Turning an Assistant Job into a Fabulous Career

Remember in “The Devil Wears Prada” (the movie) when the beleaguered assistant has finally had enough with her demanding boss and tosses her blackberry into the fountain leaving said boss to cope on her own on a business trip in a foreign country? And remember how the “devil” boss gives her a good recommendation anyway? I doubt there is anyone out there naïve enough to think that the world actually works that way.

There are real strategies to turn an assistant job into a career, however.
Almost everyone I know, especially in the media business, has been an assistant (or an intern) at some point. For some people, being an executive assistant is a career in and of itself. This article is not for them. This is a guide on how to turn a potentially demeaning job into a stepping stone to a brilliant career.

Make your goals known from the very beginning and commit to a certain amount of time in the job. Why would anyone hire an assistant who is going to leave after a few months? Make it clear that you are there to learn and you think this job is an important part of developing a future career. I’ve seen executives be incredibly helpful and use their connections to help former assistants- even years after the assistant has moved on. And that is your goal- to move on with your boss’s blessing and with the help of his/her influence and extensive network.

Read everything you can. Information is power. If the executive you work for is high up in the company, you are in a unique position to find out how the whole thing works and plan where you want to go next. Learn everything you can about the company and the industry. Go through your boss’s contacts and look up executive bios online. Your boss will get the trades. Read them daily. If you understand your company’s business goals and its place in the industry your job will be a lot more interesting- and you’ll be a lot more knowledgeable.