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When it comes to understanding how to be a good EA, it’s one thing learning about the tasks of an executive assistant, but it you want to thrive in the role, you’ll need a firm grasp of the top EA skills that support those tasks.
These range from administrative to time-management and interpersonal skills. Assessing yourself against these most desired abilities will help you build an honest picture of your prospects, and pinpoint where you can improve to boost your chances of securing your dream EA job.
So, what makes a good EA? The best personal assistants possess a balance of hard and soft skills that allow them to handle the admin side of the job and, as the name suggests, the personal side. Let’s look at what these personal assistant skills are.
The first skill that will see you sink or swim as a EA is your ability to multitask. Staying on top of your workload is a must for any job, but because the daily duties of a EA are so varied and often at the mercy of other people’s schedules, you’ll need to have a knack for organizing, prioritizing, and sticking to deadlines. We recommend getting to know the many useful apps and tools for EAs that will help you manage multiple projects and calendars.
A personal assistant must filter out the barrage of noise coming their manager’s way, and pick out only the most pertinent points to feed through to them. The manager will want quick and concise updates that they can then make a decision on, so learning to ‘cut to the chase’ when speaking or writing should be a priority for an EA.
Having a good eye and memory for small but important details is a superpower of personal assistants. Working at a fast pace on a mix of tasks means crucial information is always at risk of being lost, be it data for a report, flight times, or a top client’s email address, so as an EA you’ll need to stay vigilant at all times. Honing this skill takes time and focus, but it pays dividends.
While an EA won’t need to be a tech guru to do their job effectively, general computer and software fluency is essential. Programs like Excel, Word, and PowerPoint will be a permanent fixture on your desktop for tasks like expenses, comms and presentations, while businesses will also expect you to be able to pick up their internal systems quickly.
The number one soft skill for the role of EA is your sociability. Not everyone has the people skills needed to succeed as a personal assistant, but we’re betting part of the reason you were drawn to the position is because you love helping and working with others! As the first point of contact for your manager, you’ll occasionally deal with frustrated or angry colleagues and clients, not to mention the manager themselves. So, the best EAs have a thick skin, calm temperament, and the ability to connect with all sorts of personalities, ensuring even the trickiest situations can be resolved.
If you’re planning to apply for an EA job, being able to demonstrate these skills will greatly improve your desirability to a hiring manager, so don’t forget to include them on your assistant resume. When you’re ready, head over to our live jobs page to find your perfect role!
If you are looking to hire an executive assistant, read our guide to hiring an EA for a comprehensive rundown of every aspect of the recruitment process.
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