HEA
Los Angeles, CA
Female, 0
High-Level Assistant to Chairmen & CEOs of Fortune 100 Companies & Hollywood Executive Producers. Ask me anything! "Like" my answers, especially if you submitted the question so I know you read it! :D Thx!
I would say that 85% of my duties have been business related and the other 15% personal. However, that 15% was also about 10% work-related to a degree. For example, my boss would be a board member of another company or some personal events would overlap with networking. I've never heard of it being illegal to ask for personal errands to be run although sometimes it might not make a lot of business sense. Keep in mind, there are some jobs where the role is designed to be mostly personal work even though you are the executive assistant and not the personal assistant. It's up to you to figure out how much of the role is what. You can ask in the interview in a nice way. Executives are so busy that to go to one person for everything really makes their life easier. The most high-profile executives will have a minimum of two executive assistants. It's rumored Lorne Michaels has four. Or there is a combination of having the EA, a personal assistant, a nanny, and a whole crew of people at their service from an estate manager, accountant to lawyer that you the EA will have to interface with. The newer and younger you are to the industry the more open you should be about doing SOME personal work. If you aren't, there is always someone else willing to do it, sometimes even for a lot less.
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Most often, EA jobs in Hollywood are 24/7. The reason is because production and executive's lives are non stop or they just work really insane and long hours. They also travel a lot all over the world. You will find the odd executive assistant role where your boss is lower level or is a really great family man so you will luck out. The best case scenario is they will tell you up front how long the hours are and/or expect to pay your dues the first few years of your career. 40-hour work weeks are rare, typically it's at least 45-50 hours. Anything above that up to 80-100hrs is not unusual. Being in Hollywood is not for the faint of heart, but it's also unlike any other industry!
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There are two things that drive me absolutely crazy that are the same answers from two different perspectives. Kevin Smith had a great story about this in his latest Q&A DVD about when he was working for Prince. Prince wanted llamas or some exotic animal at 2am and wanted his assistant to take care of it, but obviously at the hour nothing is open. I will go above and beyond the call of duty, but sometimes the answer will be no. When executives usually get what they want, and they should, it's hard to get them to accept that I can't control people/companies no matter how many times I try or brainstorm for a solution. It's like that part in The Devil Wears Prada when all the planes are grounded due to weather and she wonders if she can call the military so her boss can catch a flight. I can't force people, I can't change the weather and I can't [insert dilemma here]. In those rare instances, that shouldn't be a reflection upon me or my talent. It's just a fact of life that sometimes there is no fair or ideal solution. I would like to think that because I'm able to solve 99 of my boss' problems (and a _____ ain't one - - Jay-Z anyone? LOL), the one I can't solve totally throws them for a loop!
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Of course! :)
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Wills and Estates Lawyer
Can I leave everything to my pets?
School Teacher
How do you see parents failing in their children's education?
Day Care Provider
Do the kids ever reveal embarrassing things about their parents?
My war stories in this department are so boring it's almost pathetic. The worst blow-up I've ever witnessed is someone yelling and even that has only happened twice. To top it off, it wasn't even the same person. It was two different bosses and they were yelling at other people that I so happened to be present or they were so loud I could hear them from another room. This is how lucky I've been in my career. Now, other assistants, I'm sure they would have a tale or two...
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An executive assistant role is a great spring board to get your feet wet in the industry. However, you also have to know where you want to end up and work your way backwards. Any smart assistant will know within a few years how much potential they have to climb the ladder at a company. The shorter the amount of time you are an executive assistant, the faster you will rise as they will realize your smarts and talents are wasted being an assistant. How you network, how you brand and sell yourself, and how amazing you are as an assistant all play a factor. Very often, the job description will say up front if they want a career executive assistant. Or they will say they want people to be in the training program or how previous assistants have gotten promoted after a couple of years if they were the right fit. If you are an outstanding worker they will come to you with bigger projects, a better title, and discussions about your future. This is how you'll know. There will always be an amount of paying your dues and the corporate ladder environment. Your best bet is to start at a smaller company where you can wear a lot of hats or a new company that is just starting out. Be willing to do anything and learn a lot of different skill sets and software programs so you are indispensable. If you want to be a director, producer, or writer, being an EA won't help very much - unless you start out as a writer's assistant, producer's assistant, or a PA, etc, which are totally different avenues and only one way to break into the industry. As with anything in life, know where you want to end up so you know how to get there. If you don't know, try everything and learn what you DON'T like so you can make better decisions.
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I've actually never heard of executives having a preference. In all my years of doing this, I've worked with male and female executive assistants. For various reasons, there do seem to be more female assistants, but I'd say both are equally good at being an assistant. I think for most high-powered executives, they prefer someone who can do a great job. When they are that powerful and high-profile, the executives are generally wise enough to know that great talent comes in various forms. And to find the right person, they can't be held back by little things like gender, age, or someone who looks like a model. More than anything, experience and fitting into the corporate culture and getting along with your executive is the most important. Always be yourself when interviewing and be presentable. If you do your best on the interview, the rest is out of your hands. You did your part! Good job!
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