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.

Develop relationships within the company and ask questions when appropriate. There will be times when people are waiting to see your boss. If there is some down time, most people will appreciate some informed questions about what they do. Obviously, don't be a suck up, nag people for jobs or try to bother people who are stressed out or in a hurry.

If you're smart and ambitious you may have a hard time in the assistant role. It's hard to deal with the fact that your entire reason for being at work is to help someone else do their job. You are there to facilitate and make things go smoothly for your boss. One of the most difficult aspects of assistant work is to just accept this and let go of your ego. Do not fall into the trap of thinking "I'm too smart to_______" (get coffee, pick up birthday gifts, answer phones, schedule barber appointments). That's totally beside the point. Do the job you signed on to do as well as you can. Do not let yourself get bitter or resentful- it will show and it will undermine you. Put yourself in the executive's shoes… would you really want to deal with an angry underling muttering about being Phi Beta Kappa at Brown? No. You wouldn't care. You would want your coffee and would want to get on with your day. Remember- your boss can be powerful ally in your future career. And it's only worth it if you leave the job with his or her support.