Executive assistants are entering a new era where being tech-savvy is no longer a preference. It’s a must.
According to a recent Workplace Learning report by LinkedIn, 4 out of 5 people say they want to learn more about how to use AI in their work — but only 38% of U.S. executives say they’re currently helping their employees become AI-literate.
Even Harvard Business Review is talking about reskilling in the age of AI. From improving email and calendar management to creating content ideas for blogs and social media, nearly every industry is utilizing AI as a tool to increase productivity and efficiency.
With all of the information available for using AI, how are executive assistants wanting to upskill supposed to find great training in AI? Thankfully, we’ve answered this question so you don’t have to spend your time sorting through endless Google results.
How To Upskill In AI As An Executive Assistant
Executive assistants’ skills have moved firmly into the digital age and AI is the newest piece of that digital skillset. Here’s how to stay ahead of the crowd.
AI Courses For Executive Assistants
There are already an overwhelming number of search results for “AI courses for executive assistants” and “AI executive assistant.”
But many of them are generic AI courses not meant specifically for executive assistants. The rest are AI tools for productivity. So here are two resources specifically teaching how to use AI as an executive assistant:
- Intro to AI for Executive Assistants from The American Society of Administrative Professionals. The course is broken into four sessions covering everything from ChatGPT to no-code automation.
- The Leader Assistant provides trainings, webinars, and live events targeting growth-minded executive assistants, including AI-specific resources. The Leader Assistant is hosted by Jeremy Burrows.
Professional Organizations For Executive Assistants
Numerous industries use professional organizations, and administration is no different. Connecting with other executive assistants gives you the opportunity to learn and develop skills alongside others with similar responsibilities as you.
- Executive Assistants Organization is a professional organization that was founded by a C-suite executive assistant with the goal of building a community. They offer community forums, webinars, and mentorships as part of their membership.
- The American Society of Administrative Professionals is the largest international association for executive assistants and administrative professionals. Their free membership has resources and partner discounts. The paid membership allows for access to their webinar library.
Sites such as LinkedIn or Meetup can help you find local organizations.
Dive Right In — Start Practicing Using AI Tools
One of the best ways to grow your skills is to try out tools and learn your way around them. Other executive assistants have shared the ways that they are using AI for productivity.
Start by finding the task that would benefit the most from AI assistance and start there.
Once you have found the area where you want to incorporate AI, do a quick Google search of AI tools for that task. Every tool should have an about us or customer support page linked somewhere on their website. Explore this area and see if the tool is a good fit.
You can also look for how-to videos for that tool. YouTube and Tiktok have great tutorials for many AI tools.
It is a best practice to explore the tools and get to know their features before shifting over to using them. This is one area where practice makes perfect.
ChatGPT For Executive Assistants
If you are looking for a place to start with AI, ChatGPT is a great option. There are numerous ways to incorporate this AI tool into your day-to-day, but the most common use is to boost productivity. The downfall is that your AI-generated results are only as good as the information you enter to start. If you want to improve these results, try using prompts.
The bottom line is that using AI is now an intrinsic part of the executive assistant skillset. The question is, how are you going to keep up?
