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Who is the ideal Executive Assistant?

Skills of Executive Assistant

Skills of executive assistant
Executive Assistants play an integral role in the success of a company, both directly and indirectly. An Executive Assistant is essentially, the first face or the voice who directly reports to the top management. Not only that, but EAs also schedule meetings, handle communications, supervise the staff and so much more!

However, you might be aware that finding an ideal assistant might be quite a daunting
task as they require specific skills and qualities.

Qualities of an ideal Executive Assistant

When we consider the importance of business profitability, there are some requisite skills of what an ideal executive assistant should be:



  • Excellent communication skills: an ideal executive assistant must have impeccable communication skills as they are responsible and directly answerable to the top management.


  • Exceptional organizational skills: the skills of Executive Assistant must be dynamic and competent as an all-rounder. This is because the corporate industry is ever-changing with a lot of external pressures. An ideal EA can thrive under high-pressure conditions.
  • Professional behavior: a good EA has a superb professional attitude toward the work environment. It is noteworthy to mention that an EA must maintain confidentiality at all times.


  • Technically Competent: one of the duties an executive assistant must excel at is being competent with computer systems. This does not mean general knowledge alone, but ease and speed of usage.


  • Willingness to Learn: a job description for an executive assistant also includes a genuine willingness to learn. An EA can't excel at every task, but they must be willing to be a sport and learn.


  • Very Resourceful: an ideal Executive Assistant must be a resourceful person to excel at their job. You see, if an EA knows things that others do not, they are highly resourceful - which is an asset.


  • Proactive and Self-Motivated: an ideal worker is one who doesn’t lack motivation and is active at all times. This doesn’t come as an exception to EAs as a key requirement is to be self-motivated in all situations.

Objectives and responsibilities of an Executive Assistant

The roles of an executive assistant are several folds; the responsibilities include:

  • Managing professional and personal schedules for the top management
  • Coordinating phone calls, emails, fax on behalf of the CEO.
  • Maintaining the company’s social media presence
  • Managing the CEO’s travel logistics, activities that include accommodation, transportation, and food.
  • Maintaining confidentiality and professionalism at all times
  • Organizing official communications relating to internal and off-site events.
  • Providing official support like typing, dictation, spreadsheet creation, faxing, etc.
  • Filing taxes on behalf of the management.

Objectives of an ideal executive assistant include:

  • Support the CEO by adding additional support to team members
  • Ensure that company goals, vision, and mission are accomplished
  • Make sure that operations run efficiently and smoothly.
  • Managing communication with employees and acting as a liaison between internal and external executives.
  • Make sure that the CEO's priorities are met, and organizational goals are met.

Wrapping up

It isn’t a big deal to be an assistant - but it is what makes an ideal EA that really counts.

Being a brilliant Executive Assistant takes effort and hard work brought together with effortless panache at the workplace. If you’re looking for a reliable executive assistant, you can contact Retalent.