What is an executive assistant?

Before you decide if you need one, you need to be able to answer, “What is an executive assistant?” An executive assistant is an administrative assistant who supports one or more senior managers with administrative tasks. It’s typically a higher-level position than a general administrative assistant because the role helps executives and often includes more advanced duties. Administrative assistants usually support the office as a whole.

The typical executive assistant job description includes a variety of tasks, such as creating correspondence, handling schedules, greeting clients in person and over the phone, maintaining records and managing an executive’s schedule. You can assign any number of duties based on where you’re struggling.

What an executive assistant can do for your company

What does an executive assistant do for a company? An executive assistant can help your company operate more smoothly by handling the administrative tasks that consume your time and keep you from more important duties. The assistant helps the specific managers they’re assigned to, but they also help the overall company.

Consider the following benefits of having an administrative assistant:

• Manages day-to-day office tasks to free up time for others
• Allows you to focus on higher-level duties that can help the company grow faster
• Improves office procedures to make the workload more efficient
• Facilitates communication with all employees and all external parties
• Keeps email inbox under control to give clients a faster response, which enhances the customer experience and can help retain people
• Fills in gaps where the executive team members have weaknesses, such as putting their thoughts into clearly written content
• Anticipates needs to prevent problems and keep things running efficiently
• Improves organization in the office
• Keeps you on schedule and ensures you go to all appointments
• Serves as the face and voice of the company

Signs it’s time to hire an executive assistant

You don’t have to wait until your company reaches a certain size or particular milestones to hire an executive assistant. Companies hire executive assistants at different points. Determining when you’re ready for an administrative assistant usually depends on how you’re feeling and how the operations are going.

Here are some signs it’s time to hire an executive assistant:

• You’re overwhelmed with administrative tasks and can’t get to the important revenue-generating jobs you need to do.
• You don’t make as much progress as you want because administrative duties slow you down.
• You struggle with organization or miss important meetings and deadlines because you have difficulty managing your schedule.
• Your internal processes need help, but you don’t have time to change them.
• It’s difficult to get through emails and return phone calls because you have too much to do.
• You’re the prime point of contact for everyone, from clients to suppliers.
• You don’t have time for breaks or vacations, and you work longer hours than you want to get everything done.
• There are certain tasks you dread doing that you could easily pass to an assistant.
• Some tasks are difficult for you to handle well.
• You have to turn away business because you can’t manage the workload.
• You can justify the cost of hiring an executive assistant because the improved productivity will help you increase profits.
• You have the budget to pay for an executive assistant.
• Business growth is slowing because you don’t have time to devote to growing it.
• On the opposite end, if your business is growing rapidly and you can’t keep up, hiring an administrative assistant can help.

Not all companies need an executive assistant. A general administrative assistant is often a more affordable option to serve as a general assistant for the office. You get some of the same benefits as an executive assistant, but your tasks aren’t the only ones the administrative assistant handles.

You also might not need an executive assistant if you’re handling the workload well yourself. Your other employees might help with the workload, with each person managing their own administrative tasks well. If you don’t feel the need for an assistant or can’t justify the cost, you can skip the hire for now.

Tips for hiring the right executive assistant

You’ve answered, “What is an executive assistant?” and you know you need one. But finding the right executive assistant can be challenging. It might seem like a relatively simple entry-level position, but an administrative assistant needs several key qualities to succeed and improve your company.

Use these tips to make hiring an executive assistant easier:

• Define the role: Before you start looking for an assistant, define the role of executive assistant based on your needs. Determine what you need help with most and what you feel comfortable passing to someone else. Some executive assistants mainly handle communicating with clients and scheduling, while others might help with bookkeeping, human resources activities and drafting all correspondence.
• Establish minimum requirements: Based on the duties you want the executive assistant to handle, set your minimum job requirements. This might include a bachelor’s degree or a minimum number of years as an assistant. Since it’s a higher-level position, your expectations are often more than they would be for an entry-level administrative assistant.
• Set the pay and benefits: Determine your pay based on your budget, duties for the position and local wages. The common wage for an executive assistant is $19.64 per hour, with a range between $7.50 and $60.50 per hour. Research common local wages for executive assistants to keep your total compensation package competitive. This helps you attract the most qualified candidates.
• Search in many places: Don’t limit your search to a single source. Let everyone in your network know that you’re hiring an executive assistant. Post your job on Indeed. Ask for referrals from your current employees. This gives you a more diverse candidate pool with more choices.
• Use recruiting software tools: Various types of recruiting software can improve the process. Applicant tracking systems help you scan resumes and track applicant data. Candidate relationship management software helps manage applicant interactions and enhance the applicant experience.
• Do phone screening interviews: Narrow down your candidates by doing a phone screening interview. Since your executive assistant might spend a lot of time on the phone, this is a fitting way to determine how well each candidate does on the phone. Schedule the top candidates based on the screening for an in-person interview.
• Ask the right questions: Having a detailed list of executive assistant interview questions helps you choose the best candidate from those you interview. This might include questions such as how the person would handle sensitive situations, what software programs the candidate knows how to use and how they manage busy schedules. Consider the important qualifications you need from an executive assistant to help create the questions.
• Consider the culture and personality fit: Your executive assistant works closely with you every day. You want someone whose personality works well with yours to avoid constant clashes. Your new executive assistant should also add to the current company culture.
• Balance weaknesses: Consider where your weaknesses are, and find an executive assistant who balances out those areas.
• Test skills: Have all the candidates do skills tests to evaluate their proficiency with technology and communication. Consider the programs the executive assistant needs to use frequently when deciding what to test.
• Focus on soft skills: Your new executive assistant can learn how to use software, office equipment and other tools necessary for the job. It’s more difficult to change the way someone behaves and treats people. Look for someone who listens well, treats people in a respectful manner and doesn’t get easily flustered.
• Get additional input: If the executive assistant will support more than one senior manager, have all of them involved in the interview. You can also invite other staff members to the interview, even if the assistant won’t be supporting them. Having additional opinions can help you choose between two good candidates.
• Do checks: Check up on your top candidates by calling references. Run background checks, especially if your executive assistant is going to handle confidential or financial information. Looking at social media accounts can also help you find red flags.
• Prepare an onboarding process: Have an established onboarding process before you hire your first executive assistant. This ensures a smooth transition and streamlines the training process to give the assistant the necessary tools to get started.