Evaluation

This assignment will be marked on a Satisfactory (SAT)/Unsatisfactory (UNSAT) basis. Please review the attached rubric for additional information about the marking scheme.

Background

The overall goal of field placement is to promote the concept of "learning by doing". A placement provides students with the opportunity to apply the theory and skills they have learned in the program, and to gain work experience. However, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses, government offices and not-for-profit organizations are not operating as usual. At this time, most executive assistants are working from home, and using new and existing processes and technologies to communicate, collaborate and complete their work.

Purpose

This is an individual assignment that is being considered as equivalent to a physical placement. Students in the EXS program have honed their written communication, drafting and proofreading skills. They have learned to organize, schedule and coordinate tasks and materials. They have become proficient with Microsoft Office applications, and have been introduced to basic accounting procedures. Students will use their knowledge and skills to complete a written report and are expected to:

• demonstrate an attitude of professionalism, as evidenced by an ability to meet deadlines, and complete this assignment;
• communicate clearly, concisely and correctly in the written form;
• locate, select, organize, and document information using Word;
• analyze, evaluate, and apply relevant information from a variety of sources.

Instructions

For this assignment, you will be asked to research what the role of an executive assistant looks like in the current COVID-19 environment, and what it may look like in future. Specifically, your report will need to address the following questions:

1-Preliminary Assumptions

Based on your learning in this program, what do you think employers are looking for in an executive assistant? What skills, knowledge and technologies are most sought after? How do you think these expectations have changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic?

2-Current State - Role of an Executive Assistant during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Find three current, entry-level executive assistant job postings for Ontario, on LinkedIn or a job search engine of your choice. Please provide the actual job posting not the link as these links do expire and I am not able to view them.

1. Compare the postings and summarize which skills are found in all three postings, that is, which skills are currently most sought after by employers.
2. Do the most sought-after skills fall into a particular category? Are they mostly interpersonal skills? Communication skills? Technology skills?
3. Do the postings mention any specific software applications, tools or technologies?
4. Are you surprised by any of the most sought-after skills you have listed? Were your assumptions in question #1 correct or incorrect?

NOTE: This is a busy time for most organizations, as they begin the transition to the post-COVID work environment. Please do not contact organizations by telephone as part of your research. Instead, please rely only on the job postings you have selected.

3. Future State What will the role of an Executive Assistant look like after the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Research this question, by referring to newspaper articles, expert reports and other sources. Prepare a summary of your findings.

Deliverables

1. A cover page consisting of an appropriate title, the course code, your full name, and the date.
2. A report that contains the answers to the questions above. The length of your answer will depend on the information you locate, but generally should be 1-2 pages per question, or approximately 3-6 pages in total.
3. A Works Cited page (for question #3).
4. Attach the three job postings you refer to for question #2 as appendices to your report.