From “I Do Everything” to “Here’s My Impact”

How Executive Assistants Can Explain What They Do

(Especially in interviews)

If you’re an Executive Assistant, there’s a decent chance this has happened to you.

You’re in an interview. Or a networking conversation. Or someone asks that deceptively simple question at a barbecue.

“So… what do you do?”

You pause. You scan your brain for where on earth to start. And eventually you say the thing that feels safest.

“Honestly? Everything.”

If that’s you, I want you to know something straight away. You’re not wrong. And you’re not bad at explaining yourself.

You’re just trying to compress an enormous, invisible role into a sentence that won’t sound like you’re bragging.

Why “Everything” Feels True (But Doesn’t Help)

In many EA roles, “everything” really does feel accurate.

You’re across diaries, inboxes, people, priorities, half-formed ideas, emotional undercurrents, and problems that never make it into job descriptions because you quietly dealt with them before anyone else noticed.

You’re thinking three steps ahead while everyone else is still reacting to step one.

So of course “everything” comes out.

But here’s the frustrating part.

When other people hear “everything”, they don’t picture what your days actually look like. They picture busyness. A long task list. A lot of reacting.

They don’t picture judgement. They don’t picture influence. They don’t picture responsibility.

And that disconnect is often why interviews feel harder than they should.

The Bit No One Talks About

There’s an emotional cost to this, too.

When you can’t clearly articulate your role, it’s hard to advocate for yourself. Hard to feel settled walking into interviews. Hard not to feel quietly underestimated, even when you know you’re carrying a huge amount.

I’ve worked with EAs who are effectively running entire organisations, and still introducing themselves like they’re apologising for taking up space.

If that lands a little too close to home, I see you!

A Different Way to Think About Your Role

Here’s the shift I encourage EAs to make.

Your role isn’t a task list. It’s a foundation.

You’re the one holding things steady so other people can operate at a higher level. You protect focus. You create order. You absorb chaos so it doesn’t land where it shouldn’t.

In practise, that often means:

• keeping your executive out of unnecessary noise

• making sure decisions are made with the right information

• ensuring things actually move forward, not just get talked about

That’s not “doing everything”.

That’s doing work the business depends on.

Three Questions That Help You See Your Real Value

If you’ve ever struggled to put your role into words, these three questions can help bring things into focus.

1. What value do you bring to your executive?

This goes far beyond 'diary management'.

You might be:

• protecting their thinking time

• helping them prioritise what actually matters

• making sure they walk into important conversations prepared

You’re not just managing a diary, you’re protecting decision-making capacity.

2. What value do you bring to the organisation?

This is where many EAs underestimate themselves.

You create flow. You connect people and priorities. You notice where things are about to fall apart and intervene before they do.

Often, you’re the reason the system works as well as it does.

3. What’s your return on investment?

This question changes how many EAs see themselves.

Imagine a week without you.

What would slow down? What would get missed? What would land straight back on your executive’s plate?

That disruption is your ROI.

And seeing it clearly is often the moment someone stops thinking of themselves as “just support”.

Turning That Insight Into Words

Once you’re clear on your impact, the next challenge is saying it out loud.

Instead of: “I manage the diary”

Try: “I protect strategic time so my executive can focus on high-level decisions.”

Instead of: “I handle the admin”

Try: “I enable flow and follow-through so things don’t stall.”

You’re not exaggerating. You’re translating your work into language other people can actually understand.

Why Interviews Can Feel So Uncomfortable

Many EAs tell me interviews feel awkward, even when they know they’re good at their job.

That’s usually not a confidence issue. It’s an articulation issue.

So much of your value lives in how things run when you’re there. And interviews don’t always ask the right questions to surface that.

One exercise I often suggest is this.

What would a normal day look like if you weren’t there?

That answer, explained clearly, is what interview panels are really listening for.

Use Stories, Not Task Lists

One of the most effective ways to show your value is through short, concrete examples.

For example:

“I coordinated the executive team’s schedule around a major client presentation so my executive could focus fully on the relationship. The meeting ran smoothly, and the client left feeling genuinely prioritised.”

That’s not a task. That’s impact.

Stories help people see the work you do, not just hear about it.

A Final Thought

If there’s one thing I want you to take away from this, it’s this.

You don’t “do everything”. You enable everything to work.

And when you learn how to articulate that, calmly and without apologising, interviews feel easier. Networking conversations feel steadier. And people start to see the level you’re actually operating at.

This isn’t about exaggerating your role. It’s about making your impact visible.