I love reading someone’s experiences in their career because it gives me an insight what it is like to walk a mile in that job scope with that role’s responsibilities (seriously, I don’t think there are any jobs that is easy and fun, not even flight attendants). So when I chance upon Misskhae article, I just have to share it with you all. Be sure to hop over to her website here and check out her Instagram for her gorgeous pics!
I’m a former Executive Secretary to the Executive Vice President– and he was just recently promoted as President, I’m so proud– of one of the respective college in my hometown. I know it’s a huge deal, even most people say so, and I wish I could’ve cherished every moment of my stay there. On my defense, I really do love that company– I love what I do especially working with my boss.
That’s why on this post, I want to share my thoughts on the things that I have learned and why I believe that being an Executive Assistant is a rewarding career for me.
I hear some people say how amazing this job is. They’d be like,“It’s so easy for you to be an assistant because you’re pretty and it suits you.” Other tells me,“Anyone can do that job. You just take notes and make an appointment for your boss.” It bothers me because I realized that most people do not really know what it takes to be an assistant. It’s more than just being pretty, you know. I hear it both sides of the desk from office after office, saying it doesn’t take any special skill to be an Executive Secretary/Administrative Assistant. Well these people are naive, to say the least.
I believe and from what I experienced, a stellar Executive Assistant must think of every detail for every function that a company requires. She’s like the entire employees rolled into one. That sounds exaggerating but it’s true. She must at least have the knowledge into almost everything and do over a hundred things well. Calendar management, travel planning, meeting preparation, taking minutes, filing, e-mail management, and execution. Those are just fundamentals. And by saying she, I’ve done that and I wish I could have done more.
What have I learned?
- I have learned to multi-task, to use most of my brain cells thinking, used all the energy that I have to execute & do my job well, and even worked on things way beyond what I have studied. But still for me, I felt that that wasn’t just it.
- I have also learned that being an Executive Assistant must also be a leader, patience, organized, intuitive, persuasive, a mind reader, creative, technically proficient, director of office operations, probably can be a liaison too, should be approachable and pleasing (I believe this is where being pretty comes in), and more.
I wish I have known better because I just realized that being an Executive Assistant, the opportunities can be limitless. You can never stop growing, expanding, and learning. In fact, you need to continually learn and grow. That’s why I believe that working in this profession can be very rewarding if you choose to step outside your comfort zone and take risks. I could’ve chosen to expand my job right where I was. Having a boss so lenient and kind, I could’ve strive to be a strategic partner with my executives. I know it takes a lot of work, but I could’ve worked it out.
So, if there’s something that I regret, maybe it was treating this career as something that I am just doing and not fully choosing it while waiting for something better to come along. That’s wrong in so many levels. But it has also taught me a lot of things and I’m bringing it with me on my next career journey.
Thank you father boss for everything.
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MiddleMe 
Hi Kally
Oh yes , it is true , you are very pretty
And of course , it is understanding that people could be jealous
But , they forgot that nothing is given for nothing
They did not make the needed efforts to have your look :
Healthy life , sport and activity , selected and limited food , and so on …
Concerning the job , of course to be pretty is a plus , but today it is not sufficient
Yesterday a firm could have lot of unemployed staff , just pretty , to represent and use them at their convenience
But that was yesterday , a long time ago …
Today , due to rentability , profitability and competition with your competitors , to stay alive , you need to have the lower costs for the higher efficiency
Are these jealous people ready to work so hard as you ?
Sure not , as otherwise they were at the same level
As well these jealous people think that other people job is easier …
Like as the neighbour grass …
So don’t pay attention you’re the prettiest and the best
Have a nice day
Douglas
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Hi Douglas, you have state a valid good point. Thank you for sharing that with us!
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Loved hearing about this experience! So inspiring!
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Thank you! I love her post too!
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People do not know the depth of things sometimes and see the surface layers until they discover things for themselves sooner or later …
In all areas and careers , it depends on you if you want to grow and learn or not because each person is different …
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That’s true.
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If you do not mind asking , what countries have you worked at othed than Malaysia ?
Maybe Uk and USA …not sure …
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If you are asking me, I’ve worked in Singapore, Malaysia and China.
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You never stop growing and learning you create your own world to live in. With your eyes and your hands. Great Article great insight looking through a young ladies eyes. Your Fathers are Proud of you as I am.
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I love her post too! Thank you for your comment, Ron !
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Kally, This is a wonderful, informative post. It reminds me of people who ask why do you need a master’s degree to be a librarian. Don’t you just sit around all day and read books all day? I think I will turn the answer to this into a future blog post.
Pat
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Great piece of writing and informative!
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Thank you so much. Have an amazing weekend!
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Thank youuu so much, Kally for featuring my post! ♥♥♥
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You’re most welcome! It’s been a pleasure having you here and many of my readers truly enjoy your post.
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Super, very useful to apply them! 💓
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Thank you so much!
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Welcome, dear!🙂
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Nice post. Also I recently created an Instagram account called @lafashionbubble. I hope you will follow me on Instagram so that we can connect 🙂
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Thank you! I will pop by your Instagram.
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Thanks! I will follow you back but I can’t follow anybody Rn because Instagram says action blocked
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Another great post, Kally. Being an Administrative Assistant myself, I can totally relate to what she stated and people have no idea all the various skills it takes to be a stellar assistant. We are in charge of another person’s day, week, month and year and not to mention some of us maintain other roles such as managing the office for hundreds of employees. One must never feel like their job is meaningless because not many can handle the daily variety the job brings nor the variety of personalities one has to deal with on a daily basis. Thanks, for putting this one out there. 🙂
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Thank you Cheryl for sharing your experiences with us. Have a cheerful Monday!
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