Please me with this experience/interview issue

[Whyemseeaye]

I have been in my current role for almost six years.

I work part time as an Executive Assistant for a consultancy company. I do all the stuff an EA role comprises, it's interesting and sometimes complex work.

I also have twenty years of experience in this type of role.

I'm currently looking for a new role as I've done all I can in current place and am ready to move on.

So far so normal...

However, the consultancy business I work for is my husbands. It's just the two of us.

We have no online presence because its unnecessary for us to advertise that way as he is well known within his rather niche sector. We do very well and the company has a high turnover.

When I explain my work set up to prospective employers they all seem a bit 🤨 almost like it's big a real job!

What I do is very much a full and complete role but I wonder if there's a way to explain myself better to take that I work for my husband edge off it?!

I've had several interviews in the last month and the same thing has happened every time!

You’re welcome. I would say you have been an EA for X years; recently were self employed and the director whilst also being a PAYE employee of the company. You used your previous industry experience to your advantage and took on the EA duties of your business and continuously improved. They may not ask for a breakdown of the business structure, perhaps just refer to him in your examples as another director.

I was awake at 3am thinking about this 😬 I'm really worrying no one will ever employ me and I'll be stuck in current role forever!

Anyway, I think I could hand my notice in with DH. I have enough savings to ride me over a while. Then perhaps it would be less of an issue at interviews?

I really don’t think that being a director of a close company is going to make the slightest difference, it is not difficult or an achievement to set up a company and make yourself or your spouse a director.

And are you actually over bigging this work anyway? My husband also does consultancy work from our own Ltd Company and I do everything administratively for the business in my spare time in the evenings in front of the television. I am struggling to understand what it is you do that makes it a full time job, so perhaps people are having the same struggles. In that case, I would maybe list out everything that you do above the bog standard payroll, VAT, insurance, accounts etc.

@Mortimercat it's a part time role. It is very busy tbh. I do all the diary and inbox management and and assist with some project management.

I actually think this would make it harder @Whyemseeaye as it's always easier to get a job when you have a job. I think leaving your current role would raise new questions to add to the DH 'challenge'. You have interviews lined up. Focus on them.

Worse case, maybe you could consider temping for a while to get some recent 'non family' experience on your c.v.?

Thanks so much @HundredMilesAnHour your advice has been really helpful.

I had t considered temping but now you've said it it makes complete sense.

Lots of interviews this week and next so fingers crossed!

It's my pleasure to be able to help. Makes a refreshing change from so many of the sniping threads on MN these days. Good luck with your interviews! It sounds like you have great experience so just hang in there. All it takes is one door to open and you'll be sorted.

I'm an EA, and am involved in hiring in other EAs to the company. If I saw your CV it would make sense to me if:

You title yourself EA
Have a short opening paragraph mentioning your corporate EA experience
Make it clear current role is a small family business that you co-own
List Director of company as one of the duties (no point styling yourself as Director as your title, it's misleading)
Briefly list out the mundane activities eg inbox, diary
For the projects flesh this out with examples of what you achieved

I think the projects are where you will prove this was a real job and not just answering the phone / emails now and again.

That's very helpful, thank you.

Perhaps if I add the detail in a more obvious way to my CV it won't come as surprise at the interview stage

If I were hiring, as I did in my previous role, it wouldn't have been an issue for me