22nd April, 2025

Uncertainty, job searches and AI amid Administrative Professionals Day 2025

FOR MY 2026 THOUGHTS ON ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONALS DAY, please click on this link for “Own Your Career this Administrative Professionals Day … and Beyond”.

TODAY AND EVERY DAY, i APPLAUD ASSISTANTS WHO APPROACH WHAT YOU DO AS A CAREER

In a number of workplaces and countries, April 23rd, 2025 marks an annual day of recognition that predates the lives of most – if not all – of us reading this. Originally known as National Secretaries Day, Americans began the tradition now known as Administrative Professionals Day in 1952. 

With revenue potential for florists, restaurants and the greeting card industry aligning with a desire for meaningful recognition of people in frequently undervalued roles, the event took hold and subsequently spread to other countries. While this is a springtime event (or non-event) in northern hemisphere countries, people in Brazil and South Africa mark the occasion in September,

I struggle a bit each time I write about this event, in part because I very much want to place an apostrophe at the end of the word “Professionals” to imply possession of a day dedicated to people in this role. My deeper issue, as people who’ve been reading my website since I launched Exceptional EA in 2013 will know, is the concept of practically mandating a given day to extend appreciation and respect that – in ideal circumstances – would not require a special event.

RECOGNITION via flowers, cards and lunches … or ongoing professional development?

I believe many are well intended in their approach to extending recognition and appreciation this time of year. We’ve seen what was originally a single day of recognition stretch out to being referred to as Administrative Professionals Week … and even Administrative Professionals Month.

I know executives, however, who extend recognition and appreciation without being prompted. Some of them harbour discomfort or even resentment that leaders should fall into step by offering tokens of appreciation on a given date. If you belong to any social media groups dedicated to assistants, you’ll see posts this week from disappointed assistants who are aware of all the hype but go without recognition on or around Administrative Professionals Day, even as some of their colleagues receive recognition or gifts. There are also assistants who extend recognition to the teams they lead, or arrange for it on behalf of executives, without receiving any themselves.

I’ve said it before, and continue to do so: I believe the career and individuals within the career would be better served by a shift from the well intended but sometimes patronising greeting card mentality to one that reflects the evolution of this career. Some will challenge my position. Are you pleased with flowers, greeting cards and lunches, or would you prefer to increasingly direct focus to advocacy and professional development?

KUDOS TO EMPLOYERS WHO EXTEND RECOGNITION AND APPRECIATION IN THE FORM OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

There are many good leaders and employers who view this occasion as a time to extend recognition and appreciation by wisely investing in their assistants’ professional development. April is a busy month for speakers and trainers such as yours truly. I’ll be delivering a number of presentations in the next eight days. and declined others this year because of pre-existing commitments.

When you have opportunities for relevant professional development, nab them. Nab them, convey your appreciation and also identify and communicate how you’ve gone from absorbing theory to applying it in your role. When you effectively quantify the impacts of your training, and the return(s) on investment (ROI) in such opportunities, you’re also laying the groundwork to secure ongoing developmental opportunities.

thinking about such recognition would be a luxury for assistants who are striving to secure returns to employment

If you’re gainfully employed and generally enjoying your career as an assistant, good on you. Even as matters are – or appear to be – business as usual for many, we’re in the thick of change.

Apart from AI continuing its relentless march forward, employers increasingly want people back in offices. Risk management and organisational resilience and viability in the face of today’s economic and geopolitical issues are prominent on boards’ and employers’ agendas. These realities have already led to loss of employment and opportunities, or underemployment, for assistants in some countries.

I believe there will be further job losses ahead. Having walked your walk for almost three decades, I’ve seen my share of recessions as well as economic booms. I’ve worked alongside senior leaders amid times of challenge and change, including a corporate merger. I’ve also worked alongside senior executives in the public sector through the dissolution of one major public sector institution, and in the first year of operations for one of its successors, where I played an impactful role in shaping the new organisational culture.

If you’re among those who are job searching, I understand it’s truly tough in a number of markets. I’ve heard more than a few people describe themselves as having been made redundant. Please, recognise it’s a position that’s been made redundant, and not you as a person. You’ve likely already picked up recommendations on tailoring your resume/CV to specific positions, on networking, and more. You’ll find articles here on Exceptional EA to help prepare for interviews, and ideas to keep in mind once an interview is underway.

That said, it may be that it’s not so much a question of your skills, your application and interview strategies as much as the fact employers are dealing with an oversaturated candidate pool … or the reality that the type of position you’re seeking simply isn’t available right now, even if they’re advertised. If that’s the case, are you prepared to consider changing sectors or stepping out of the assistant career for now, to make it through challenging times?

At one point, I left the assistant career to become a corporate software trainer. Then, we began our family and I made another career change. Once our two were both in school, it was the right time to reboot my assistant career. We were in another recession and, living in a smaller city, there were far fewer opportunities than I’d have found in Vancouver. I re-entered the career at the bottom of the ladder, in temporary roles that weren’t as challenging as I’d experienced in the past. The compensation was also lower than what I’d previously earned, yet I was glad of the opportunities in light of the global economy. I did not allow short- or midterm challenges to detract from my sense of self, and viewed them as both incentive and part of the path toward my long term goals.

You may choose to investigate whether it’s practical to launch your own virtual assistant (VA) career. You’ll want to assess demand for such services, and whether you have – or how you’ll develop – the skills, characteristics and knowledge needed to run your own business.

However you move forward, please make a point of refraining from attaching your personal identity and self worth to your career, or to lack of employment at a given point in time.

TREAT CHANGES AND CHALLENGES AS OPPORTUNITIES, demonstrate and communicate your value, and be visible for the right reasons

Your attitude counts. Even when they’re unwanted, changes and challenges can represent opportunities. When a deep recession hit in my corporate days, our employer axed one VP’s position and my VP and I took on our former colleague’s marketing and communication responsibilities. I gained skills, insights and connections it might otherwise have taken years to build.

Pay attention to what’s going on, within your area of the organisation and the organisation as a whole. What do you know about opportunities and challenges for your sector? When you ask questions, make them informed questions. Identify how you’ll adapt, how you can contribute, and how to effectively communicate the value you represent. You want to be be visible, and for the right reasons.

learn to use gen Ai, and be a lifelong learner

I’ve been writing about digital disruption/innovation for years, long before generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) burst onto screens in November 2022. I began writing about GenAI in December 2022, and have written two magazine cover articles about resources including ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Gemini (originally known as Bard), Perplexity and more … including the disruptive January 2025 launch of DeepSeek. As you’ll see by clicking here for some of my tech-related articles, I advocate both play and caution when it comes to GenAI.

REAL CAREERS: Focus on resilience and adaptability

Recognising that AI will be a significant factor in the ongoing evolution of the assistant career, identify and hone your differentiators to ensure you’re an asset to employers. Seek out learning opportunities to help you meet employers’ opportunities and challenges. Establish goals with metrics so you can assess progress, and be flexible as goalposts shift.

Adaptability has long been an attribute of the best assistants. Resilience is also key. It makes sense to be intentional in nurturing your personal resilience, which also supports your career resilience. I’m continuing to delve into the topic in my upcoming book, and you’ll hear me speaking about how to build and maintain resilience at a number of my upcoming presentations.

Whether or not your colleagues mark Administrative Professionals Day, know you have my good wishes today and as you move forward in your career – and also know that all those faces you see in the image accompanying this article are your counterparts. These are just some of the many fine assistants from 27 countries whom I’ve interviewed for my Real Careers series!