Skip to main content

Organising your EA job search

Written by: Lula Walmsley, Bain and Gray
Published on: 8 Jan 2015

Organising your EA Job Search

Two of the most common New Year’s resolutions; be more organised, and find a new job.

If you're finding that your search for a new EA role is dragging, and you need to up the ante a notch then perhaps you need to systemise your search a bit better. The time in which you may be searching for is unknown, so you have no way of pacing yourself or estimating when the right role may finally come your way. It might be tomorrow, in two weeks, or in four months’ time, and that is why having an organised system in place is going to help you from losing touch and motivation with the EA job search.

So why bother? 

When you’re applying for countless numbers of EA jobs and contacting multiple recruitment agencies, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by all the balls you are juggling. If you have a log of information (so you know who was contacted when and what was applied for when) you can make sure you never miss an application deadline, or completely forget the name of that HR manager.

If you have a log of the Executive Assistant roles you’ve applied for; and consequently have been either rejected or accepted for interview, you will know how well your CV is working for you, and which industries are taking a keener interest. If you’re struggling to get shortlisted, then perhaps it’s worth looking at our Executive Assistant CV Tips  to ensure your CV is optimised, or get a free CV review from our partners at Top CV. 

On another note, it is easy to forget how much effort you’ve put into your EA job search, and it might feel that you are putting in a lot of time without reaping any reward. At least if you can reflect on what has been done, you have something to prove for the time you’ve dedicated to searching.

How to go about it 

Take a breather from applications for a few hours to get yourself organised. As long as you don’t  overspend your time on doing this, it is not a waste of time.

Think back to the days when you were revising for exams at school. What works best for you? You might like to use handwritten lists, use the diary on your phone for who to call when, mind maps, or perhaps a spreadsheet. Everyone is different, but the key is finding a way to track the recruitment  process.

Ensure you discipline yourself to dedicate a certain time each day to job hunt. This is important… if you don’t know when to “clock off” then the task will become overwhelming.

Every time you make an application, receive a phone call or go to an interview (etc), make sure you log it! If you’re reluctant to use the system then chances are you need to amend it slightly so that the tracking process works for you.

It is really important when using your new system that you don’t overload it. Only register with a few select agencies who are solely focused on the sort of role you are looking to find. There are many agencies out there, but not all of them will be right for you. Remember; quality not quantity.

View the latest EA jobs from SecsintheCity

Find out more about the role of an EA.