What does an executive secretary do?
The primary role of executive secretaries is to provide clerical support to an executive or a high-level administrator. They are the ones who conduct the different administrative support tasks for executives which include managing the calendar of executives, answering phone calls, conducting research and sorting important files, preparing and proofreading monthly reports and industry documents that are relevant to the role of executives, and performing some bookkeeping activities such as invoice creation and office inventory tracking.
Executive secretary responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real executive secretary resumes:
- Manage specific projects from start to finish as required by the SVP.
- Manage high volume of requests and correspondence from executives and colleagues, pharmaceutical representatives, patients and outside physicians.
- Assist in daily typing of correspondence to agencies regarding Medicare and Medicaid contracts.
- Maintain all the student records in PowerSchool and generate report cards with accuracy.
- Maintain all departmental information, including transcription of meeting minutes and all audit and payroll documentation.
- Input miss time punch and vacation/sick time in KRONOS for employees.
- Launch and continue to maintain content of SharePoint website and proprietary intranet site.
- Create a SharePoint site for new people to help them acclimate to the division.
- Provide general administrative support (typing, filing, dictation, coordinating meetings, etc . )
- Transcribe dictation of various types; prepare, reproduce, and make appropriate distribution of all correspondence.
- Work with internal and external vendors to secure all travel and lodging reservations, catering requirements and equipment needs.
- Identify and arrange best travel options for SVP and team, including flights, hotels, grind transportation and event registrations.
- Perform departmental timekeeping utilizing KRONOS.
- Coordinate travel reservations and hotel accommodations.
- Perform daily bookkeeping utilizing QuickBooks software and monthly payroll functions.
Executive secretary skills and personality traits
We calculated that 9% of Executive Secretaries are proficient in Office Procedures, Payroll, and Word Processing. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Organizational skills, and Writing skills.
We break down the percentage of Executive Secretaries that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Office Procedures, 9%
Organized office activities, including following office procedures and scheduling and coordinating office meetings and appointments.
- Payroll, 9%
Maintained accounting information and worked closely with payroll to ensure accuracy of summer school payroll authorizations.
- Word Processing, 8%
Instruct subordinate branch Secretaries and clerical personnel within the organization concerning procedures on preparing correspondence and use of word processing software.
- PowerPoint, 8%
Prepared international executive presentation material using Microsoft PowerPoint.
- Financial Statements, 6%
Used IBM PC to produce professional financial reports and correspondence including company's certified financial statements and strategic operating plan.
- Scheduling Appointments, 5%
Provided daily administrative/secretarial support including monitoring executives' e-mail, composing general correspondence, scheduling appointments, and Dictaphone transcription.
Most executive secretaries use their skills in "office procedures," "payroll," and "word processing" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential executive secretary responsibilities here:
Interpersonal skills. One of the key soft skills for an executive secretary to have is interpersonal skills. You can see how this relates to what executive secretaries do because "secretaries and administrative assistants interact with clients, customers, or staff." Additionally, an executive secretary resume shows how executive secretaries use interpersonal skills: "general office duties as assigned skills used microsoft office suite 2010 customer service interpersonal skills"
Organizational skills. Another essential skill to perform executive secretary duties is organizational skills. Executive secretaries responsibilities require that "secretaries and administrative assistants keep files, folders, and schedules in order so that an office runs efficiently." Executive secretaries also use organizational skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "prepare simple financial reports and organizational charts using excel for over 25 facilities for review upon request. "
Writing skills. This is an important skill for executive secretaries to perform their duties. For an example of how executive secretary responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "secretaries and administrative assistants write memos and emails when communicating with managers, employees, and customers." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an executive secretary: "filed answered phones transcribed board meeting minutes typed tabulations and letters speed writing computer work".
The three companies that hire the most executive secretarys are:
- Cleveland Clinic6 executive secretaries jobs
- Community Medical Center5 executive secretaries jobs
- Lehigh Valley Health Network3 executive secretaries jobs
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Compare different executive secretaries
Executive secretary vs. Assistant to vice president
An assistant to the vice president (VP) is an individual who acts as executive-level administrative support to an organization's vice president to oversee projects. Assistants to the vice president must help organize and manage managers' activities and clarify the strategies and business plans of the organization to them. They review the business activity and sales report from the organization's different departments and summarize the executives' information. Employers would also prefer their assistants to the vice president to hold a bachelor's or master's degree.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of an executive secretary are more likely to require skills like "office procedures," "secretarial support," "clerical support," and "hotel reservations." On the other hand, a job as an assistant to vice president requires skills like "travel arrangements," "avp," "purchase orders," and "human resources." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Assistants to vice president really shine in the media industry with an average salary of $128,662. Comparatively, executive secretaries tend to make the most money in the government industry with an average salary of $55,053.The education levels that assistants to vice president earn slightly differ from executive secretaries. In particular, assistants to vice president are 4.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an executive secretary. Additionally, they're 0.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Executive secretary vs. Administrative aide
An administrative aide performs daily administrative support tasks in an office, helping to keep the workflow smooth and efficient. Their duties typically include organizing and disseminating documents, answering calls and correspondence, forwarding messages, greeting visitors and answering inquiries, and preparing and processing files. They may also participate in monitoring the inventory of office supplies, handling procurement requests when necessary. Furthermore, an administrative aide may also serve as the record-keeper of the office, updating databases in adherence to the company's policies and regulations.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real executive secretary resumes. While executive secretary responsibilities can utilize skills like "office procedures," "financial statements," "hotel reservations," and "meeting agendas," administrative aides use skills like "customer service," "proofreading," "data entry," and "database management."
Administrative aides earn a lower average salary than executive secretaries. But administrative aides earn the highest pay in the utilities industry, with an average salary of $40,662. Additionally, executive secretaries earn the highest salaries in the government with average pay of $55,053 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Administrative aides tend to reach similar levels of education than executive secretaries. In fact, they're 2.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Executive secretary vs. Administrative coordinator
An Administrative Coordinator oversees the line of communication and schedules within a company, ensuring that every necessary information is delivered and conveyed. An administrative coordinator's responsibilities include responding to inquiries and requests from workforce personnel or client, managing calls and correspondence, maintaining and rotating various forms of documentation, and designing or improving systems that would help the company's operating procedures. Furthermore, it is also essential for an Administrative Coordinator to evaluate the methods and progress, continuity of workflow, and resolve issues as needed within the company.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from executive secretary resumes include skills like "secretarial support," "hotel reservations," "meeting agendas," and "travel itineraries," whereas an administrative coordinator is more likely to list skills in "customer service," "patients," "data entry," and "travel arrangements. "
Administrative coordinators earn the highest salary when working in the government industry, where they receive an average salary of $43,324. Comparatively, executive secretaries have the highest earning potential in the government industry, with an average salary of $55,053.Most administrative coordinators achieve a similar degree level compared to executive secretaries. For example, they're 3.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Executive secretary vs. Assistant to executive vice president
Assistants to executive vice presidents are responsible for managing the day to day operation and administrative activities of the executive vice presidents. They have varied roles and responsibilities, which include organizing the workflow of the executive vice president, preparing for meetings, and monitoring schedule. They are also expected to respond to the electronic mail as per the VP's request, prepare papers and documents, and handle all aspects of the VP's vacation and travel. This position is essential in helping the VP manage and prioritize competing demands for attention and time.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between executive secretaries and assistants to executive vice president, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an executive secretary might have more use for skills like "office procedures," "financial statements," "scheduling appointments," and "secretarial support." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of assistants to executive vice president require skills like "travel arrangements," "svp," "evp," and "hr. "
Assistants to executive vice president enjoy the best pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $62,845. For comparison, executive secretaries earn the highest salary in the government industry.In general, assistants to executive vice president hold similar degree levels compared to executive secretaries. Assistants to executive vice president are 1.4% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Updated January 8, 2025
