As an Executive Assistant (EA), youโre in one of the most commonly misunderstood roles in the corporate world. Plenty of people have heard of the EA role but they donโt know what you really do day-to-day. This can make it easy for your colleagues, and even your boss, to underestimate the breadth and complexity of what you do, meaning you donโt always get the recognition you deserve. TROOP shares excellent advice and practical steps for EAs to take…
According to a recent Global Assistant survey, a shocking 70% of EAs feel undervalued and overlooked by their peers and colleagues. After speaking with many administrative professionals (APs) and through our own work aiming to make your lives easier through meeting and travel planning, we want to highlight this challenge and give you some personalized support.ย
Five ways to showcase your value as an EAย
1. Document your accomplishments
It is a useful practice to keep a record of your accomplishments and wins, whether thatโs saving a glowing email from a client or executive, noting when your quick thinking avoids a disaster, or generally keeping a record of things that youโre proud of. If youโre consistent with keeping these records updated, you should end up with a list of achievements that can help you showcase your value, prove the complexities of individual tasks, and act as ammunition for promotions and pay raises. Unsure of where to start? Use this accomplishment tracker from ASAP.
Remember to include the details when making notes of these accomplishments rather than just the shiny end result. For example, organizing an in-person meeting for a distributed workforce can be overlooked as an โeasyโ task. Still, itโs only when you factor in all the individual components that people see how much skill it takesโand how much trouble theyโd be in without you! A great way to do this is to show and track metrics.How much time have you saved through your initiatives, skills or accomplishments? How much money have you saved your company through your organization and initiative? Statistics are a fool-proof way to prove your worth.ย
To do this well, however, you need to overcome the fear or embarrassment of self-PR. Being an EA especially, often the only way to show your value is to make it known, so donโt be afraid to make some noise when you do something impressive.ย
2. Take initiative in your career progression & growth
We know you donโt need any more work on your plate, but taking on some of the responsibility for your career advancement can be a great way to climb the ladder and show initiative.ย
As you know, executives are notoriously busy, so driving conversations of their direct reportsโ career progression can often fall lower on the list of to-dos. Not to mention, if you work in a distributed workforce, it can be hard to build a relationship with your manager and understand all of their needs if you donโt see them day-to-day. By being proactive in initiating important conversations with your boss around expectations and direct feedback, you will pave your path to success.ย
Find out if your company has a job-leveling framework from your Human Resources and People teams. If not, create a unique framework for your role. List expected responsibilities and skills for your role level today, and then for progressing levels. Try to anticipate your manager’s needs and align your goals with the companyโs goals. Create a list of strengths, weaknesses, and general feedback within the template. Book time with your manager to review the framework and ask them to fill in the gaps. Give them ample notice before the meeting so they are prepared to give live feedback on the call.ย
With these resources, youโll have a clear path of what your manager expects from you today and what skills you need to move to the next level. Youโll also showcase how important your role and their opinion is to you. And just like that, with minimal time and effort from your manager, youโve now built trust and created your trajectory for improvement, with a focus on tangible results that you can show to your boss at your next career catch-up.ย
3. Build your network
Having a strong network – both inside and outside of your immediate workplace – is one of the best ways to showcase your individual value as an EA. Your network, after all, is unique to you. Relationships cannot be replaced or emulated, so the better and more useful your contact list, the more invaluable you are as an EA. Many professionals tend to think of networking as a nice thing to do and perhaps not the biggest priority, but, in reality, your network can be a huge influence on your job security and employability.ย ย
Finding yourself a mentor – a specific person who has extensive experiences and skills that you can learn from – is a particularly impactful way to network. By developing a close, ongoing relationship where you feel able to ask questions, celebrate wins, and voice concerns with a trusted advisor, youโre able to fast-track your own learning and confidence.ย
Itโs also important to remember that networking isnโt only about attending eventsโyou can also build lasting connections through social media, company communications, virtual coffee chats, community forums, and more.ย
4. Become the go-to person in your company
Being the โgo-to personโ means being the team member everyone comes to when they want to push your company forwardโto future-proof it or make it a better place to work. By making an effort to be forward-thinking, ahead of the curve, and โthe doerโ, you naturally showcase your value to your colleagues.ย
To become that person, if you arenโt already, be proactive in researching and testing new technologies or ways of working that can be useful to multiple teams. Share your knowledge and processes. Go out of your way to support team members when they have questions or need an extra hand. Take action without having to be asked or told. For example, if your leadership team wants to create a more open and inclusive workplace, look into mental health support programs, cultural awareness training, or Diversity and Inclusion initiatives.ย
Remember that itโs not only the willingness and care to improve the company that matters here, itโs also the positive attitude you bring to each new challenge that gets you noticed. By being a trailblazer for modern ways of working and communicating, your value becomes tied to the companyโs success in these endeavors. Itโs win-win!
5. Seek out new skills
In order to be that invaluable go-to person, you may need to seek out particular skill sets, certifications, or connections. In life you should never stop learningโand that is especially true in your career.ย
The ever-changing technical landscape requires all professionals to stay up to date with the latest trends and skills, including experience with AI. While there is lots of information out there about these new tools, regularly using them is the best way to become an expert. If there is a technology that you are interested in working with but you donโt have access to, here are some tips on how to get it approved by your boss (including an email template). Proactively learning new technical skills not only makes you more effective and efficient at your job, it also demonstrates initiative and a commitment to driving positive change within your company.
Are there any direct or transferable skills that can help you improve as an EA or as a general professional? If so, seek out webinars, events, guides, courses, certifications, communities, and discussions around the skills you want to learn.ย
Your eagerness and action on learning new skills will be sure to get noticed by your colleagues and boss. They also will help build your resume for future opportunities.
Conclusion
Showcasing your value as an EA takes organization, effort, and a bit of self-congratulation to get there. In a role where your skills are so often overlooked, itโs crucial that you have the confidence to shout about your own achievementsโand have the results handy to back yourself up.ย
Are you a member of PA Life Club yet? It’s an excellent networking group for Assistants based in the UK.
