Administrative Assistant vs. Executive Assistant: What’s the Difference? - Eat Your Career (2024)

by Chrissy Scivicque | Jan 14, 2020 | Admin Advice

As many of my regular readers already know, I am a proud former administrative professional. I have a deep admiration and appreciation for those who dedicate themselves to support roles, which is one of the reasons I now focus a large part of my corporate training business on working with administrative teams.

Of course, the admin field has changed a lot in the past fewdecades (more on that in a future article). But one of the most common questionsI’ve heard consistently for many years, especially from newer admins, has to dowith titles.

Specifically, they want to know the difference between a“regular” Administrative Assistant and an Executive Assistant. Often, those whoare uninformed will use these titles interchangeably, which creates confusion.In reality, these are two very different roles, both in the expectations and inthe skills required to be successful.

In this article, I want to explore both the Administrative Assistant role and the Executive Assistant role as thoroughly as possible, without overwhelming you. (Note: The one area I will not be addressing is salary, as there is too much variation and nuance to adequately cover this topic here. However, I recommend that you do your own research on Salary.com.)

Exploring the Administrative Field

Did you know there are (quite literally) hundreds of titlesthat fall under the umbrella of being “administrative” in nature? BothAdministrative Assistants and Executive Assistants are broadly consideredAdministrative Professionals, but because there are so many other titles alsoincluded in this category, this discussion leads us into very complex territory.I’m going to try to keep things as simple as possible.

Please understand that I am speaking from (1) a U.S. basedperspective, (2) my experience training and coaching the global administrativecommunity for over 10 years, and (3) my own personal experience both as anadmin and Executive Assistant in the decade prior to becoming a coach andtrainer. The information I offer here is intentionally broad and meant to bewidely applicable. Recognize that specifics will vary by industry, location,and organization.

That being said, let’s begin.

Understanding the Administrative Assistant Role

Administrative Assistant is the most common and most generictitle for support roles in business environments. However, there are a widevariety of other titles that frequently mean the same thing includingAdministrative Coordinator, Administrative Secretary, AdministrativeSpecialist, and Office Administrator to name just a few.

The job itself can encompass a wide variety of different duties and responsibilities. Admin assistants generally provide support to a team or group of people, a department, or a specific business function. “Support,” in this context, means that the admin handles operational/administrative tasks, including but not limited to:

• Scheduling and calendar management
• Meeting preparation and travel planning
• Organizing and managing paperwork
• Data entry and reporting
• Drafting and proofreading communications
• Fielding inquiries from clients and otherbusiness associates
• Handling and directing calls and visitors
• Creating and improving operational processes andprocedures

For those admins specializing in supporting specificbusiness functions, their titles may reflect this. For example: LegalAssistant, Marketing Assistant, Project Coordinator, Program Administrator,Training Coordinator, Event Coordinator, etc. All of these roles still fallunder the Administrative Assistant category, but each role includes dutiesspecific to the business function. These roles also may require morespecialized education, training and/or experience.

Depending on the circ*mstances, an Administrative Assistantmay be an entry-level individual or a more seasoned professional. In someorganizations, you may find a role such as “Administrative Assistant 3” or“Senior Administrative Assistant”. Higher level assistants usually enjoy ahigher degree of responsibility and perform more sophisticated and complex administrativetasks.

Education and skill requirements for Admins can vary dramatically; some roles require a high school diploma while others prefer a 2-year or 4-year degree. Professional certifications can also help an Administrative Assistant stand out from the competition and demonstrate the necessary skills for the job. Generally speaking, admins need to be organized, highly tech-savvy, excellent communicators, and effective time managers.

Administrative Assistants vs. Administrative Managers

Within some organizations, you will find a role referred toas Administrative Manager or similar. Other common titles include:Administrative Director, Administrative Supervisor, or Office Manager. Peoplein these roles may manage admin tasks of their own, but they are alsoresponsible for overseeing a team of other administrative professionals. Unlikethe typical Administrative Assistant, they usually have managerial dutiesincluding, but not limited to:

• Training, coaching and providing feedback
• Decision-making
• Team building
• Distributing workload
• Goal setting and performance management
• Supervising and advising team members

Note: In some organizations, a senior Executive Assistantwill assume this role.

Understanding the Executive Assistant Role

Executive Assistants generally provide support to a singlehigh-level individual or a small group of high-level people. In mostorganizations, this is a higher-level position (compared with an AdministrativeAssistant) and requires a higher degree of professional skill.

While Executive Assistants may handle some of the same tasksas Admin Assistants, they are also expected to manage much more, including butnot limited to:

• Helping set and keep the daily agenda
• Overseeing projects and critical tasks
• Anticipating needs and ensuring the executive isprepared for anything
• Offering advice and guidance with regards toprioritizing and managing deadlines
• Problem solving and preventing issues fromreaching the executive’s desk
• Acting as an alter ego, attending meetings orresponding to emails on behalf of the executive
• Serving as a de facto leader within the team,answering questions and “managing” through influence and indirect authority

The best Executive Assistants act as partners with the personor people they support. In order to do so successfully, they must understandnot only the intricate details of the executive’s job, but also how he or shethinks and makes decisions. Executive Assistants are often trusted with a greatdeal of confidential business and personal information, so discretion and goodjudgement are essential skills.

Similar to Administrative Assistants, education and skillrequirements for becoming an EA can vary. However, this is not an entry-level role; extensive professional experienceis usually necessary. EA jobs are harder to come by, both because they arehigher-level and because many Executive/Assistant teams have long-establishedpartnerships. To fill Executive Assistant positions, organizations will often recruitfrom within, promoting established, high-performing Admins or transferring existingEAs. Some will work with recruiters to identify and entice top talent fromother organizations.

I speak from personal experience when I say that theExecutive Assistant role can be demanding and challenging, but also veryrewarding. With the right partner, an EA can become an invaluable business allyand a powerful part of the leadership team.

Corporate Assistants vs. Personal Assistants

Lastly, it’s worthwhile mentioning that corporate assistantsor office assistants are different than personal assistants. A personalassistant may be employed directly by an individual, rather than anorganization. They are typically responsible for providing more personalsupport, including running errands, organizing the household, managing family eventsand travel, and more. While some corporate Executive Assistants may handle someof these elements, their primary role is to support the person as aprofessional within the business context. Personal Assistants do not have thissame limitation. They may be on-call 24-hours a day and, while they may alsohandle business needs, their primary role is to serve the person, not theorganization.