trustworthy. Reliable. Efficient.

These are probably some of the words that come to mind when you think of an executive assistant. While people think that most of an executive virtual assistant’s job is taking notes and answering emails, they do so much more. They take care of all the backend work so the executives can focus on their core responsibilities and running their business.

Therefore, today more than ever, an executive assistant is more valuable than ever in order for companies to grow and run successfully.

Why are executive assistants important?

Some people might think that with the plethora of apps and digital tools available in the market, there is no longer a need for executive assistants. But the amount of time, money, and energy required to run the myriad of these organizational tools will wear you down and leave you no time to focus on your core tasks.

This is where a self-sufficient, organized remote executive assistant becomes an asset to your team. In addition to their outstanding organizational and administrative skills, they also act as strategic advisors and critical advisors to your business.

You will take on many responsibilities such as reception, event planning, project management and internal and external communication with various teams. Properties that cannot be easily replaced by a machine.

With the influx of companies migrating to remote working models and the number of small businesses that have been launched in recent years, a remote assistant is just the right addition to your business.

Top 10 Skills for Executive Assistants in 2022

Whether you’re on your way to becoming a remote executive assistant or a business owner looking to hire one, here are ten skills every great executive assistant should have.

organize tasks

Organizing tasks is a top skill for a good executive assistant. It’s a fast-paced job that requires juggling many different tasks and responsibilities at the same time. An excellent executive assistant must stay on top of these tasks to ensure projects run smoothly and critical deadlines are not missed.

Executive assistants should have a knack for developing their organizational systems to keep track of tasks.

communication

Essentially, a management assistant represents and acts as a spokesman for his management. They are the gatekeepers. All communication to and from their manager often goes through them.

Therefore, professional communication skills, excellent grammar, and telephone and email etiquette are must-haves if you want to be successful as an executive assistant. In addition, you must have some business and persuasion skills, and communicate strategically on behalf of your boss.

An executive assistant must also clearly communicate his thoughts and ideas. They often act as their manager’s confidants and need to advise them when making good or bad decisions. What separates a good EA from a great one is their ability to have individual thoughts and opinions and be more than just a yes man.

ingenuity

A good executive assistant should be able to make the impossible possible.

They must have a knack for building relationships, honing their networking skills, and being able to think quickly to deliver results when they’re needed most.

For example, business people have many important meetings and trips as part of their daily work. Often these meetings take place in restaurants and it can sometimes be difficult to get a good reservation. This is where a good executive assistant should capitalize on the relationship they have built with restaurateurs over time and pull some strings to get the reservation.

Good negotiation skills are hard to come by. Nevertheless, it should be self-evident for an executive assistant.

tech affinity

While we mentioned that no amount of apps or digital tools can do the job of an executive assistant, we also can’t deny that technology is an intricate part of an EA’s day-to-day work. Therefore, they should be fluent in professional computing tools like G-Suite, Microsoft Office, Slack, Hootsuite, Salesforce, Evernote, and Zuora to name a few.

As remote work becomes the new normal, an executive assistant’s role is to set up virtual meetings and webinars on behalf of their manager, so they should feel comfortable setting up those meetings and troubleshooting any difficulties that may arise.

discretion

Managers deal with a lot of sensitive, confidential information on a daily basis. This could be news about acquisitions, financial reports, or even personnel matters.

This means, of course, that their executive assistants also know this information.

However, for an executive to be fully transparent with their executive assistants, they must trust them and know that this information is secure. Trust is the basis of the relationship between an EA and its boss.

While this is true of any profession, it is imperative that executive assistants do not divulge company secrets and stay away from company gossip and rumours.

multitasking

As already mentioned, executive assistants have to deal with a large number of tasks on a daily basis. Sometimes unexpected jobs pop up and they have to make sure everything is done.

Therefore, a good Remote Executive Assistant needs to handle multiple projects without being pressured. For example, for hotel reservations and other bookings, they can use the waiting time to respond to calls and other messages.

Prioritization is also an important trait for executive assistants. You need to understand which tasks require immediate attention and take care of those first.

proactivity

No one has time to feed an executive assistant when he’s working for a senior executive. Instead, they need to be proactive and show initiative to stand out at work.

A good EA should research the industry they are in and research the ins and outs of the company to provide strategic advice to their boss.

As said, a good assistant is more than just a yes man. They should provide their employer with helpful opinions and a fresh perspective.

serenity

There are no two choices – being an executive assistant is a very demanding and pressureful job. But more often than not, executives pass their stress on to their assistants.

One must always remain calm to ground the other between two people. For example, when a manager is under stress, their assistant needs to step in, calm their boss and take the reins when necessary.

The ability to remain calm under pressure is one of the most important skills people look for when hiring executive assistants.

Social competence

Executive Assistants interact with multiple people every day. And no two people are the same. In addition, as spokespersons for their leaders, they must communicate with top management and lower-level employees.

An executive assistant needs to read people well, pick up on emotional cues, and defuse difficult situations before they arise.

determination

Most of the time, executive assistants have to be self-sufficient and able to think quickly. They can’t always run to their boss to approve decisions, especially when they’re busy with other work.

Executive Assistants need to be intuitive and confident to make decisions without their boss.

While you can’t always be sure the decisions are right, it’s better to react to the problems than to wait for them to get worse. Therefore, quick thinking and determination must come naturally to remote executive assistants.

A CEO’s secret weapon

While some of these skills are instincts and others can be developed over time, the most important thing a leader can bring is an enthusiastic attitude and a willingness to learn and improve on the job. A good executive assistant is not someone who doesn’t make mistakes, but one who learns from their mistakes, supports their manager and is passionate and willing to give everything to grow the company.

If you’re looking to build your team of exceptionally talented remote assistants, click here to hire your Wishup remote assistant or email us [email protected]