Pivoting away from Executive Assistant Work

Charmaine Allegra

January 19,2023 at 6:26PM UTC

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Pivoting away from Executive Assistant Work

Hi! I am a Project Coordinator with 10 years of former EA experience. While my most recent role was true Project Coordination, I am still finding it challenging when speaking to recruiters and prospective employers to get them to focus on my most recent role and where I want to go (Project Management, Logistics, Operations), as opposed to where I was (EA). Sometimes recruiters and employers try to convince me to go back to EA! Any advice?

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Andi SchulerJanuary 19,2023 at 7:49PM UTC
Definitely make sure your resume is clear that you are interested in Project Coordination. You might want to get your resume professionally reviewed to make sure that the project management work you did as an EA is being appropriately highlighted (there are a lot of transferable skills). Also make sure your LinkedIn headline says Project Coordinator with no mention of Executive Assistant. If that is no longer what you want to be known for there is no reason to include it anywhere other than your work experience. I’ve seen some people looking to make a career change who still include their old job title in there headline. Instead put what you want to be known for.
Even I have had a recruiter ask me about doing EA work because they saw it on my resume, despite me only having done it once. It might be really in demand right now so when they see someone with 10 years of experience it’s appealing. But definitely stay clear and communicative about where you do and don’t want to go next in your career. Rebranding can take time if you’ve been known for one thing for so long, but it’s worth it to get to where you want to be ?
AnonymousJanuary 19,2023 at 8:25PM UTC
If your current position involves project coordination or management, ensure your resume states that and includes accomplishments within those projects. Do this even if it does not match your current job description or title. If you have a "skills" banner on your resume, ensure that you include project management there. Same thing if the projects included logistics or operations.
AnonymousJanuary 19,2023 at 9:11PM UTC
Make sure your resume emphasizes what you did as a project coordinator - schedule, scope, etc. The EA experience is good because as a project manager or coordinator, you often need good communication skills and the ability to work with people from different functions and levels in the organization.
By the way, would you like to join the Project and Program Management group here on FGB? It's at https://fairygodboss.com/groups/Pp4ZuiPFG/project-and-program-management
AnonymousJanuary 19,2023 at 9:40PM UTC
I would change the title of you current/last role to Project Coordinator/Executive Assistant. The describe your Coordinator responsibilities.
AnonymousJanuary 24,2023 at 5:49PM UTC
Do not change your job title. That could be misconstrued as falsifying information. Instead do a skills based resume and list the companies and dates on the bottom as a short list.
Feature the things you accomplished and the details of the projects you did and the content and the people with whom you coordinated. Focus on that and always write a cover letter focused on the job and aligning past or current skills with the role you want.
Sabrina CortesJanuary 24,2023 at 7:50PM UTC
Hi Charmaine,
I'm a professional Resume Writer and wanted to suggest you use a Combination/Hybrid resume. This kind of resume focuses on your PC experience, and brings out those aspects of your Exec. Assist. roles as well. It lists your employment history last. I'd also showcase your transferable skills to make you more marketable.
One of the biggest tips I want to give you is to make sure you tailor your resume to each job you apply to. Doing this will significantly increase the chances of your resume (and cover letter) passing the applicant tracking system (ATS) scanning process, along with making your resume easy for Recruiters to find you when they search keywords for the job post.
Feel free to connect and ask me any questions you have, ok?
I hope this was helpful.
Sending you positive vibes!
AnonymousJanuary 25,2023 at 9:43PM UTC
Would it make sense to eliminate or condense some/all of your former Executive Assistant experience on your resume and expand your education and experience related to Project Coordinaton?
In addition, would it be helpful to earn a PMP (Project Management Professional) certification or other relevant certification, if you’ve not already taken this step???