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What are the key skills for an Executive Assistant?
EAs tend to work with highly intelligent and exceptionally demanding people — people who work long hours and expect their assistants to keep pace. You are going to need a lot of patience and the attitude and flexibility to work outside regular hours (and at both ends of the day!)
As EAs are often the first touchpoint for a client, you should also work on your communication and CRM skills, and aim to be friendly and confident with a range of personalities. With so many stakeholders in a project, being able to adapt your tone to the right person would be a real asset. Being able to speak more than one language would be a huge bonus. And in the financial services sector at least, a head for numbers would do you no harm.
How can I secure an EA position in London?
As a hub for financial services both nationally and internationally, London is the perfect spot to look for jobs if you want to break into the world of international business.
Yet London is an attractive city for so many people, and so the competition among EAs in London is high. Experience will always be an asset. But what if you don’t yet have enough of it just yet?
The trick to netting a job as an EA in London is to keep up-to-date with expectations. EAs need to stay agile to the changing workplace, and where an EA might once have needed the skills of typing and shorthand, these days we ask EAs to focus on enhancing their critical thinking and project management skills. You will often be expected to travel with the team, so work on ways that you can help that team become more productive.
We also think that the jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none warning shouldn’t apply to EAs. Those who can show that they aren’t afraid to cover a rich variety of fields from marketing and communications to business management and data collection are much more useful in these roles than those who refuse to budge from one type of work.
Where can I find an EA role in London?
LinkedIn remains one of the best places to snap up a hot role. Perhaps more surprisingly, you can find some great positions being advertised on Instagram, too. The “immediacy” of the platform means that sometimes roles will pop up on Instagram before they appear on LinkedIn, so we recommend following key hashtags like “#londonjobs” “#londonrecruiter” “#londoneajobs” and “#werehiringlondon” to get jobs straight to your news feed.
Our final tip for getting an EA job in London
With email, LinkedIn messages and text, a lot of people forget about the phone, but it can be a powerful tool for getting the job! Remember: You need to be quick! EA positions often need filling quickly, so if you see a role that takes your interest, we recommend getting on the phone to the company or recruitment agency and try to talk to a consultant directly. to show your interest and secure an interview.
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Aldrich & Co is the best-kept secret for EA job candidates for the financial services sector in London. Take a look at our job board to find a role, or send us your CV to join our talent list. We can help with your CV and give you interview feedback. With 28 years of recruiting for the financial services sector, we can give you the insights you need, wherever you are in your career.