Today's interview offers a unique glimpse into the world of executive support. I'm privileged to have a conversation with a seasoned HR professional who has a wealth of insight into identifying and developing exceptional Executive Assistants. I've chosen to keep her identity anonymous to protect the confidentiality of her insights, and because she´s asked me to. I´m lucky enough to have known her in a personal capacity for over thirty years and couldn´t think of a single more skilled person to be answering our questions into HR and their perspective on EAs and the admin profession as a whole.
She brings a wealth of experience honed within the fast-paced financial services industry. Her background includes supporting leaders at prestigious firms, clearly demonstrating her expertise in a demanding and dynamic environment. She´s also excellent to have on your pub quiz team.
Let's dive into her valuable perspectives on the EA role, its evolution, and strategies for advancement.
Human Resources- What are they really thinking?
A-Class: Let's begin by discussing what qualities HR actively seeks in candidates for the Executive Assistant role. Could you describe the essential skills?
HR Representative:
The ability to build deep and trusting relationships with a specific group of stakeholders based on their needs. Different teams may have different needs based on whether they are more internally/external client focused, whether they travel often or rarely for example, and stakeholders may also have different working styles depending on the type of work they do and how senior they are.
As well as looking for core skills I'm looking for someone who will be able to work effectively with the particular individual or group of stakeholders. Proactivity, ability to successfully manage competing priorities, and push back where needed
Growth mindset and business interest - do your research before you interview somewhere, and then ask some good questions at the end of an interview that demonstrate you care about this particular firm and opportunity and want to know more.
Being organised and able to stay on top of the parts of the job you may enjoy less. Attention to detail - and I assess this mainly from a CV rather than interview, so take the time to make your CV clear and typo-free.
A-Class: How would you rank the importance of soft skills in this position?
HR Representative:
Very! The ability to build deep, trusting relationships is critical and much of this comes from how you communicate with your stakeholders. So communication skills are really important. The best EAs I have had are so organised and proactive, they are two steps ahead of you, and making the right decisions about how you spend your time/what you need before you even realised you needed to think about it!
A-Class: There's much discussion about AI and how it impacts various roles. How do you view AI influencing the EA position? Will there still be a continued need for support staff?
HR Representative:
I don't think AI will take over the role, but I do think a comfort with using AI may become a skill requirement for EAs. I'd definitely encourage EAs to be learning how to work more efficiently and help those around them to do the same. EAs may be able to help avoid some of the pitfalls of using AI e.g. by checking work that is generated by it, or adding the 'human' tone and nuance back into a draft.
A-Class: Considering the potential impact of AI, how do you envision the EA role evolving in the future?
HR Representative:
I don’t have a good answer to this, but guess all of us need to remain flexible and focused on our ongoing skills development to best equip us for future changes.
A-Class: Let's change gears to career advancement. What would be your primary advice for an EA who has ambitions to progress?
HR Representative:
To progress, first and foremost you should focus on being great at the job you are currently in, but then don’t just wait to be noticed or asked by your manager. Make sure your manager and/or other colleagues/advocates know about your aspirations and skills. If there are other teams you would like to join, find ways to get to know them and what they do, so you can build your knowledge and relationships for the next opportunity that comes up and then sell yourself best for the role.
Build your internal and external network - cross functional projects or diversity networks may help internally. Proactively develop your skills, and if you are an expert in something offer support to others e.g. as a mentor. The best person to manage your career is you.
A-Class: A final question: What would you suggest as the best way to approach the company about funding for additional training?
HR Representative:
Find out if there is a policy on this - your manager or HR should know. Either way I'd recommend thinking about the business case for your development - what benefit will you AND the company get from the training and how could you maximise that-for example by sharing your knowledge with others, or using your learning to improve a process.
Most managers will be highly supportive of your development, but you may need to manage expectations if the training will take you away from your busy and demanding stakeholders for long periods of time.
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