Table 1Transition record

executive assistanttosecretary

A executive assistant already meets 31% of what the secretary role asks for. The move turns on 14 required skills not yet in the profile.

From executive assistant

31%

Overlap1

To secretary

11 Skills carried over

14 Required, not held

70.3 Difficulty2

adjacent 0–30

moderate 30–55

substantial 55–75

career change 75–100

this move, 70.3

This move: 70.3 of 100 · substantial

1 Share of the secretary role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the executive assistant profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 11 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A secretary role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a executive assistant background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held communicate schedules to the people concerned communication, collaboration and creativity
already held organise travel arrangements for staff communication, collaboration and creativity
already held manage personnel agenda management skills
already held draft corporate emails communication, collaboration and creativity
already held disseminate messages to people management skills
already held process commissioned instructions communication, collaboration and creativity

All 11 carried skills, including the 8 the secretary role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 32 missing skills fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier

01 management skills 5 required, 6 supplementary

required, not held handle mail required
required, not held administer appointments required
required, not held organise business documents required
required, not held organise facilities for office personnel required
required, not held perform office routine activities required

optional, not held issue sales invoices optional
optional, not held deliver correspondence optional
optional, not held handle financial transactions optional
optional, not held handle petty cash optional
optional, not held manage accounts optional
optional, not held manage budgets optional

02 information skills 4 required

required, not held file documents required
required, not held fill out forms required
required, not held keep task records required
required, not held monitor staff absences required

03 communication, collaboration and creativity 3 required, 6 supplementary

required, not held communicate by telephone required
required, not held disseminate internal communications required
required, not held maintain internal communication systems required

optional, not held place orders for printed paper goods optional
optional, not held demonstrate professional attitude to clients optional
optional, not held develop documentation in accordance with legal requirements optional
optional, not held liaise with typists optional
optional, not held manage needs for stationery items optional
optional, not held write meeting reports optional

04 working with computers 2 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held manage digital documents required
required, not held use microsoft office required

optional, not held manage online content optional
optional, not held use personal organization software optional

05 business, administration and law 4 supplementary

optional, not held labour law optional
optional, not held accounting techniques optional
optional, not held education administration optional
optional, not held education law optional

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a secretary role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 11 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held communicate schedules to the people concerned skill
already held company policies knowledge
already held disseminate messages to people skill
already held draft corporate emails skill
already held manage personnel agenda skill
already held process commissioned instructions skill
already held use spreadsheets software skill
already held use word processing software skill
already held organise travel arrangements for staff skill
already held prepare presentation material skill
already held use office systems skill

18 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held issue sales invoices optional
optional, not held labour law optional
optional, not held manage online content optional
optional, not held place orders for printed paper goods optional
optional, not held accounting techniques optional
optional, not held deliver correspondence optional
optional, not held demonstrate professional attitude to clients optional
optional, not held develop documentation in accordance with legal requirements optional
optional, not held education administration optional
optional, not held education law optional
optional, not held handle financial transactions optional
optional, not held handle petty cash optional
optional, not held liaise with typists optional
optional, not held manage accounts optional
optional, not held manage budgets optional
optional, not held manage needs for stationery items optional
optional, not held use personal organization software optional
optional, not held write meeting reports optional

30 held skills the secretary role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role apply information security policies skill
not needed by the target role build business relationships skill
not needed by the target role build international relations skill
not needed by the target role build trust skill
not needed by the target role business communication knowledge
not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
not needed by the target role coordinate events skill
not needed by the target role create import-export commercial documentation skill
not needed by the target role fix meetings skill
not needed by the target role international import export regulations knowledge
not needed by the target role international tariffs knowledge
not needed by the target role liaise with board members skill
not needed by the target role liaise with managers skill
not needed by the target role maintain register of shareholders skill
not needed by the target role manage office facility systems skill
not needed by the target role manage payroll reports skill
not needed by the target role observe confidentiality skill
not needed by the target role perform business research skill
not needed by the target role perform clerical duties skill
not needed by the target role plan schedule skill
not needed by the target role prepare financial statements skill
not needed by the target role prepare tax returns forms skill
not needed by the target role revise drafts made by managers skill
not needed by the target role show intercultural awareness skill
not needed by the target role speak different languages skill
not needed by the target role support development of annual budget skill
not needed by the target role translate keywords into full texts skill
not needed by the target role translate language concepts skill
not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
not needed by the target role work in an international environment skill

4 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held labour law optional
optional, not held accounting techniques optional
optional, not held education administration optional
optional, not held education law optional

Index

Other moves recorded from executive assistant

Full index of moves from executive assistant

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.