How long does it take to become an Executive Administrative Assistant?

It takes 5 years of professional experience to become an executive administrative assistant. That is the time it takes to learn specific executive administrative assistant skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education. If you include the normal education requirements to complete a college degree, then it takes 8 to 10 years years to become an executive administrative assistant.

How much does an executive assistant to a CEO make?

An executive assistant to a CEO makes between $50,000 and $95,000 per year. To attain a salary on the higher end of this range, several factors may be involved. Although no degree is strictly necessary to become an executive assistant to a CEO, a degree in a field related to business, communications, or technology may be helpful.

What's the difference between an administrative assistant and an executive assistant?

The difference between an administrative assistant and an executive assistant is the level of support that they are providing. A helpful way to think about this is that an administrative assistant provides task management, while an executive assistant is an expert in project management.

What is an executive administrative assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted expert

Anne McConnell Ph.D.

An executive administrative assistant provides high-level administrative support to executives in an organization. They manage schedules, organize meetings, answer phones, and handle correspondence. They also assist with travel arrangements, preparing presentations, and budgets. Executive administrative assistants often act as a gatekeeper, screening calls and visitors for senior executives. They must be highly organized and detail-oriented multitaskers. They also use communication and interpersonal skills to build relationships with clients, vendors, and stakeholders.

What general advice would you give to an executive administrative assistant?

Anne McConnell Ph.D.

Professor, West Virginia State University

I would say it's important to be very attentive to the way you communicate with your employers, managers, and co-workers. Even sending an e-mail can be an opportunity to demonstrate your professionalism and communication skills. Some people think that no one knows how to write anymore, or how to communicate in a professional way. I don't think that's true. But we don't always think about how our writing can be a tool to communicate our competence and seriousness. If you know how to write and communicate professionally-which college grads do-then make sure to demonstrate that in the workplace.

ScoreExecutive Administrative AssistantUS Average

Salary

3.5

Avg. Salary $44,665

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

3.6

Growth rate -8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.40%

Asian 5.00%

Black or African American 7.62%

Hispanic or Latino 11.22%

Unknown 4.80%

White 70.97%

Gender

female 91.73%

male 8.27%

Age - 51

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 51

Stress level

3.6

Stress level is moderate

7.1 - high

Complexity level

5.7

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.9

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being an executive administrative assistant?

Pros

Possibility of job growth within a company
Ability to make a significant impact on the success of a company
Potential for high salary and benefits
Chance to network with other professionals in the industry
Ability to work in a fast-paced, challenging environment

Cons

High stress and demanding workload with tight deadlines
Long hours and overtime may be required
High expectations from multiple executives can lead to burnout and frustration
Lack of recognition or appreciation for hard work and contributions
Limited opportunities for advancement outside of administrative roles

Key steps to become an executive administrative assistant

Explore executive administrative assistant education requirements

Most common executive administrative assistant degrees

Bachelor's

50.2 %

Associate

27.9 %

High School Diploma

9.9 %

Start to develop specific executive administrative assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
PowerPoint	11.92%
Customer Service	7.84%
Phone Calls	5.85%
Data Entry	5.63%
Calendar Management	4.48%

Complete relevant executive administrative assistant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New executive administrative assistants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an executive administrative assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real executive administrative assistant resumes.

Research executive administrative assistant duties and responsibilities

Format, edit, and manage the daily Visio blueprint documents for all software engineers.
Assist SVP with managing transition to effectively disband correspondent department and close office.
Orchestrate hotel special events and reservations; manage customer relations and provide exemplary to all customers.
Manage and coordinate complex internal and external meetings and/or events via videoconferencing, WebEx and teleconference calls.

Get executive administrative assistant experience

Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become an executive administrative assistant. The most common roles before becoming an executive administrative assistant include administrative assistant, executive assistant team lead and office manager.

Prepare your executive administrative assistant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your executive administrative assistant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an executive administrative assistant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable executive administrative assistant resume templates

Build a professional executive administrative assistant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your executive administrative assistant resume.

Apply for executive administrative assistant jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an executive administrative assistant job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

Average executive administrative assistant salary

The average executive administrative assistant salary in the United States is $44,665 per year or $21 per hour. Executive administrative assistant salaries range between $31,000 and $62,000 per year.

Average executive administrative assistant salary

$44,665 Yearly

$21.47 hourly

How do executive administrative assistants rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Executive administrative assistant reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2024

Pros

Depending on the org & boss, can be a nice variety & challenges

Cons

Depending on the org & boss, position can become stale & boxed in

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2022

Pros

Writing a message,Organizing receipts and expenses and sending them out when needed

Cons

Failure to comply with working hours, theft and fraud,

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020

Pros

It my passion to help people in need. It makes me feel good to see people the Youth do well in the life

Cons

I don't like to see anyone stuck in between and not being helped.

What is an executive administrative assistant and how to become one

What general advice would you give to an executive administrative assistant?

What are the pros and cons of being an executive administrative assistant?

Executive administrative assistant career paths

Key steps to become an executive administrative assistant

Explore executive administrative assistant education requirements

Most common executive administrative assistant degrees

Start to develop specific executive administrative assistant skills

Complete relevant executive administrative assistant training and internships

Research executive administrative assistant duties and responsibilities

Get executive administrative assistant experience

Prepare your executive administrative assistant resume

Choose from 10+ customizable executive administrative assistant resume templates

Apply for executive administrative assistant jobs

How did you land your first executive administrative assistant job

Average executive administrative assistant salary

How do executive administrative assistants rate their job?

Executive administrative assistant reviews

Executive administrative assistant FAQs

How long does it take to become an Executive Administrative Assistant?

How much does an executive assistant to a CEO make?

What's the difference between an administrative assistant and an executive assistant?

Search for executive administrative assistant jobs

Executive administrative assistant jobs by state