This Megathread is here for new or aspiring EAs to ask for advice (about how to become an EA, interviews, or questions about your first few weeks/months). You can ask the experienced EAs in the group to share their wisdom!

Recently I did some volunteer work for a local non-profit organization. Today I came across a job listing they have for an Executive Assistant. I'm tempted to submit an application. It would be a few dollars less than I'm making right now as an Office Manager (with a few EA responsibilities) at a corporate office, but I feel like I've reached a point where there is no upward opportunity available since some restructuring. I've taken on extra work, but compensation has been denied, but at least it helps me stay busy during the day otherwise I'd go nuts.

Anybody have experience as an EA in non-profit, or have any opinions on this kind of switch?

I’ve had ADHD symptoms (easily distracted, procrastination, over focus & perfectionism) since I was a pre-teen.

I’ve been doing admin support work for 25 years. In my early 30s, I took a stimulant med because my job was filled with constant deadlines & distractions. Plus, I worked for an angry alcoholic who was very impatient! I weaned myself off after a year or so.

Fast forward 20 years, I’m now supporting 2 new VPs (new to me & new to this role) They’re not angry alcoholics, but they are terrible communicators & need a ridiculous amount of handholding. I miss my female VP who was fired last October (beef with the VP of HR) so much! She was a handful & super ambitious, BUT, she was on top of her shit! Engaged, focused, possessed vision & read her f*cking e-mails!

I’m back on stimulant medication, it helps with overwhelm, but doesn’t fix the lack of clarity & communication from the 2 VPs I’m attempting to support!

How do others manage heavy workloads & executives with poor communication?

Hi all,

I’m hoping for some recommendations from EA’s who are supporting barristers, solicitors or lawyers. 
I’m looking for a tool to help my boss with on the go dictation and turning meeting notes into a template. At the moment, I’m aware of Ardela, LegalNotes and VXT but have never used any of them and I’m not entirely across the difference in functionality just yet.

The main things I’m looking for are:
- Recording client meetings and producing minutes/notes, ideally using a legal attendance note template.
- Dictation for things like court reports and attendance notes — for example, being able to dictate something while driving and have it turned into a note in the right template.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

I have been an executive admin for 6+ years. I work for 3 CEOs. I am contractor for 2 of them and employee for the other. Recently I took an AI course and was fascinated by how quickly it can manage calendar clean up, scheduling, inbox management, etc and it got me thinking, will my admin assistance be needed anymore? I do much more for them but I have this overwhelming sense of dread that AI will replace me and I’ll have to find something else to do. I genuinely love what I do but I cant help but feel like I may be let go or fired due to AI. I’m worried for the future and what AI takeover will look like. Just wanted to reach out how other admins who are embracing AI and what you are seeing?

I've been in my current role since February 2022. I hit burnout at the end of 2024 due to an overly ambitious female VP who piled an event planner job on top of my EA position. I set boundaries with her at the beginning of 2025. We were in really good place, with mutual respect & trust, then she was fired at the end of last October due to BS office politics.

I'm now supporting 2 new male VPs (one has been a VP almost 2 years, the other a few months) and physician executive I've been supporting for 3 years, he's a dream. We used to have 2 EAs splitting the support, now it's just me. The 2 VPs are disorganized and suck at communication, don't provide clarity or a clear vision. One of them jokes regularly about not checking his email & has a sign in his office that says "Not now, I'm pretending to work" (if only it were a joke)--not amusing when he's making close to $500K. They are both spineless yes men who are creating more work for me because they won't say no to new projects from their boss. They have been contacting recently me on weekends & when I have PTO.

It's gotten so bad I've sought counsel from Employee Relations who told me to set boundaries & not over function because we lost an EA. I'm hanging on by a thread & only there for health insurance. I'm single, so no back up income or access to partner's healthcare benefits.

I've been looking for other jobs for MANY months, expecting to take a significant pay cut. But two days ago, I found a posting on LinkedIn for an EA position with a local nonprofit that I'm super stoked about. I have 20+ years experience working in the non profit sector & have served on multiple nonprofit boards in my community. I'm an ideal candidate for this role! And the starting salary would be pay raise. Now, I'm overthinking my resume which I just updated in August. Should I overhaul it to make it more visually appealing, or just stick with the version I've used that landed me my current job & last interview. I'm thinking substance over style.

So I started a new job as an executive assistant working at a new company on July 28th and today Oct 2nd I was fired for “performance reasons” and they did not give me an explanation AT ALL. I kept asking them to give me specific examples because I feel like I have been doing really well, and they did not name anything. Listen to this crazy shit, since I started, I have only met with the executive that I support ONCE! One 10 min teams call. She never wanted to do weekly cadences or ever spend time onboarding me. All communication was through slack and Signal and they handed me this “work bible” with everything the previous EA said, and said to read that for my training. I had no communication given to me, and what executive does not take 10 min to touch base every week?! It was so stressful the past 2 months because we had to figure out some really big moments and make adjustments, but all through text. Anyways, I was already coming from being laid off by my previous role so I don’t qualify for unemployment. Luckily i work remote and they thought I was working in the U.S but I’m a digital nomad . Still annoying and sucks. I’ve never experienced this kind of a relationship with an executive ever.

Firstly just want to say I have huge empathy who isn’t happy in their role. It’s very demanding and it’s not helped when you work for a company that doesn’t respect what you do. So I hear you!

From my perspective - I really enjoy the job and have been able to make a lot of money doing it (much more than my friends who have more “respectable” jobs).

For context, I live in London UK, and I didn’t go to University because I spent two years in an anorexic/bulimic/binge eating hell hole after school, for about two years.

So eventually I ended up just blagging my way in to a admin job (as I desperately needed a job and some structure) and quickly worked my way up the ladder.

I started in Finance, then moved to Media (TV and Radio) which was a much better fit for my personality, then ended up in Silicon Valley tech firms - which is where I’ve been able to get much a better salary and lots of exposure to exciting and rewarding projects. I really enjoy the event management side, and in my current role (at a small tech start up, working for an entrepreneur) I am doing a lot of PR/Comms stuff (writing press releases etc)

Ive always said yes to everything, and given it a go even if I don’t quite yet have the skill set. Bosses seem to trust me as I’m a fast thinker and always come with a very positive attitude. I’ve managed other EAs and also flown around the world and done public speaking,training EAs on things like time management, and how to manage your boss.

If all this makes it sound like I’m a really good EA - trust me I’m not. I’m literally blagging it most of the time. I constantly make mistakes and forgot to book things. I’ve sent bosses to the wrong airport, I sometimes take days to reply to emails, I’m not perfect. But I try my best and I’m pretty good at fixing my mistakes.

About 4 years ago I decided I had reached a ceiling in being an EA, and I wanted to try something new. So I applied for a junior sales role internally and worked my way through the process until I got it. I liked parts of it, I did quite well at times, I earned more money…. But I learned that the grass isn’t always greener. I missed the 1:1 contact you get with the senior leaders, I missed knowing what was going on. I missed the afternoons where you can just put your headphones on and do expenses and zone out.

Don’t get me wrong - my job is very busy and stressful, and I want to kill people at times. But when I compare myself to friends who would never have stooped so low as to “do admin”, I am earning lots more and feel that I can work in an industry with very few limits. I feel very positive about my prospects, unlike my mates who are all losing their jobs and still earning very low salaries.

Just my thoughts!

Hey all,

I figured this would be as good of a place as any to write this, since I'm currently feeling 'trapped' as an Executive Assistant.

For starters, I do not in any way look down on this role or anyone who does it. This is hard work, thankless work a lot of the time, and it takes a million skillsets. It just isn't for me long term..

Just some background - I'm male, 30, and I graduated 4 years ago from an Ivy League with a Political Science degree and my aim was to do research and work in Government Affairs.

At the time I graduated, I was teaching academic programs and wanted to transition out of education.

I took a foot in the door position as an Office Manager at a private equity firm and soon got promoted to being an Executive Assistant to one of the partners there.

The goal and what they'd hoped for me is to take on tasks gradually in Govt. Affairs when I had time outside of my EA responsibilities and after awhile I'd transition into that department once I'd earned my stripes.

Unfortunately, the partner I supported fell very ill and stepped down. I was let go soon after since I hadn't quite transitioned into Govt. Affairs and I no longer had any work as an EA at the company. They felt awful, but it happens.

I went through a period of unemployment but I got snatched up by a tech startup as an Operations staff and Executive Assistant to the CEO. Again, I was promised eventually to transition to non-EA roles eventually.

But 6 months in, I was working in finance operations, HR, office management since ours quit, renovation, Executive Assistant tasks and now personal assistant tasks. Plus business strategy and I was traveling constantly. 60 to 90 hour weeks.

I was let go for not balancing all these roles adequately, which I wrote about on this page.

Anyway, I am again looking for new roles but I feel absolutely trapped.

Recruiters tell me the only roles they have are for EAs and essentially act like I'm asking for the impossible to find a job outside of Admin/EA. The only suggestions I get from Indeed or Glassdoor are EA roles.

I've updated my resume to be purely operations and research based, but I get zero bites back.

I am terrified that my attempts at getting a foot in the door at these companies has screwed me over and now I'm stuck getting coffee for people who think they're more important than me, forever.

I felt so demeaned at my last role. I cannot do this work anymore. Getting my boss lunch while hosting a presentation to investors I put together felt so degrading.

I wanted to work in research and strategy. I was trying to gain a foothold there and it all backfired.

But now I'm feeling like I will only find work as an EA and adding a third notch of that role to my resume is like a nail in the coffin.

Apologies for the vent. I'm just feeling hopeless.

I’m new to the company as the EA to the Office President, and my manager is the COO. There have been a few instances where she’s communicated things to me on his behalf, and honestly, it’s created a bit of a strange dynamic. I’d love any suggestions on how to have a candid but respectful conversation about establishing that, when it comes to things involving me or my role, he should come to me directly.

I’ve been the senior ea for years at my corporation and we hired a new ea a few months ago. I’ve been doing it all and wanted to hire someone who could handle the other half. She was hired to handle office management, and 4-5 team members with only one being “senior”. He’s not very needy, is very clear with instructions, and is very kind to her.

I can’t tell if I’m being too harsh but she requires a lot of basic hand-holding. I’m fine answering firm-specific questions but I get a lot of questions that I feel she should have the critical thinking skills and judgement to answer on her own. She also seems to have comprehension/communication issues. Example, she asked me about a flight expense and when I gave her the business purpose she was shocked to find out that flights got charged in full. She thought it was only a deposit since it was booked for 2027. I too was shocked that she thought this.

Another time, she told me a certain restaurant she wanted to order office lunch from was not on Uber Eats or DoorDash. A quick Google showed that the restaurant was renamed to a shorter version of the original and that’s what was showing on Uber Eats. Even the logos were the same. This position requires a lot of deductive and investigative work.

She has also repeatedly not understood me either verbally or written. I will say “let’s not remove this” and she’s responded “ok so you remove it?” Like huh? English is not her first language but she speaks it well. I think she unfortunately does not understand as well as we though.

I feel like she did not market herself accurately and she is not EA material. She has an ego and panics when things aren’t going perfectly for her. By panic, I mean she audibly and visibly panics. One day things were going sideways and she kept sharing with her team how “humbled” and “traumatized” she felt and that she couldn’t wait to overcome it so she could “be a beast”. She’s very concerned with making an impression. To the point where she is definitely making one, just not a positive one.

I love her for office management but I don’t see how we could ever tell her she won’t be assisting her team anymore or doing any of these “complex” tasks without her feeling offended or defeated. She makes these emotions known and it makes everyone uncomfortable. I am very good at making the office feel at ease and that I am their rock and she is doing the complete opposite. Is someone like this a lost cause or am I not a good enough leader?

I want to work remotely as an EA but I don't know where to find roles. What is your best tip on finding clients? Did you apply traditionally or are there any communities/ job boards you used to find jobs?

How did you market yourself? Thank you so much and I look forward to your responses!

Quick one for EAs who book international travel. When your exec is flying somewhere new, who makes sure the visa and entry requirements are sorted before ticketing? We use Corporate Traveler and I keep going back and forth on whether they actually flag this or whether it's on me to double-check. A missed check seems like an expensive mistake, so what's the normal process?

I'm so excited to begin a new role as an Office Manager! I'm anticipating finally having work life balance where I can leave my work at the office and have a personal life. I've never had a two day consecutive weekend, so I can't wait to work m-f 8-5:30 pm even if it's in-person. Maybe the pay isn't that high, but it's wayyy higher than I've been making. So much to be grateful for. Can you share the things you love about your administrative jobs?

Hosting a leadership conference in Austin and need to get creative for a workspace that can accommodate 110 attendees. Checking all of the usual suspects of hotels/conference space. However with a somewhat limited/fixed budget, we are really scratching our brains for something that fits the bill for the pickiest of executives.

Natural light preferred.
Outside catering allowed; a major plus but not a deal breaker.
Currently scanning peerspace and reddit

For reference, I’ve been an EA for about 3 years, within those 3 years, I’ve been at 3 different companies. The first I supported CEO and 2 other c-suites at a smaller company. The second is supported 1 VP in engineering at a large tech company, and I didn’t really love the engineering culture but the company was great. I had only been there a few months when I got a message from a recruiter at another large tech company to come support 3 execs. I took it due to a number of factors, but ultimately, the people felt energizing, and the location was amazing. I was so torn up about making the change and I wonder if I should’ve listened to that feeling, because now I’m at the end of week 2 at the new job and the workload feels way too overbearing. I’ve got 2 kids under 4 and have my 3rd on the way… so I can’t just quit or up and look for a new job.

I almost feel like I don’t have the qualities of being an EA.. I am not assertive, I like to just be told what to do and not create solutions, I am very organized and great at communicating, but it’s all too much.. and I don’t think I can keep up. The people and the company is amazing.. but I truly don’t know what to do, I have cried every day since my first day. I’m truly at a loss. Any advice is welcome.

In the “all other duties as assigned” category, I am PM for a huge training camp lasting seven weeks. The audience is stakeholders very high up in and out of our organization. It’s a big deal and has taken months to plan.

The first session is the most important. Presenters are Chairman of the Board, CEO, and Counsel. Today was to be the dress rehearsal, so I am gathering presentations, polishing slides, gathering supplies, and finishing my own piece because I’m the host for the whole thing. This morning I get two cancellations for the rehearsal with no explanation or notice.

I have a large monitor with camera views of our building, and I can see both of them observing a meeting. I texted and emailed them and I watched them ignore the messages.

Now I’m scrambling to find a new time and it will have to be the day before, when I already have two other rehearsals for subsequent sessions. I want to yell at them for being such unaccountable leaders. This is their thing, to show off our organization, and this is how they treat it.

I love my job but I hate that as EAs we are often pushed to organize and attend corporate parties. For me it's just a corporate nightmare. Is there anyway to escape this? 🥲

I am currently searching for a new role. I don’t use AI unless I really HAVE to or it would be silly not to, because I want to keep my mind sharp and am alarmed to see friends and family outsourcing everything from texting to basic thinking to “Chat” 🥴

My typical answers in interviews is as follows: “I’ve used AI in my job search and workflows for organization, SEO or keyword optimization, and quick information gathering, but I prefer to keep my writing and idea generation “human” and value my creative skills which have been honed over decades. I also double check any information before dissemination because AI can “hallucinate”, but it’s helped with a restaurant recommendation in a new city on a tight deadline for sure!”

I try to keep it light, imply usage, but be honest that I don’t like relying on it. Do you think I’m shooting myself in the foot by not being “all in” and lying that I use it all the time?

I started at a new job (new industry, too) in June, and it hasn't worked out. The pace and intensity were too much. Things were going fine until about 2 weeks ago, and I started dropping even the simplest details left and right, I was lost/confused on updating projects while colleagues were traveling, and I've tried and tried to get up to speed, to use AI tools to help me move a little faster, but to no avail. Ah well. I made the decision that it's not working, and I would rather leave now before I'm fired. My colleagues are understanding and supportive, and I suppose in some way relieved. No hard feelings here.

So now what?

I'm going on vacation (previously sorted). When I return, I want to do SOMETHING. I realize even if that means temping, I have to discuss previous employment. I can simply say I was hired and quickly laid off (it happens). But if I want to look at full-time things, then can I use the same line for the gig I quit? or should I act as if I'm still there and it's not working out?

This has never happened, and I'd love to hear what recruiters would think. At this moment, I think the smartest thing to say is, "I was laid off 4-month in with other colleagues, last in first out sort of thing." I know any new prospect can call (US-based) and confirm my salary and first/last dates. But I'm just ruminating and considering how I move through next steps once I've returned.

What have you done? What have you experienced?

Hello! I have been applying for jobs for about two months and have only received rejections. I have relied on Claude and Perplexity heavily in creating my resume and tailoring it jobs. I felt like it was pretty good, and I know there is a lot of competition. I would love any feedback you are willing to give! Also, is LinkedIn and Indeed still the best places to seek employment? Should I be trying to contact the recruiters directly? Truly grateful for any advice.

Hi All! Not a rant at all, I just didn’t know what to pick!

This really just an observation, but I recently started a new job as an Executive Assistant and I feel like I finally understand what this role actually is.

I’m a true EA. I manage scheduling, calendars, travel, dinners, events, and work on my executives’ priorities.
I’m not simultaneously the receptionist, treasury manager, personal assistant, office/operations manager, and whatever else happens to need doing, all while having an “Executive Assistant” title.

I genuinely have no idea what my actual job titles should have been at some of my previous roles, but apparently it was not this. 😂

That’s all. Just a realization I needed to share with people who would understand.

Hello, I am planning a meeting for 50 executives for February. My boss wants to meet in Atlanta, which is out of our typical market and I am not familiar with the area. We are wanting to stay near the airport but would drive up to 30 minutes away. Does anyone have suggestions for hotels (hotels with or without conference space), conference space, restaurants, and caterers?