An Executive Assistant recruitment service will place just as many Executive Assistant roles within small companies as they will with medium and large style organisations. How can that be? Well, it makes sense if you really think about it. In a small company, there are fewer people for the Executives or management team to rely upon to get vital tasks completed. They are generally time-poor and stretched themselves also and actually rely upon and delegate more to the Executive Assistants than those within a large organisation do.
When discussing EA recruitment opportunities with Executive Assistant candidates there is generally a divide between 2 types of roles that they are interested in working within. Some enjoy the traditional ‘coordination’ style role where they are looking after complex diary management, meeting coordination, email management, travel bookings, events etc. This type of EA is generally more attracted to a role within a large organisation, where the Executive has a leadership team underneath them that they coordinate and delegate tasks to. They are generally ‘meeting heavy’ in the way that they operate and need to remain as organised and structured as possible.
The other type of Executive Assistant role is where the individual is delegated tasks, projects and responsibilities to handle themselves. They may look after projects, manage supplier relationships, conduct team meetings on behalf of the Manager / Executive, delegate on their behalf, be responsible for IT or HR, look after operational matters etc. This type of Executive Assistant tends to like to work within a small to medium size organisation where their role needs to add value in some way in terms of encapsulating another role within the business. They are less satisfied with the traditional tasks taking up the majority of their time.
An EA recruitment company will work with candidates to help them to identify which type of assistant role they prefer to be in. It’s important for the candidate to identify this to ensure that their longevity is likely to be maintained. Similarly, an EA recruitment service can assist an organisation in identifying what type of role the one that they have on offer is and the type of individual; that is best suited. Matching an EA is not just about finding a great personality fit, although this is highly important, its also about finding a role fit. And thinking about the likelihood of the role changing and whether this will be a problem in relation to ‘fit’ for later on.
Small organisations can adapt and make their Executive Assistant role whatever they want it to be. If they hire the right individual that enjoys a breadth of responsibilities and diversity in their role, they can combine 2 roles and make it more cost-efficient. This could open up the possibility of creating a headcount space for another are of the business in need.
The team of recruitment experts at MJD Executive would be delighted to discuss this with you further if you have any questions. Call 02 8042 1840 or 8639 8850.
