

Finally, of course, there’s professionalism. One reason Hollywood does love to center a story on an executive assistant? They are the ultimate protagonist. 

Whether or not the workplace is actually toxic, your best EAs are unflappable in moments of stress, heightened anxiety, or turmoil. For better or worse, they’re able to keep their professionalism intact at all times. 

Salary Expectations For Executive Assistants

According to U.S. News and World Report, executive assistants earn the second-highest salary for employees without a degree. Some executive assistant positions require education beyond a high school diploma, but relevant experience likely outweighs schooling. 

With an average salary of $65,230, EAs earn double the average salary of a receptionist ($32,410).  In cities with booming technology companies, like San Jose or San Francisco, California, EAs can earn close to six figures. 

We also pulled some salaries from our own database, The Salary Project. Here are salaries Executive Assistants and similar positions earn throughout the United States:

If your skills and qualifications align, it might be time to look into an EA role. Learn the ins and outs of commanding a company in an entrepreneurial environment–and maybe go on to run your own someday.