A CEO’s executive assistant handles office work like taking calls and creating memos. They normally are in charge of training and monitoring other office personnel. They also do research and prepare reports that may have an impact on business policy.
If you’re in a senior position and have a lot of responsibilities on your plate, hiring an executive assistant (EA) will be a sensible strategy.
Selecting candidates that have good experience behind them, and also gel with your personal work ethos, will let you whittle down the prospects.
So, what are the roles of an executive assistant to the CEO, and what duties will they fulfil during their working hours?
You can learn all about hiring an executive assistant from this Persona Talent article, but the basic tenets are that you can either pick from prospective candidates yourself, outsource this to a recruitment agency, or work with a virtual assistant service to tap into this resource on the fly.
This article will help you understand the ins and outs of the executive assistant’s role in terms of the sheer variety of responsibilities.
Few jobs can match that of an executive assistant as they are ready, willing and able to step in and handle all sorts of tasks, such as:
1. Managing the CEO’s schedule
Overseeing the CEO’s work and personal appointments is a breeze with the help of an EA.
The assistant will have access to your calendar and can wrangle your schedule so you don’t have to, while also giving you updates on what’s coming up.
17 STRESS MANAGEMENT TIPS YOU NEED AS A BUSINESS OWNER
2. Dealing with emails
Plenty of EAs is granted access to their employer’s email account, enabling them to review incoming messages and even write replies on their behalf.
3. Making travel arrangements
Booking flights, procuring hotel rooms and taking account of every step of any journey you need to take will fall under the remit of an executive assistant.
4. Tackling all manner of administrative obstacles
Whether you’ve got invoices to issue, documents to type up, letters to send out, memos to pass on to team members, or any other kind of everyday office admin to deal with, having an EA available will let you offload these tasks, freeing you up to focus on more important matters.
THESE 14 TIPS WILL HELP YOU TO OVERCOME ENTREPRENEURIAL STRESS
5. Handling phone calls
High-ranking execs tend to make and receive a lot of calls, although this isn’t always convenient.
An executive assistant will step into the field of inbound calls and place outbound calls to colleagues, clients, customers and contacts, to keep the river of communication flowing.
6. Participating in meetings
Meetings are only practical if minutes are recorded to cover what was said, and what decisions are made.
An EA is equipped to jot down the details of these important discussions so that they can be reviewed later on.
7. Organizing social events
You can also rely on an executive assistant to take the reins of your social commitments, especially if they align with your professional responsibilities.
Booking dinners with clients, drinks with colleagues, and appearances at industry events will be within their wheelhouse.
8. Carrying out research
When fresh projects are on the cards and business opportunities present themselves, it’s useful to complete rigorous research. This will help you determine the best course of action.
If you don’t have the time or headspace for this task, your executive assistant will do the legwork for you.
9. Assisting with recruitment and employee onboarding
Once you’ve got an EA on your side, you’ll find that necessary processes such as interviewing candidates for other positions, and also bringing the best employees into the fold with training, are less of a burden.
The bottom line
By now you should be keen to hire an executive assistant.
It’s worth weighing up your options carefully.
Take the time to find a candidate who’s a good match, rather than rushing this.
