Corporate assistants provide support with a variety of administrative activities. Their functions may also include customer service and supervisory responsibilities. A high school diploma or equivalent is usually required.
Essential Information
Corporate assistants can also be called administrative assistants or executive assistants, depending upon their education and relevant work experience. While responsibility and duties for corporate assistants increase with seniority, basic requirements include office, computer, and English grammar skills, with additional on-the-job training. This job might appeal to an individual with interests in administration, office management, and corporate organization.
| Required Education | High school diploma or equivalent; postsecondary education is helpful |
| Required Skills | Office, computer, and English grammar knowledge |
| Projected Job Growth (2019-2029)* | -9% for all secretaries and administrative assistants |
| Median Salary (2020)* | $38,850 for secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive $63,110 for executive secretaries and administrative assistants |
Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Job Description
A corporate assistant provides mid- to high-level executives in a corporate setting with clerical, administrative, and customer service support. A corporate assistant performs routine functions, such as drafting and sending correspondence, providing callers with information, maintaining office files, and managing schedules.
Levels of Corporate Assistants
Corporate assistants are sometimes called administrative assistants or executive assistants. Typically, an administrative assistant is an entry-level assistant and an executive assistant is considered senior. The distinction between the two may be dependent on an assistant's level of education or amount of work experience. Administrative assistants may advance to become executive assistants.
Job Duties
Corporate assistants may have a wide range of job duties depending on the type and size of the corporation or business in which they are employed. Typical corporate assistant tasks include:
- Sorting and allocating incoming paper and electronic mail
- Organizing and filing documents
- Handling incoming calls
- Managing schedules
- Arranging travel
- Preparing memos, correspondence, spreadsheets, and presentations
- Supervising lower-level employees
- Training new staff members
Job Requirements
There are several requirements to be a corporate assistant. An assistant must have solid computer skills and knowledge of e-mail and word processing programs. The assistant should display a high level of oral, reading, and written comprehension. Projecting a professional appearance and speaking voice is a must.
Time management is a skill that is essential to this job since many tasks and projects have deadlines. A corporate assistant must be an active listener in order to comprehend required duties and quickly understand the best method for completing them. An assistant should be organized and have a great attention for detail. It is imperative that a corporate assistant be dependable and reliable.
Salary Info and Job Outlook
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS, www.bls.gov) projects that employment opportunities for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants will likely decline 9% between 2019 and 2029. The BLS published the median annual salaries earned by secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive as $38,850 in May 2020. Executive secretaries and administrative assistants earned a median salary of $63,110 per year during that time.
Corporate assistants support mid- to high-level executives with activities such as managing schedules, preparing correspondence, and training new employees. In addition to a high school diploma or equivalent, they should have strong time management, computer, and communication skills. Job growth is expected to decline through 2029, and salaries vary for these positions, with assistants and secretaries to executives earning the most.
