What Level Assistant do you need to Hire?
The needs of businesses vary in both size and desired skill sets, no matter which industry you may be in. Whether you’re running a Fortune 500 company with thousands of employees or a small business with fifteen people on staff, the administrative needs of each business are going to vary drastically.
One of the most crucial things I’ve discovered in all my years of helping find placements for companies is ensuring the proper level of administrative assistance required given both the organizational and operational needs of a potential client. This means understanding which pain points need resolution within the business in order for me to find their perfect candidate, as well as getting clarity on the expectations on their day-to-day duties.
But, Diane, why does any of that matter?
The answer is simple: sometimes there’s confusion between the roles of administrative assistants, executive assistants, and senior level executive assistants. It’s not uncommon to discuss an executive assistant search with a potential client, and after identifying the duties of the role, we realize they need a lower level administrative assistant, or consequently, need to elevate the role to a Sr Executive Assistant or Chief of Staff.
While the role of administrative assistants are extremely important, I feel it’s necessary to point out the distinctions between aggregate experience levels since I specialize in the placement of seasoned executive assistant candidates. If you’re new to the workforce or considering a career change, I invite you to please continue reading to get an overarching scope of what your future career path may look like!
As a disclaimer, please understand that there are multiple levels with any career, in any field, and in any position. I understand there are varying levels of experience and location of the role, and for the sake of simplicity, I’m going to break it down to three general levels within the administrative field.
Administrative Assistant:
Tenure: 1-3 years
Mastered Skills: Basic Microsoft office, master in 1 or 2 programs
Compensation: $33-60K (indeed.com)
General Duties: Office etiquette, phone skills, front desk, some travel arrangements, filing, bookkeeping, light calendar management, and expense report management
Administrative assistants are typically entry level roles with some basic front desk/generalized admin responsibilities and tasks. This is the beginning step in an admin’s career, where they learn how to stay organized, multitask, answer phones and greet clients professionally. Administrative assistants often help with light project work and offshoot activities (such as restocking supplies and making equipment repair requests). They usually report to the needs of many. They’re the go-to problem solver and their scope generally covers assisting any department or employee who needs an extra set of hands.
This role builds the basic professional muscles that become the fundamentals of moving up the ladder to provide seamless assistance functions. It familiarizes them with the technology and programs that are used in almost every organization. Basic business etiquette and professional communication are learned at this level. Administrative assistants typically require a more significant amount of training to get their wheels under them in the organization until they master their duties.
Administrative assistants learn to think and problem solve on their feet, while building a strong foundation of the tasks that need to be completed regularly within a company. This is a role that is the lifeblood of almost any business and the starting point on the journey to becoming an EA. Every department usually needs the help from their administrative assistant, regardless of the project or task.
Executive Assistant:
Tenure: 3-5 years
Mastered Skills: Microsoft Office Master in 3 or 4 programs, proofreading, expense reports, calendaring, operations software basics (such as JIRA)
Compensation: $60-80K, small bonus (indeed.com)
General Duties: Company Announcements/bulletins, travel arrangements, calendar management, organization for themselves and for their leadership team, event planning, handling confidential information, take notes/records in meetings, circulate memos, and provide assistance of SVPs, VPs, Presidents, and occasionally CEOs of small to mid-sized businesses.
Executive assistants almost exclusively assist leaders and high level management. This is different from the administrative role as listed above, as administrative assistants are responsible for assisting all departments in a very broad scope. Executive assistants will not need training in how to use the Microsoft suite, g suite, answering phones, and other duties they’ve been tasked with. By this point in their careers, they will mostly be hands off and not require much “hand-holding” as they are not new to the day to day life in the world of admins. By this point in their career, EAs are trusted to handle confidential information.
By the time that someone has reached the level of EA, their responsibilities have expanded significantly, and have mastered select skill sets. They are intuitive and have saavy communication skills, with internal and external individuals and often reach out to clients on behalf of leadership. They are instrumental in keeping their leadership’s workday and travel flowing, as well as handling offshoot projects that can often be time consuming. (Think holiday parties or large events).
Sr Level Executive Assistant/EA to the CEO
Tenure: 5-10+ years
Mastered Skills: Master in all Microsoft programs, proofreading, writing correspondence, preparing legal paperwork, client communication, assistance with personal needs or projects of CEO or C Suite, Board Support and Relations
Compensation: $80-120, bonus 10%, 10-15K (indeed.com)
General Duties: Right hand to the Executives or CEO. Air traffic controller, confidant to CEO.
Senior Executive assistants exclusively report to the CEO, or multiple C-Level executives. By the time someone has been elevated to this role, the need for training is almost non-existent. This is a highly experienced executive assistant that knows the ins and outs of the administrative world. They’re adaptable and tech-savvy. They predict problems before they happen, anticipate the needs of each person they support, and get to know the preferences and personality types of each person they assist.
Senior Level EAs know all the places to book entertainments for clients, the best hotels, and 5 star restaurants in their local area and often in regions frequently visited by their leadership. They have memorized the airline preferences, frequent flier numbers, preferred hotel chains for each person they support. Expense reports will be done correctly the first time, and early. This is a tenured expert that truly becomes the go-to person that makes the lives of her team go smoothly.
Senior Executive Assistants are gurus in communications and effortless problem solvers by this point in their career due to their experience. Reliable, resourceful, helpful, and loyal, a senior level EA has secured a trusted place along top leadership in businesses. They possess a high level of EQ-Emotional Intelligence, and can pick up on the unsaid communication and relay this intuition and knowledge to the C-Suite Executives.
Chief of Staff
Tenure: 10+years Senior level Executive Assistant/EA to CEO/Office Management
Mastered Skills: Master in all Microsoft programs, proofreading, writing correspondence
Compensation: $120-165, bonus 15%, 20-30K (indeed.com)
General Duties: Manage the operations of the office staff, Right hand to CEO and C-Suite team
A Chief of Staff is an extremely experienced, distinguished executive assistant who has been fulfilling high level duties for a substantial period of time. They are versatile, confident, and exceedingly knowledgeable in the needs of a C-Suite team and operational needs. They will have good rapport with all leadership levels and will have a deep understanding of how the business works.
Like the senior executive assistant, they are the quiet conductor of the orchestra behind the scenes in day-to-day lives of business operations. These professionals are truly that: top tier professionals that know their craft and know how C-level leadership operates. The Chief of Staff knows the company and assists in making the company run smoothly. They have substantial project management responsibilities tied to the company strategy, and manage a budget and staff members. They typically have a “seat at the table”, and are considered an integral part of the leadership team.
Your decision of what level you hire is based on two main items: the scope of your company’s needs and your company’s budget. Budget concerns may be the leading decision factor with who you hire, however we always push for the highest compensation possible. Simply put, you will attract the most qualified and tenured talent to your organization. The old saying “you get what you pay for” still stands true in this market, especially given the fact that many companies are looking to fill roles.
If you need assistance deciding what Administrative level is appropriate for your company, or recruiting a Senior Level Executive Assistant, Executive Assistant to the CEO, or Chief of Staff, Steele Recruiting would be happy to help you, and make the perfect match.
Diane Steele, CEO of Steele Recruiting offers National Executive Search services for Executive Assistants supporting C-Suite Executives, and private career coaching.
Diane can be contacted at diane@steelerecuiting.com or steelerecruiting.com.
Edited by Abby Huot
