Executive Assistant Salaries: What You Can Expect to Pay and What You’ll Gain

Executive assistant salaries are above average among administrative and support professionals. And for good reason. Executive assistants push the boundaries of traditional administrative support. 

Executive assistants are: 

• Organizers
• Strategic partners
• Problem solvers
• Time savers
• Culture enthusiasts
• Event planners 
• Trusted confidants 
• And so much more

A great executive assistant is indispensable. They have a dramatic effect on your company’s success.

So what exactly does an executive assistant do? How do they differ from other assistance professionals? And what is the average salary of an executive assistant? This post will answer all of these questions and more.

What is an Executive Assistant?

An executive assistant supports your company’s executive or other senior company employees. Their role involves general office management and clerical duties, as well as more significant business-related tasks.

What Does an Executive Assistant Do?

An executive assistant’s duties vary, depending on the business. 

Their responsibilities generally include:

• Answering phones and returning calls
• Responding to and organizing emails
• Arranging meetings and appointments
• Managing calendars
• Making travel arrangements and itinerary planning
• Planning events
• Training new staff
• Directing client relations
• Managing projects
• Preparing reports
• Creating presentations and agendas
• Attending meetings
• Documenting meeting minutes
• Accounting and bookkeeping

What Separates an Executive Assistant From Other Assistance Professionals?

The main difference is that an executive assistant provides dedicated higher-level support to an executive or senior company employees.

Executive assistants act as an executive’s right-hand person. They ensure that you work at your optimum level. 

Some ways your executive assistant keeps your office running smoothly: 

• Helping you keep to your schedule
• Anticipating your needs 
• Dealing with issues before they land on your desk 

You can think of an executive assistant as your gatekeeper. They monitor all communication and queries that come your way.

You can trust executive assistants with confidential business and personal information. They should know the intricate details of your job and the overall business so well that they can help to make critical decisions. They also can step up on your behalf in meetings or around the office when you’re away.

Productivity increases when senior executives use an executive assistant. You’ll have more time to focus on leading your organization.

How Much Are Executive Assistant Salaries?

Executive assistants in the U.S. earn a median salary of $56,799. Due to the greater responsibilities and experience requirements, average executive assistant salaries are higher than most other support professionals. Executive assistants are one of the highest-paid support professionals, with salaries up to $81,000.

While executive assistant salaries are higher than most other roles, the return on investment is substantial. Executive assistants can save a company a significant amount of time and significantly increase the productivity of its high-level executives.

Why Might Executive Assistant Salaries Vary?

Executive assistant salaries range from $39,000 to $81,000. 

The salaries for executive assistants may vary for multiple reasons, including:

Location

As with many other jobs, executive assistant salaries can vary from state to state, county to county, and city to city. For example, businesses in major metros with a high concentration of large companies may pay their assistants more due to greater demand and higher living costs.

Company

The size of the organization and the level of executive the assistant supports also can affect an executive assistant’s salary. Smaller companies may hire a less experienced executive assistant at a lower wage to help their management team at first. The assistant can then grow with the company. The salary may gradually increase as the company does. 

An experienced executive assistant working for the CEO of a large multinational corporation would expect to receive a higher salary.

Required Skills

While general clerical skills are essential for every executive assistant, each executive assistant job requires a slightly different additional skill set. The amount of training required may also result in salary variance.

Some of the most common skills required for an executive assistant include:

• Communication Skills. An executive assistant may need to communicate with employees, clients, and vendors. They may represent senior management in meetings, so they should communicate effectively and professionally.
• Organizational Skills and Time Management. Executive assistants need to juggle multiple projects at once and plan out the days for busy executives.
• Trustworthiness. Executive assistants often are trusted with important and sensitive business information. Discretion and trustworthiness are crucial.
• Flexibility. Executive assistants may need to work late to help complete deadlines or accompany their boss on business trips and to events.They need to be flexible with their schedule.
• Technology Skills. Technology advances constantly. An executive assistant should be a master at processing software and have a desire to learn and excel at other forms of technology.

How LifeSquire Can Help You Find the Right Executive Assistant

Now that you understand what an executive assistant does and how much executive assistant salaries are, it’s time to find one! 

Hiring the right executive assistant for your business can be a difficult task. Fortunately, LifeSquire Connect is here to simplify the executive assistant hiring process. We take the stress out of recruiting by helping find, interview, and train the perfect assistant to meet your individual needs. 

Contact us for more information about our executive assistant recruiting services.