Attn: DU Admin Asst's! I think I may want to join your field. Advice?

[Book Lover]

As I posted a few days ago, I am leaving publishing. I have excellent project management skills (and I mean excellent), and am supremely organized. I was thinking about entering the executive assistant field. I have some minor direct experience (assisting a legal secretary during busy times, front desk/receptionist at a few places for about a year total), but am skilled with what I see ads looking for. What advice do you have for me?

[Book Lover]

1. Kick

For those reading DU at lunch!

[Dangerously Amused]

2. But do you know how to lock threads?

[Rabrrrrrr]

3. It's hella fun, if you can be an admin asst at a large firm

and do it for an executive.

I did it for almost five years at two different firms, and it was wonderful! Great money, great perks, exciting stuff going on in the workplace, and it's just kinda cool to be up in the power structure where the lunches might be free, the office parties flow freely with premium free booze and great food, they pay for your supper if you work late, you get extra vacation time, don't have to punch a clock, and, well, it was a blast.

[Book Lover]

4. What background did you have at that time?

One concern of mine is that my resume is all about being an art director or production manager, and that I will be told I'm "over qualified" or the like.

[Rabrrrrrr]

14. A degree in engineering and a master's in Old Testament studies

So, yeah, go figure. :shrug:

The firm I worked at had a lot of highly educated administrative assistants who were working in the arts (this was in NYC) outside of the office job - directors, dancers, actors, writers, etc. It seemed like all the secretaries either went into secretarial work right out of high school, or got their bachelors or masters in something entirely unrelated.

But, what the firm wanted was smart educated people who could think for themselves and show some creativity, not necessarily people trained to be a secretary. (this was a consulting firm, by the way).

I started out working for the lower level people, and about a year or so into it became an executive assistant for a partner in the firm - and that's when the job became insanely fun (and the pay went way up, too!). When a few people from my firm went to another company to start a new division, I went along with them as one of their two secretaries, and that was pretty cool, too.

But I will say, as fun as it was, it was also a highly stressful job at both places - at the consulting firm, we were dealing with CEOs of companies, and at the other company we were dealing with our CEO and CFO; and people at the executive level like to have everything immediately, and want everything in place perfectly (and that is how it should be), so it was a lot of rush rush rush to type, fax, overnight, mail, get flights, get limos, and also the dinner reservations, trying to get hold of the guy when he's in London and the CEO of another company wants to talk to him NOW... making sure the files are straight and easy to find things, constantly changing meeting times, and, the one thing that I became particulary good at, arranging phone meetings for people in NYC, LA, London, Oslo, and sometimes Hong King and/or Tokyo. And the constant pulling miracles out of my ass to save the day.

It was hairy work, and a lot of long hours, and a lot of stress, but always fun, always worth it, and I met some amazing people at both places AND met some amazing (and famous) people as clients, and I do sometimes miss it.

It was also interesting to go from a position of having a secretary to being a secretary. And now I'm back to having a secretary, with a lot more appreciation of just what they do AND how to use them effectively.

[Book Lover]

17. I am beginning to think that my not-so-latent class resentment is probably

going to nix this idea. I mention below that maybe an office manager-type of position may suit me better.

[El Fuego]

5. Honestly, I don't think you'll be happy.

You'll probably wish you were back in publishing. But, it would be a good move if you were to get into a company where you wanted to move up.

[Book Lover]

7. I appreciate your honesty, but believe me,

I am very ready to leave publishing. Many thanks!

[El Fuego]

15. It's better to have some autonomy, which you probably have

If you're an executive assistant, you'll have to be someone else's beck and call. If you're used to being independent, you'll hate it. :)

[Book Lover]

16. Well, I do have a certain amount of autonomy doing proj. management

insofar as we are all slaves to the schedule. Everything is subservient to the to-printer date. Maybe something like an office manager position is better suited to my personality...

[redqueen]

6. I dislike it intensely.

I only stick around for the benefits.

[Book Lover]

8. I appreciate your reply, thanks.

May I ask if you work at the manager/executive level? That's where I was thinking of entering.

[redqueen]

9. Yes.

If you're lucky enough to get in with a good group of folks, that makes all the difference in the world. I, unfortunately, have not been so lucky the past 10 years or so.

[Book Lover]

12. It's a cliche, but people make all the difference, don't they?

Thank you for the warning. Like I said, I'm in the fact-finding stage right now, so I absolutely want folks to bust my ideals if that's how it is. Better here than on the (new) job, right?

[redqueen]

13. Yeah, cliche but true!

When you're around the right people, it can be one of the most satisfying jobs. When you're not, well... I suppose even a dream job could seem like a nightmare.

Good luck! :hi:

[txwhitedove]

10. A few years ago, I read that being Admn. Assistant ...

was one of the most stressful jobs. You usually have more than one boss to please, plus customers, etc., and a wide variety of duties. Good points and bad points. I had one job that once the phones started in the morning, it was like being shot out of a cannon.
:hi:

[Book Lover]

11. That's what I do every day right now

More than one boss to please: yep, that would be editorial, design, marketing, compositor, print buyer and printer. Sounds about right.

Seriously, though, production has got to be second on that most-stressful jobs list.