Executive Administrative Assistants

Executive administrative assistants perform high-level duties and provide administrative support for executive management professionals. Like general administrative assistants, executive administrative assistants coordinate and implement day to day operations for any organization. However, executive administrative assistants work directly for one or more management executives, rather than overseeing the running of an entire office.

Duties

Executive administrative assistants perform fewer clerical tasks than general administrative assistants. Their specific duties depend on their place of employment and supervisor, but are usually centered around information management. Their responsibilities may include arranging conference calls and meetings, screening calls, making travel arrangements, supervising support staff, and training new hires. Other common tasks are scheduling appointments, reviewing memos, and determining the significance of incoming information and queries. Executive administrative assistants often perform personal tasks for the executive, such as scheduling appointments and running routine errands.

Executive administrative assistants also take on more complex and technical tasks such as preparing reports, reviewing financial data, and generating statistical presentations. Solid computer skills are necessary to perform many of the daily duties of an executive administrative assistant.

Executive administrative assistants with years of experience may advance to the level of Senior executive assistant. Senior executive administrative assistants work directly for the top executive at any business or organization. The job requires strong administrative skills, advanced computer knowledge, flexibility, and adaptability. Although their responsibilities may be more strenuous, senior executive administrative assistants are paid a premium for their services.

Required Skills and Training

Upper management professionals almost always posses, at the very least, a 4-year degree. Therefore, they prefer to work with administrative assistants that also have completed a B.A. or similar degree. Earning a credential in a work-related field, such as business, is a good start for aspiring executive administrative assistants. However, a combination of a vocational program and on-the-job experience is also acceptable in some workplaces. A common way of becoming an executive administrative assistant is to gain employment as a lower-level secretary in a company. Learning about the company and taking on technical tasks demonstrates responsibility and commitment – two qualities highly valued in an executive administrative assistant.

Successful executive administrative assistants must be skilled in communication, typing, and grammar. They must also be able to perform clerical tasks such as filing and database management. In many cases, the executive administrative assistant will perform tasks in place of the executive – such as speaking with vendors and clients over the phone – and must have a professional demeanor and good people skills.

Employment

Employment opportunities and compensation for executive administrative assistants vary based on location. Job prospects for the administrative assistant profession are universally good, with openings expected to increase by 13% over the next ten years.

Executive administrative assistants are most commonly employed in cities with large corporations or businesses. Their compensation varies, but can easily reach high numbers with a combination of experience and skill. Executive administrative assistants are generally paid more than lower level secretaries, due to their increased responsibilities and educational background.

Figures courtesy of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Employment & Wages database.

 
 

Top Administrative Assistant Schools

  • Career Point College Online

    Imagine an exciting new career in the medical, business, legal or computer fields. Career Point College is a great place to learn all of the skills you will need to succeed in these industries and get the future you want! In as few as eight months for a diploma, 15 months for an Associate’s, and 18 months for a Bachelor’s (with an Associate’s first), you could be prepared to enter the job marketplace. Whether it is because of our accelerated programs, hands-on training, personal attention, flexible schedules, lifetime placement assistance or lifetime refresher training, you will see Career Point College is the right school for you!

  • Potomac College

    Potomac College offers students the opportunity to take advantage of all of the same courses, programs, and specializations online that are offered at either of their two physical campuses. This allows students the convenience of flexibility and makes it an ideal institution for fulltime working adults, military persons, or anyone with a busy, demanding schedule seeking to pursue a college degree. In fact, many of our students residing in a close proximity to either our Washington, DC or Herndon, VA campuses have chosen to take both online and on-campus courses for an accommodating blended program.

    Imagine being able to pursue your degree at a pace and time that works with your busy schedule. Potomac College offers practical and tailored curricula to a diverse community of working adults and students. It is our goal to make education obtainable regardless of a student’s schedule and finances. Our academic advisors are trained to assess your educational needs and tailor a curriculum that matches your career goals and expected time of completion.

  • Harrison College

    Harrison College is a nationally accredited college with more than 75,000 graduates. We offer a unique learning environment for students who want to pursue a career-focused, quality education and complete their degree in a student-centered atmosphere. In order to achieve your goals, we believe it’s important for us to take the time to get to know you. In fact, our students are often surprised at the one-on-one attention they receive here as compared to other institutions. You’ll experience it throughout every stage of your Harrison experience, from our Admissions Representatives to our Career Services staff and financial aid analysts to our course instructors. Each of us believes it is our goal to help you achieve yours.

  • TCI - Technical Career Institute

    TCI College is a New York City based technical school that offers continuing technical education to students who want on-site specialized training in competitive fields. Technical Career Institutes provides students with technical training such as web site design, health information technology, electronic engineering technology, and heating ventilation and air conditioning. TCI also offers career placement assistance upon graduation. Visit TCI College in New York City located in lower Manhattan.

  • Career Point College

    Imagine an exciting new career in the medical, business, legal or computer fields. Career Point College is a great place to learn all of the skills you will need to succeed in these industries and get the future you want! In as little as 8-11 months for a Diploma or 18 months for an Associate’s Degree, you can graduate and join the workforce. Whether it is because of our accelerated programs, hands-on training, personal attention, flexible schedules, on-site daycare, lifetime placement assistance or lifetime refresher training, you will see Career Point College is the right school for you!

  • Milan Institute

    We believe that each student at Milan Institute holds the key to his or her own success. Our staff and instructors strive to help each student develop the professionalism that will open a world of creativity and knowledge. Milan Institute offers a college atmosphere conducive to learning and individual growth. Excellent training and job placement assistance enable our students to become enterprising professionals.

  • Salter College

    Salter College, a private two-year college, offers an enriching balance of liberal arts and professional career education. We are dedicated to meeting the needs of our students through quality education and support services while fostering an environment that inspires academic excellence, intellectual curiosity, social responsibility, and an interest in life-long learning and continued higher education.

  • West Virginia Junior College

    Our programs are designed for you to be job-ready in months with career-focused, hands-on training in a friendly, small-school environment where you receive individual attention.

    As a WVJC student, you will have access to modern classrooms and laboratory equipment, individualized attention in a small class setting, and job placement assistance.

    Along with academic credentials and certifications, our faculty brings industry knowledge to the classroom, helping students understand both theory and real-world experiences.

  • Laurus College

    Our mission is to provide every student with a quality education and a quality experience that prepares you for success in the global marketplace of the modern world. To do this we provide focused instruction and personalized caring to every student. Our emphasis on career opportunities in all of our program offerings helps open up avenues of opportunity that previously may have gone unrealized.

  • IntelliTec

    IntelliTec Colleges offers training in allied health care, business, and technology, leading to a Professional Certificate or an Associate of Occupational Studies degree.