Guest Post: From Admin to EA, My Journey

Guest Post by:
Marie Cielo Lagasca, Executive Assistant 

All Executive Assistants are made, as mentioned in the articles on this site. I totally agree with that statement  They don’t just fall down from the sky or grow from a tree, ready and all prepped up to perform their challenging job.  It takes time, effort, experience and mistakes to hone their craft.

Let’s face it, there is no degree majoring in EA.  It’s either they finish college or take up some training in becoming an assistant.  From there, they can pursue a career being the muscle behind the Executive.

I, for one took a medical degree (would you believe that?) and after taking the board exam (again, believe it or not) scouted for a secretarial position.  Well, the ads say they are looking for college graduates with good English communication skills both verbal and written, must have pleasing personality and can handle pressure.  I have all that!  So I applied but luck was elusive at that time since I lack any secretarial experience.

How can I get any valuable experience if companies don’t give applicants a chance to show what we’ve got?  Interviewers can gauge if one is capable of being an effective EA.  It also helps to say that you can start as an Admin Assistant first before going for that prestigious EA post.  This will also equip you with the necessary skills and tools to mold you for a bigger and higher responsibility.

My meaningful journey started as an Admin Assistant.  I was ecstatic and positive about my new role.

Of course, I encountered many hurdles but thanks to the team I belong to, I was able to overcome these challenges.  Here are some of them and the corrective steps I took.

• Organizing Skills – with the many tasks at hand, at times I was lost on what to do next.  My supervisor advised me to have a checklist of the daily tasks and cross them out whenever they are done.  Believe me, it helps to see your list narrowed down and eventually marked off.

• Coordination – I used to have a hard time completing a task by myself.  I have learned that every situation can be effectively done with the help of other departments in the company.

• Emails – since we are email-based, sending one was a bit confusing at first.  I had to know the people that make up a department so I would know who to reach out to.  I also had to read each email carefully and make sure that it is properly written and sent out to the necessary recipients only.

• Supplies Custodian – being the Admin, I made sure that office supplies are sufficient and special occasions are being looked into.

• Response Time – our work entails us to be on-call 24/7.  Who says it only applies to doctors?  Each mail received on our mobiles should be addressed immediately if it concerns our Executives.  If it can wait until we come in the office, I make sure I respond accordingly.  If the phone rings, it must be important and the call should be taken, especially if it comes from our Executives.

Sometimes, EAs prefer to stay on the background and help their executive attain success with their day-to-day work.  For them, their executive’s success is also their success.  That’s how humble they are.  They take pride when their executive is praised and lauded for a job well done - thanks to the EA who moved mountains just to get their boss on a plane to their destination, weather permitting or not; or changing the prepared set-up for a meeting or activity due to last-minute decisions - or bugging someone no matter how late the hour of the day or night is just to get the necessary info for a presentation.

So do EAs sleep?  Of course they do... but before they close their tired eyes, they see to it that what is needed for the day is ironed out.  They make sure that things happen because they have already coordinated what is supposed to be done for that day.  Another day starts from the moment they open their eyes and they’re ready to face another challenging work day with an energized body and mind.

It is said that behind an organized and successful Executive is a woman... and she is the Executive Assistant.  Well, from an EA’s point of view, that is true and the job is all worth it.

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If you'd like to Guest Post on the EA Corner and share a lesson you've learned as an EA, please send an email to much2jaded on gmail.

I'd be glad to give your post a place in our blog.