We continue to interview EAs from our own home town. Our goal is to raise the profile of EAs with a view to build awareness of the Executive Assistant role by sharing the diversity that the role entails, after all, it’s not about the destination as you know, it’s all about the journey!
Enjoy and please share, share and share in support of your peers!
Ursula x
LOUISE GORDON
Name your current role?
Client Services Manager, Capital EA
Do you remember the first day you became an EA?
Yes, I do. After finishing year 12 I had no idea what I wanted to do, so myself and a group of friends went off and completed a one-year Secretariat Studies Diploma at Woden CIT. After the course, we sent off our CVs and diplomas out to a lot of departments and then sorted through the job offers, we all had about 4 or 5 job offers to choose from back then! I chose the Department of the Treasury and started there in late 1986. You generally started off in the typing pool and then once you had a bit of an idea about the department, you then went out into the branches and worked for an Assistant Secretary. It was a bit of a big thing progressing from the typing pool to working for one person within a Branch, but it was all good fun and I quickly put my training into practice and was soon confidently taking shorthand letters for the boss, happily answering phone queries and developing lots of new skills.
What would you consider to be the most rewarding part of your position as an EA?
Being part of a team that works together to ensure objectives are met.
What was a role that you have owned or an experience you have had, that helped shaped your success in your current position?
That would have to be working in Paul Keating’s office when he was Treasurer, Deputy Prime Minister and then Prime Minister. I started there when I was 21 and worked there as an EA for nearly 7 years. The work was hugely dynamic and high-pressured, and the hours were often crazy, but the experience and exposure I gained there provided me with a great set of skills that I was able to transfer to subsequent roles. Confidence, resilience, diplomacy, discretion, the art of multi-tasking under pressure, and the importance of prioritising and seeking help when I was unsure about things, were just some of the skills I picked up during this time. I also learned about the importance of team work and that maintaining a good sense of humour and perspective are key to getting through stressful times.
Aside from EA roles, I went on to do a range of other jobs in the APS over the years (ie project and project management roles, board secretariat roles, and assistant director roles) and I really believe that it was the skills I picked up so early on in my career that helped me successfully fulfill these other roles. I am very happy to be in the EA space again and love working with Capital EA.
What are three items you can’t work without?
* My phone / calendar, with lots of reminders set
* Positive people and a positive work environment
* Coffee
