An executive associate is someone who provides clerical work for the head of a company, such as the CEO or president. Executive associates type reports, forward phone calls, take messages, keep track of important documents and respond to emails. They are often considered an important link between the company’s executive and clients, or even other employees.
Executive associates perform a wide array of tasks, all to make the executive's job easier. Typically, the only person to whom the associate reports is the executive. Associates perform a wide array of tasks and work in a wide range of industries. They do everything from faxing paperwork to opening mail and typing letters written by their supervisors. Sometimes, they might even pick up lunch. Some might update the company website or perform light bookkeeping. Basically, executive associates need to be versatile employees capable of handling a variety of office tasks.
Executive associates should be expert typists and capable of following instructions from superiors. They should be motivated, professional, courteous and pay close attention to detail. They also need to possess strong verbal communication skills, since they often spend much of their day on the phone, answering calls and relaying important information to the company’s top executive. On top of those things, executive associates may need decent computer and math skills.