What Is an Executive Assistant (EA)?
Do you have an ever-growing list of tasks that leaves you with little time for anything else? The demands of a bustling work life alongside personal commitments can leave you…
If you’re caught in the belief that to get things done correctly, you must do them yourself, you’re not alone. Many busy professionals find themselves trapped in this mindset, leading to an endless to-do list that leaves little time for relaxation or relationships.
You might have heard about executive assistants and wondered, “What can an executive assistant do for me?” Hiring an executive assistant may seem reserved for business owners or the elite, but it’s increasingly becoming a practical solution for anyone overwhelmed by their daily commitments.
In this guide, we’ll explore the many ways an executive assistant can support you, as well as highlight the tasks that may be out of scope.
Roles and Responsibilities of an Executive Assistant
The diverse skills of an executive assistant will make hiring an EA a valuable addition to your professional and executive life. Their main goal is to make your life more organized, streamlined, and efficient, helping to minimize your stress levels and increase your free time. They can handle a wide range of administrative and executive support tasks, all tailored to your unique needs.
Below are some of the typical tasks you can expect an EA to manage for you:
Manage Schedules and Calendars
An EA will keep your schedules and calendars in perfect order. They’ll organize all your appointments, meetings, and deadlines to ensure nothing falls through the cracks. This allows you to focus on more important tasks without worrying about the details of your day-to-day schedule.
Handle Correspondence
In the digital world we live in, keeping up with all your emails, calls, text messages, and social media DMs can feel like a full-time job. Plus, it’s easy to get sidetracked by responding to messages instead of focusing on your main work. Your executive assistant can take this burden off your shoulders by handling a wide range of communication tasks, from organizing your inbox to replying to messages in your tone and style.
Support Administrative Tasks
An executive assistant can handle a variety of administrative tasks. Their support ensures that your professional life is productive, and your daily routines run smoothly.
- Reports and Documents: Preparing, formatting, and editing reports and documents.
- Meeting Minutes and Agendas: Writing up minutes from meetings and preparing agendas for upcoming meetings.
- Scheduling Appointments: Communicating with clients, colleagues, and others to schedule appointments and meetings.
- File Organization: Creating and maintaining a filing system for physical and digital documents to ensure that important papers are easy to find.
- Maintaining Office Supplies: Keeping track of office supplies and placing orders to ensure the workspace is well-stocked.
- Data Entry and Database Management: Entering data into systems, updating records, and maintaining databases to ensure information is organized and easily accessible.
Executive Support
An executive assistant’s role often extends beyond professional tasks. They can assist with executive duties such as shopping, booking restaurants, scheduling executive appointments, and organizing events. This level of support can help reduce stress and improve wellbeing by leading to a better work-life balance.
Travel Arrangements
Whether you’re travelling for business or leisure, an executive assistant can handle all aspects of the travel arrangements. These include booking flights, organizing your accommodation, and planning your itineraries. Their expertise can make your travel experience more enjoyable and less stressful, ensuring that everything is tailored to your preferences.
Project Assistance
Executive assistants can offer crucial support to business owners and professionals involved in multiple projects. They can assist with project research, coordination, and tracking project progress. This can help you to be prepared and stay organized, ensuring you successfully complete the project.
Expense Management
Keeping track of executive and professional expenses can be challenging. An executive assistant can manage your finances by tracking expenses, processing invoices, paying for travel arrangements, and preparing financial reports. This financial management helps save you time while also providing insights into your financial health.
What Can’t an Executive Assistant Do?
An EA is an asset to any business owner or busy family by providing a wide range of professional and executive support. However, there are a few tasks that you shouldn’t ask your EA to do. It’s important to recognize these boundaries to maintain a productive and respectful working relationship.
Specialized Professional Services
EAs can’t provide specialized services or advice that require professional qualifications. While EAs are highly skilled, they cannot replace the expertise of professionals in specialized fields like law, accounting, or healthcare. Your EA can help you by managing your appointments with an accountant or scheduling your medical check-ups, but they won’t be able to prepare your taxes or offer medical opinions.
Unauthorized Financial Transactions
An EA can be helpful with your financial management, but it’s important to establish clear boundaries around financial transactions. Make sure your executive assistant knows they should not make large payments or financial decisions without getting your approval first. While this approach may mean you have a few extra items to check off your list, you are preventing any expensive errors or security issues. These boundaries will safeguard your finances and maintain your working relationship with your EA.
Executive Tasks Outside of Scope
The executive tasks that fall outside of scope will depend on the responsibilities you laid out in the EA job description and their contract. It’s essential to avoid asking your EA to handle any tasks outside of their set duties to avoid discomfort or misunderstandings that could impact your working relationship.
Deep Cleaning your Home
While your EA may assist with quick tidying, it’s not expected that they will scrub the floors or any other labor-intensive cleaning tasks. These tasks should be handled by housekeeping professionals who have the necessary skills and tools.
Cooking for your family
Your EA can assist you with meal planning and grocery shopping, but cooking for you or your family generally falls outside of their scope. Meal preparation and the cleanup take significant time, which could take them away from their core duties.
Childcare Services
It’s not a good idea to depend on your executive assistant for regular childcare. Looking after kids requires constant focus and sometimes special skills, particularly for little ones or children with special requirements.
Looking To Hire an EA?
Now that you know what an executive assistant can do for you, the next step is figuring out how to hire an EA. At Tiger Recruitment, we specialize in matching individuals and working professionals with professional EAs that align with your needs. Whether you’re looking for a permanent or temporary EA, we will provide you with a strong shortlist of candidates.
Reach out today to find your perfect EA match with Tiger Recruitment, and read our ultimate guide to hiring a PA for more in-depth insights.
