Understanding the Executive Assistant Career Progression

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A high-profile personal assistant in a business suit taking a call at his desk.


If you’re looking to hire an EA or you have EAs within your employment, it’s helpful to have a full understanding of an executive assistant’s career path. This includes the roles that lead to a EA and the potential positions it can lead to.

Why is it important? By having this overview, hiring managers can zero in on candidates best qualified to step into an EA role, and show prospective talent the opportunities they will have to grow professionally. This will make the role more desirable to exceptional EAs and help foster a sense of loyalty once they are in the job.

What is an Executive Assistant (EA)?

An executive assistant provides administrative support to one or more members of staff at a business, typically those in senior management. EAs can also be hired by private individuals to assist in personal matters, such as diary management and household management.

Key Responsibilities of an Executive Assistant

Executive assistants’ tasks and responsibilities can cover a wide range of requirements which will differ depending on the manager’s preferences. However, there are several tasks that almost all EAs will be expected to carry out. The main responsibilities of an EA generally include:

Skills and Competencies of Successful Executive Assistants

In order to carry out their varied duties successfully, there are some key skills that executive assistants possess. Some of these may include character traits, while other skills will have been developed in an EA’s early career, for example when they might have been an administration assistant or receptionist. Some of the essential skills and competencies include:

These skills are invaluable to an executive assistant throughout their career, whether they move on to become an executive assistant, business assistant, or chief of staff. Therefore, it’s crucial to build on these learning and development opportunities so that EAs can continue to hone their abilities and progress.

Career Progression Paths for Executive Assistants

Various junior and entry-level business support roles can progress into executive assistant positions , and the EA role can likewise branch out into an equally varied pool of senior role titles. The breadth of opportunities for EAs is often dependent on the size of a business, with smaller companies naturally having less specialized roles at each stage of the career journey.

EA Career Progression in SMBs


EA Career Progression in medium-sized businesses


EA Career Progression in Large Corporations

Job descriptions

Having a detailed job description template on file for all your administrative positions, from receptionist through to team assistant, EA and business assistant will help to streamline the recruitment process. Significantly, it also helps to demonstrate the career journey and highlight the key competencies required to progress into each role. Having a visual road map will help both the employer and employee to plan an EA’s career progression.

We have compiled general job descriptions, from entry-level assistant roles to more senior positions, ready for you to adapt to your needs.

Receptionist job description

Responsibilities:

Requirements:

Office administrator job description

Responsibilities

Requirements

Team Assistant / Junior EA job description

Responsibilities

Requirements

EA job description

Responsibilities

Requirements

EA/ Office Manager / Operations job description

Responsibilities

Requirements

EA 1:1 job description

Responsibilities

Requirements

EA Operations job description

EA Manager job description

Responsibilities

Requirements

Business Assistant job description

Responsibilities

Requirements

Business manager / Chief of Staff job description

Responsibilities

Requirements

For more insights into finding the perfect executive assistant, read our ultimate guide to hiring an EA.

Author Jess Krisburg Tiger Recruitment Team
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