What soft skills make for a great assistant?

Before applying for any job, chances are you've been taking a long hard look at your list of skills. Are you proficient in Microsoft suite? Can you navigate administrative systems like a pro? These hard skills are an important part of landing a job interview but they are only half the story. Executive Assistants need a unique balance of both hard and soft skills to be well suited for most positions. So, what do these soft skills look like? Here are three key examples:

1. Active listening skills: A great EA has the uncanny ability to listen better than anyone else in the room. An Executive Assistant who truly understands their boss' direction is better positioned to help move those strategies forward in their work.

2. Natural curiosity: An Executive Assistant with the requisite hard skills and a dash of natural curiosity is an executive's dream. The desire to learn more and find hidden facts about a given subject is a serious leg up for EAs. This can manifest as reading trade news or doing extra research on network connections and sharing it with the team.

3. Strong communication: You'd be hard-pressed to find a profession that didn't seek out candidates with strong communication skills. However, for EAs this is even more important. Executive Assistants need to be able to understand and communicate the thoughts of executives and clients - making these soft skills a necessity for any EA.

Top tips for better business writing

Professional writing is an important skill to master for Executive Assistants. Being responsible for the majority of executive communications and scheduling means your emails and varying messaging formats need to be crisp, clear and error-free. But what does good business writing look like? Forbes contributor Susan Adams believes there are a few key elements to any quality professional writing.

For starters, you should always aim to keep your sentences short. Brief and declarative sentences that get straight to the point are best suited for business communications. Don't use a five syllable word when a two syllable word can get the point across just as well. You can often cut through the jargon by always using active instead of passive verbs. Don't write "The presentation was given by Sarah," write: "Sarah gave the presentation." As a general rule of thumb, you should make sure your main point is at the start of any correspondence. If it's not somewhere in the first paragraph, rearrange things so that it is.

Most importantly: make sure you are always proofreading your work before you send it out. EAs have a million things on their plate on any given day but taking the extra minute to reread your work can help you spot any common grammatical mistakes that may have slipped through.

Remedying the perception vs. expectation gap in executive/PA relationships

It's hard to pinpoint any greater relationship than that of an EA and their executive. Executive Assistants help structure much of the professional environment for a given leader. As a result, there is often a very close connection between the two. However, like most things, these relationships are only as strong as their foundation.

While perceptions have a lot to do with roles, expectations are tied heavily to tasks. When you don't clarify between the two you can end up with some major miscommunications about what is expected of you. To ensure you and your executive have a full understanding of your role and the tasks tied to the positions, there are key steps to take:

Talk it out: Having a firm grasp on expectations vs. perceptions all starts with communication. Sit down and have a conversation about goals, what needs to be done to achieve them and how you can help as an EA

Get continued clarification: Goals and expectations are not static. They evolve over time. Make sure you and your executive are communicating consistently to discuss any changes to your given plans or tasks.

Take the initiative: Exceptional EAs take the time to go one step further. When you begin a new position with a new executive do your research. Attend staff meetings to get an idea of where the company is headed. Read industry news to keep up to date with things your CEO may be interested in. These little steps can help you better align with your boss.

Conflict in the workplace: Causes and safeguards

Conflict in the workplace is unescapable. While it may not be commonplace, chances are you'll experience it at some point in your professional career. Being able to recognise conflict and appropriately address it is a critical business skill. The first step to this is understanding where conflicts stem from.

Generally, all issues are rooted in one of two problem areas: communication or emotions. Miscommunication is the catalyst for most conflicts - professional or not. Whether it is a lack of understanding, unclear information or misconstrued comments, communications is a major cause of friction. When emotions drive decisions, conflict often ensues. In a professional setting you need to let logic drive all your choices. Having knee-jerk emotional reactions can cause non-issues to become serious conflicts.

As a PA, your closest contact is likely your executive. As such, dealing with conflicts is that much more important. You need to resolve the issues before they begin affecting your relationship.

This can be accomplished by following two key rules of thumb. First, ask yourself the golden question of conflicts: Is this worth it? You need to decide early on whether or not a confrontation is even necessary. Is the problem you see a real issue or are you maybe reading too much into things. Secondly, you should make a strict promise to yourself to always deal with conflicts directly. Passive-aggressive behaviour is toxic for any workplace relationship and can often lead to drawn out problems. By dealing with conflict head on, usually by conversation, you can make sure the problem is resolved quickly and efficiently.

Networking like a pro: How to build your professional circle

As an EA, you are often surrounded with industry top dogs. Whether it is C-suite members from partner companies or entrepreneurs close to your executive, you have ample access to a considerable professional network. But have you taken the right steps to include them in your business circle? Or are they merely one-off acquaintances? Here are some tips for better networking as an Executive Assistant.

1. Dare to ask: As an EA you are in an enviable position. You have constant access to higher-ups in a wide range of industries due to your boss' connections. While you shouldn't be cornering every one of your executive's contacts, you also shouldn't be scared to ask for a professional introduction. Occasionally using your position to your advantage is completely acceptable as long as you go about it professionally. Politely ask your executive if s/he would mind introducing you to X,Y,Z of his/her colleagues. Not asking for this kind of networking help could mean missing out on some major opportunities

2. Always be prepared: Networking can happen anywhere. Make sure you are always ready to expand your network. Keep business cards handy and have your professional elevator pitch memorised. Whether it is in line at a coffee shop or at the airport between flights, being prepared for a professional encounter at any moment is the best way to expand your network.

3. Vary your networking approaches: Don't limit yourself to LinkedIn requests or contact emails. Spice up your networking approach. Ask another professional out for a business lunch and chat with them about industry trends and predictions. These types of face-to-face approaches can have a lasting impact that online interactions lack.

Building your personal brand one step at a time

As an Executive Assistant, it's easy to get lost in the everyday tasks of keeping up with your executive. It's even easier to neglect your own efforts for maintaining a personal professional brand amidst working so hard to keep up the brand of your boss. However, personal branding is important for any EA. It ensures you keep up a good presence in your industry and can make you much more marketable if you choose to look for a new job opportunity. So, how do you go about building a personal brand?

Decide what you want: If you have yet to create a personal brand, the logical starting point is pinpointing what you want your brand to be. Do you want to come across as a formal, authoritative figure? Do you want to have a more fun and quirky approach to industry trends? There are lots of starter questions to answer here but the key is to clearly define your tone and style to ensure it remains consistent.

Take to social media: One of the strongest tools for personal branding in the modern world is social media. Begin by creating professional accounts on Facebook and Twitter. Share industry news and insights. Perhaps create a blog of your own. This will establish a presence for you within your sector and provide an easy way to keep up with your brand.

Be consistent: The most important part of personal branding is consistency. Try creating a schedule for yourself and stick to it. Maybe you set out to post a blog post a week, maybe you aim to make a five new professional contact every month. Whatever it is, just make sure to be steady in your efforts.