Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants

Provide high-level administrative support by conducting research, preparing statistical reports, and handling information requests, as well as performing routine administrative functions such as preparing correspondence, receiving visitors, arranging conference calls, and scheduling meetings. May also train and supervise lower-level clerical staff.

Also Known As:

Administrative Aide Administrative Assistant Administrative Associate Administrative Coordinator Administrative Secretary Administrative Specialist Executive Administrative Assistant Executive Assistant Executive Secretary Office Assistant

Wages

Hourly

Annual wages for Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants in United States

Job Outlook Below Average

New job opportunities are less likely in the future

United States 2033 Projected Employment

517,200

0% Change From 2023

Explore Secretaries, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive video

Tasks you might complete in a day.

Meet with individuals, special interest groups, and others on behalf of executives, committees, and boards of directors.
Prepare invoices, reports, memos, letters, financial statements, and other documents, using word processing, spreadsheet, database, or presentation software.
Prepare responses to correspondence containing routine inquiries.
Conduct research, compile data, and prepare papers for consideration and presentation by executives, committees, and boards of directors.
Perform general office duties, such as ordering supplies, maintaining records management database systems, and performing basic bookkeeping work.
Process payroll information.
Prepare invoices, reports, memos, letters, financial statements, and other documents, using word processing, spreadsheet, database, or presentation software.
Compile, transcribe, and distribute minutes of meetings.
Prepare agendas and make arrangements, such as coordinating catering for luncheons, for committee, board, and other meetings.
Interpret administrative and operating policies and procedures for employees.
Set up and oversee administrative policies and procedures for offices or organizations.
Coordinate and direct office services, such as records, departmental finances, budget preparation, personnel issues, and housekeeping, to aid executives.
Greet visitors and determine whether they should be given access to specific individuals.
Supervise and train other clerical staff and arrange for employee training by scheduling training or organizing training material.
Review operating practices and procedures to determine whether improvements can be made in areas such as workflow, reporting procedures, or expenditures.
Compile, transcribe, and distribute minutes of meetings.
Supervise and train other clerical staff and arrange for employee training by scheduling training or organizing training material.
Compile, transcribe, and distribute minutes of meetings.
Open, sort, and distribute incoming correspondence, including faxes and email.
Attend meetings to record minutes.
Open, sort, and distribute incoming correspondence, including faxes and email.
Coordinate and direct office services, such as records, departmental finances, budget preparation, personnel issues, and housekeeping, to aid executives.
Make travel arrangements for executives.
Answer phone calls and direct calls to appropriate parties or take messages.
Provide clerical support to other departments.
Read and analyze incoming memos, submissions, and reports to determine their significance and plan their distribution.
Conduct research, compile data, and prepare papers for consideration and presentation by executives, committees, and boards of directors.
Set up and oversee administrative policies and procedures for offices or organizations.
Supervise and train other clerical staff and arrange for employee training by scheduling training or organizing training material.
Manage and maintain executives' schedules.
Prepare invoices, reports, memos, letters, financial statements, and other documents, using word processing, spreadsheet, database, or presentation software.
File and retrieve corporate documents, records, and reports.

Subject areas you may need to master.

Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
History and Archeology - Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
Personnel and Human Resources - Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
Building and Construction - Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
Philosophy and Theology - Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
Foreign Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Transportation - Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Geography - Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Telecommunications - Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Chemistry - Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
Administrative - Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Food Production - Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
Economics and Accounting - Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Fine Arts - Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

Strengths you may need in this role.

Operation and Control - Using equipment or systems.
Equipment Maintenance - Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
Science - Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
Learning Strategies - Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
Speaking - Talking to others.
Mathematics - Using math to solve problems.
Coordination - Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
Monitoring - Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
Operations Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
Critical Thinking - Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
Systems Analysis - Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
Management of Financial Resources - Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
Equipment Selection - Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
Persuasion - Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
Reading Comprehension - Reading work-related information.
Social Perceptiveness - Understanding people's reactions.
Technology Design - Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
Writing - Writing things for co-workers or customers.
Complex Problem Solving - Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
Systems Evaluation - Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
Repairing - Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
Service Orientation - Looking for ways to help people.
Management of Personnel Resources - Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
Programming - Writing computer programs.
Negotiation - Bringing people together to solve differences.
Time Management - Managing your time and the time of other people.
Management of Material Resources - Managing equipment and materials.
Judgment and Decision Making - Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
Installation - Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
Active Learning - Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
Instructing - Teaching people how to do something.
Active Listening - Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
Operations Analysis - Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
Quality Control Analysis - Testing how well a product or service works.
Troubleshooting - Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
Flexibility of Closure - Seeing hidden patterns.
Manual Dexterity - Holding or moving items with your hands.
Oral Comprehension - Listening and understanding what people say.
Oral Expression - Communicating by speaking.
Response Orientation - Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
Reaction Time - Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
Peripheral Vision - Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
Perceptual Speed - Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
Speed of Closure - Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
Information Ordering - Ordering or arranging things.
Dynamic Strength - Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
Rate Control - Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
Speech Clarity - Speaking clearly.
Dynamic Flexibility - Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Glare Sensitivity - Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
Time Sharing - Doing two or more things at the same time.
Mathematical Reasoning - Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
Gross Body Equilibrium - Keeping your balance or staying upright.
Wrist-Finger Speed - Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
Near Vision - Seeing details up close.
Auditory Attention - Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
Stamina - Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
Spatial Orientation - Knowing where things are around you.
Written Comprehension - Reading and understanding what is written.
Problem Sensitivity - Noticing when problems happen.
Visual Color Discrimination - Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
Extent Flexibility - Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Far Vision - Seeing details that are far away.
Sound Localization - Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
Category Flexibility - Grouping things in different ways.
Memorization - Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
Finger Dexterity - Putting together small parts with your fingers.
Control Precision - Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
Multilimb Coordination - Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
Arm-Hand Steadiness - Keeping your arm or hand steady.
Visualization - Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
Number Facility - Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
Selective Attention - Paying attention to something without being distracted.
Inductive Reasoning - Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
Originality - Creating new and original ideas.
Written Expression - Communicating by writing.
Fluency of Ideas - Coming up with lots of ideas.
Deductive Reasoning - Using rules to solve problems.
Static Strength - Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
Hearing Sensitivity - Telling the difference between sounds.
Speed of Limb Movement - Quickly moving your arms and legs.
Gross Body Coordination - Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
Explosive Strength - Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
Trunk Strength - Using your lower back and stomach.
Speech Recognition - Recognizing spoken words.
Depth Perception - Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
Night Vision - Seeing at night or under low light.