How does being a Executive Assistant to a Top Executive like CEO/ Chairman help? I have seen many executives opting for such role before climbing the ladder further.
For example, Mary Barra, the CEO of GM, was an Executive Assistant to Chairman at GM before becoming a Director and now been appointed to the present position. No doubt she has been with GM since 3 decades, but she opted for an EA position when she was in a middle management position - "Manager, Manufacturing Planning – Midsize Car Division" (1993 - '96).
Marry Barra's Linkedin Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/mary-barra/12/697/294
Is this position something to do with operations? Your explanation will be of great help!
It's possible that's actually more of a management position than the name gives off? Because otherwise I feel like you could accidentally pigeonhole yourself into that set of responsibilities. Have some friends who are in that boat (though they may have jumped into those roles too early)
She originally left GM to earn her MBA at Stanford and then came right back, so my best guess is that she was probably recruited into that role with a promise of grooming her for an Executive track. I can only imagine the exposure that she got to all the parts of the company and the meetings/info she was privy to. From then on it seems she worked in damn near every area of the company and got into all facets of the business. A bit unconventional but I think her case was unique and there's nothing we could really try to standardize from this.
That's not a secretary role. Its a "Chief of Staff" like position. Its a role large corporations give to people who they are grooming for senior management. Its not equivalent to my EA who organizes meetings, books travel and manages my calendar.
yeah seems like the role naming convention could be misinterpreted. would have to be careful.
Executive assistant to.... (Originally Posted: 01/04/2011)
A new position?
Key here is that you are assistant to the president, not assistant president. So MBA is probably a reach for you.
assistant to the regional manager
What you could do is just bust your ass and then jump to another function.....an admin for my MD worked her tail off and helped with the marketing group in the cubicle next to hers, hit it off with them and eventually got pulled into their group. I got pulled into ops, then compliance, and now I'm sharpening up for the kill - FRONT OFFICE. If you're willing to do more work, be smart, and be a little creative, you'll begin to see that the formal ranks and training tracks are not so set in stone....plus, if a big shot at your firm says to themselves, " I LIKE THIS GUY (/girl)" you really can leverage this against an oportunity that you might not otherwise have access to.
Just get the 'assistant' off your resume however the hell you can, and once you get into an MBA program, it's like hitting the reset button. Granted, there are those with much more polished backgrounds that will always seem miles ahead of you, but there's no reason for you to not do well for yourself if you're smart and willing to put out the effort.
gsduke is right though, please do realize that assistant is a glorified term for secretary....no shame in humble beginnings.....so you NEED to push in a direction that will get you closer to admission to graduate school. Check out this post that some nice person took the time out to write for me just this morning:
//www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/new-to-finance
here's the useful part, just translate it to your career goal: This question gets asked so often, so I'm going to respond and hopefully this will be searched and helpful to others in the future. If others disagree with any of these points or want to add on, please do. Also, what was your major? 2.02 in EECS > 2.02 Poli Sci, though a 2.02 is still bad. 1) Network like crazy, talk to anyone you can, take them to lunch, meet for coffee, etc. You're not going to move to FO but still, have people in your firm like you. Put in your time, do a great job, and focus on getting into B-school cause thats' going to be your best bet into a BB FO. 2) Kill your GMAT... absolutely kill it, 700+. Sign up for Manhattan GMAT or Veritas + a private tutor if you have to. Get at least a 700. 3) Take some extension classes online from a REPUTABLE university... calculus, statistics, finance, accounting. Ace them -- I repeat, ACE them. Also whatever else you really did poorly on in college. The quant courses are probably your best bet though to impress adcomms. 4) Invest in an admissions consultant to help you get your application tight. You will not get into H/S/W, or most likely any top 10. But, if you can be a very compelling candidate minus your GPA, there's a chance for you yet... although bleak. Consider applying to a school's PT program if there's no chance you'll get into their FT program AND the PT program has a trackrecord of sending ppl to IB. 5) Do something, anything, to show leadership in work. Volunteer for special projects, etc. Get involved in industry groups or volunteer for a politician, community org, etc. Something to differntiate you from all the other folks applying who have better grades than you (and unfortunately, more typical pre-b-school work experience.) 6) Since you were thinking ab going to OCTS, consider joining the Reserve and get an interesting MOS (i.e., Navy Intelligence Officer, etc.) B-schools LOOOOOOOVE military guys. 7) Apply to b-school and go to the best school you possibly can. Kill your 1st quarter/semester classes -- generally accounting, finance, econ and OB. Go to every corp presentation (NOT JUST BB!!!!), every DOJ, ask intelligent questions, set up informationals, leverage preexisting relationships, do mock interviews, and rock them. 8) Be happy for any offer you get and understand you can be successful even if you work at a boutique or MM firm.
You seem to want management, I want SALES, but the point is the same: use what you have to get what you want, and be realisticly optimistic.....
Executive Assistance to Analyst? (Originally Posted: 12/14/2010)
Hey guys I'm currently an executive assistant. I've come to the conclusion that I want to become an analyst. Is this even possible?
I went to Dartmouth and graduated with a 3.9. But I have no work experience prior to my current job.
are you an assistant at a bank?
If so, the transition is possible, you just need to make you're desire known. I think people would be happy to give you a chance if you're done well as an assistant... We used to joke that the assistants made more than analysts (after bonuses from their MDs) and had more challenging jobs...
If you're an assistant out of industry, it will be significantly more challenging.
It'll be tough, but your best bet is at a boutique. I'll second aranaxon that it would be tough if you're currently an EA in an unrelated field. You're going to have to pound the pavement and work your network - somebody is going to need to take a chance on you (which is not ridiculous, considering your Dartmouth 3.9). You'll have the best luck finding that chance at a smaller shop without a formal HR department.
on this topic, are there differences bw first and second year sales analysts and first and second year sales assistants
My question is if you graduated with a 3.9 from Dartmouth why did you choose to be a secretary?
^^^^ curious about this as well
Frankly, if I got a 3.9 at Dartmouth, the only way you could get me to be an EA is if you were the C-level of a top bank/F-100 company.
Hahaha I forgot to mention that I double majored in Art History and Women's and Gender Studies. Please no snark comments about the latter major!
I became a EA because one of the managing directors is a family friend and I needed a stable source of income.
What good boutiques are there in the NYC and Boston areas?
Maybe stating the obvious, but you should absolutely speak to this family friend about your desire for an analyst position - especially if you've been a good EA over the past however many years.
Well, if you got your current position through a family friend, couldn't you leverage that connection again (along with recommendations from your current firm) to get you where you hope to be?
If you're smart, you can hustle your way into a front office role. Start with Dartmouth alums, don't outright ask for a job, ask for advice and general direction first. If you're hot, that will help a lot.
It's gone unsaid, but It's quite apparent what needs to be done. A little bit of quid pro quo...
Or start frequenting art galleries and find a rich hubby
As always.... pics or you dont exist!
Hahaha Oh boys.... 1. I'm engaged. 2. Of course I don't exist :)
Long story short: I never expected that I would one day need an actual job. My parents didn't want me to be an analyst so my family friend set me up with a job as a EA.
Again, what boutiques in the NYC and Boston areas would you guys recommend? Preferably ones that have a less stressful atmosphere.
Your parents didn't want you to be an Analyst ? so you just blindly followed what your parents wanted ? Why don't you first grow a pair and then try to break into IB.
And since my parents don't approve of my ambition, they have made sure that none of our family friends help me out.
Should be able to find what you need here http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/wall-street-mentors-list-of-200-i…
^There is no getting away from a stressful atmosphere btw
Fiance huh.... so is he more like Joe 6pac or Joe the plumber?
If you want less stressful, you might want to take a look at corpfin or pwm
Neither he's a Paul Farmer, except much cuter but just as nerdy which I love.
I don't know many finance acronyms, so I'm clueless when you say "corpfin" (Corporate Finance?) and "pwm". You guys kind of have to spell it out for me.
corpfin = Corporate Finance pwm = Private Wealth Management
The general rule is that it is almost impossible to do, for political reasons as much as anything. I personally have seen it happen only once in my career, and I was the one who drove the decision. The only way it was even possible under the circumstances was that I was making a job change to another firm - as much as I liked her potential it was absolutely politically unpalatable internally to move her to an incoming analyst class no matter how much I would have pushed to do it. I had the benefit of the halo effect of being a much pursued asset by my new firm at the time, and the beneficiary of a substantial guarantee that helped grease the skids when I suggested it to my new employers.
Even so, it cost me a lot of political capital and placed a significant amount of my prestige at risk until she proved herself (which she did, admirably. In fact, she was one of the highest ranked analysts in the firm, an achievement I would not have put money on even when I was pushing for her placement). I received a lot of criticism for pushing to hire my old assistant (who frankly had the dual liabilities of being from a non-pedigree university and being extremely attractive - you can imagine what was whispered about my motivations before she proved to be an indisputable star) for a bulge bracket M&A group. If the circumstances had been even a little less favorable for me, I don't think I could have made it happen.
None of this is to say it is impossible. But my experience is that it can be very difficult, even when the stars align perfectly.
So am I stuck as a EA forever?
If you knew anything about my own background, you'd think my own path into banking was highly improbable (and wonder what my interviewers might have been thinking in hiring me). Outside of a degree from a very prestigious undergraduate institution, I had very little to recommend me outside of the ability to very efficiently communiate my government's displeasure, forcefully.
So no. In many ways, your education and background make you more employable than I should have been. I simply point out that the path will likely necessitate you moving outside of your own firm. My best suggestion is to get Dartmouth to let you participate in their on-campus recruiting season. My university did that for me, which is how I got my job. If they had not, I'd likely be out in the mountains somewhere trying to poke some 5.56mm holes into foreigners.
It would be very difficult to say that you're stuck as an EA forever, particularly when you have a 3.9 from Dartmouth. That fact, in itself, will open a lot of doors.
And a few years ago, when I was the staffer in our group, I did bring one of the EAs on as an analyst into one of the top M&A groups in New York, and it was not nearly as difficult as the experience Mr. Khan had, but there were a few salient facts:
she was a Stanford graduate who had to taken on the job to make money and pursue a career in the theatre, so the credentials were there. She too was a liberal arts major
over a period of six months or so, she was showing a demonstrable interest in the job, and after hours, would go so far as to help analysts do research, create profiles, etc. Anything to make their lives easier
she had excellent client presence, discretion and judgment, and this was visible to a lot of the senior bankers in the office
we were busy as a team and seriously understaffed
As a result, when she expressed the interest of moving to the banking side, there was unanimous support, driven heavily by our analysts and associates, who proactively advocated for her.
All circumstances are different, but I recommend the following, if you are interested in staying in your group:
get to know the junior people in your team well and the work they do. Show a keen interest, and offer to be helpful
talk to your MD, and say this is a medium term interest of yours. Do not put in they in a situation where they feel they will lose their assistant
over time, as you build credibility, amongst the junior people, find an internal advocate to push your case to the staffer
In that is not an option, you will need to pound the pavement and get your resume in front of as many people as possible. You story is actually not that complicated. You took the job, not knowing you had an interest in investment banking. As an EA, you developed that interest and want to move.
I suspect a number of the smaller firms (and there are many) will be interested in speaking with someone with your academic pedigree and the rest is up to you.
Yes, possible I know a girl that did it at Citi. She went back to school and then applied.
Please disregard the above advice to organically produce external genitalia... I prefer that women not have them (sure your fiance would agree)... also probably won't help your efforts to break into an Analyst role either... just not a very productive use of time IMO
@SAC I had to listen to my parents because I wouldn't have been able to get a job in the finance industry without them. Period.
Advice for all the guys: You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
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