I am a 30 year old married woman. I recently got a job offer as a executive assistant to CFO of a big Japanese Multi-national company. This company has a very conservative culture. I am not sure what I can expect from this position apart from what the recruiter already told me.
I applied for this job as it required use of my bilingual skills. However, the job description also says "schedule meetings / arrange catering / answer phones" etc apart from using my bilingual skills to interact with clients.
Will I end up serving coffee, taking phone calls and being assumed to be a subservient bimbo? What can I expect? The tone of the recruiter sounded like I would be more of a "secretary" and less of an "assistant".
Also, do you know if there is a generic dress code for Executive Assistants? In one of my previous companys (I was working there as a translator), the secretary had to wear either skirts and tops or full length dress - no shirt/trousers. Any ideas?
2006-07-25 08:56:09 · 7 answers · asked by Felicia Richards 1 in Local Businesses ➔ United States ➔ Houston
WEAR: Skirt suits or pant suits. Always dress for the job you want rather than the job you have.
As for what to expect: It sounds like you can expect a fairly even mix of "executive assistant" duties as well as coffee-fetching and photo-copying. I think this is fairly typical with upper level jobs; you need to know how to multi-task and take care of ALL the smaller tasks the exec does not or cannot take care of.
This sounds like an awesome opportunity. You only become a "subservient bimbo" if you allow yourself to be. Speak up, when appropriate and above all, make sure you do your job to the best of your ability.
Good luck!
2006-07-25 09:01:26 · answer #1 · answered by Goose&Tonic 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Is the position in Japan? Then you can expect that's it's more secretarial than assistant.
You might end up teaching your boss how to use your skills effectively and take workload from him (Set up the meeting; then volunteer to create the agenda.)
You dress according to the level you aspire to. If the female execs wear pants, you can to. If the female top execs only wear suits and that's where you want to go, then wear that suit. Being too casual when the execs wear suits signals everyone that you're a lower level employee with no ambitions.
2006-07-25 09:02:46 · answer #2 · answered by hawkthree 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes an Executive Assistant is just a fancy name for a Secretary! That is what you are called when you make more than a Secretary but also need to serve coffee, get dry cleaning, schedule dinners, and all the other things that they do not want to do you do.
Good Luck!!
2006-07-27 05:09:08 · answer #3 · answered by CrzyCowboy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I work for a Japanese Multi-cultural company as an administrative assistant; Not to generalize but the Japanese I work with are very hard working professionals. They expect a lot from you and sometimes they give you little or no direction so you have to make sure and speak up when you arent sure what is expected of you.
2006-07-25 09:11:07 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depends on the boss. I was executive assistant to the chairman of the board of a major developer, he was a psycho maniac. I almost had to be a mind reader to keep up with him.
The boss I have now is great, you'll be told what is expected of you most likely on the first day. And, as time goes on you'll know what the job entails after at least one month of working there.
Dress code, it's corporate, at least wear a suit your first week. Then you'll be able to feel out the "culture" of the office. I usually dress up in suits on days when i'm running around between meetings with my boss. Days when it's lighter I get away with wearing not so ultra-conservative attire.
2006-07-25 09:01:09 · answer #5 · answered by alwaysbombed 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
From my experience as an executive assistant, you are basically their "*****"! Sorry to refer to it that way, but they expect you to do everything for them, including screening phone calls, booking meetings, arranging catering, typing their letters and memos. Basically, you are a buffer between them and the public. They deal with other professionals, but you are there to weed out the unnecessary contacts. I absolutely hated my experience. These "executives" are nothing more than overgrown babies. They expect you to do everything for them and then they still find something to whine about!! As far as the dress code, I had to dress business professinal, which mean skirts, dresses and suits!
2006-07-25 09:02:02 · answer #6 · answered by rockinout 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You're moving up. Expect long workdays and less free time with your family. As for dress, casual business suits should do the trick
2006-07-25 09:02:16 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋