Life as an executive assistant - Interview

Recently, I had the opportunity to interview an exceptional woman, Polly Espindola, who generously shared her experience after graduating from the ABM program at Conestoga College and answered some of our questions at length. Today, I want to share some of her valuable answers:

Our first interest was in her leading roles and responsibilities. Polly talked about her role as an administrative assistant in the School of Business, detailing tasks such as calendar management and data collection.

As the conversation progressed, we asked Polly about her challenges, to which she responded that she was managing peak seasons and effective communication. We then wanted to delve further into Polly's career progression, who shared her journey from student roles to becoming a program manager.

We also asked about Polly's current efforts in skills development, and Polly mentioned her focus on learning software such as SharePoint and the Student Information System. Polly also shared her experience in learning various administrative tools and skills, emphasizing the importance of event management in her role, something we have noticed throughout our studies.

Moving on to her career path, Polly explained her shift from language teaching to administration, driven by a desire for more excellent programming and faculty development involvement. She stressed the importance of adaptability in dealing with changes in the work environment, especially in response to rapid growth.

Polly concluded the meeting by offering support to attendees in their professional endeavours through its collective entrepreneurship program; the meeting concluded with a discussion on continuous learning and skills development in the workplace.