How to Hire an Executive Assistant

Why hire an executive assistant?

Selecting the right candidate as an executive assistant helps streamline CXO level communication, scheduling and key administrative responsibilities, including:

• Managing a daily calendar and scheduling meetings on behalf of senior managers
• Managing and facilitating internal communication channels, such as email, fax and phone calls
• Efficiently carrying out day-to-day office management and resolving discrepancies

Deciding between a full-time vs freelance executive assistant

A freelance executive assistant may be useful if the company’s executives are facing an unprecedented, temporary increase in work and need extra help picking up the slack. Hiring a freelancer while searching for a full-time employee or deciding whether a full-time executive assistant is worth the cost is also beneficial.

Companies can also employ a freelance executive assistant to train their new full-time hire on their day-to-day responsibilities. 

High-level executives who are consistently overwhelmed might consider hiring full-time executive assistants since they can train lower-level staff members, perform office duties and manage communications. 

What are the ranks of executive assistants?

There are a few positions in the assistant industry ranked in a well-defined hierarchy. While these positions may not interact with each other often, there may be some overlap in their duties. These positions include: 

• Office assistant: An office assistant is an entry-level employee who assists the team working in an office. Their duties include answering phones, writing emails and filing documents. 
• Administrative assistant: An administrative assistant can be either an entry-level or a high-level position, depending on the company. Administrative assistants typically have similar responsibilities to office assistants, but they usually work with a specific department. 
• Executive assistant: Executive assistants perform many of the same duties that office and administrative assistants do, but they specifically work with high-level employees and are tasked with more advanced duties. 
• Senior executive assistant: A senior executive assistant often works under top-level executives, such as the CEO. On top of the duties a regular executive assistant performs, a senior executive assistant are given organizational tasks that affect other senior employees. 

Where to find executive assistants

To find the right executive assistant for your business, consider trying out these recruiting strategies:

• Promote or hire from within. Assess the skills and personalities of the assistants already in your employ.
• Advertise the position on social media websites. Create a post on a social media website that lets the community know about the position.
• Post help wanted signs. Hang flyers about the job to increase awareness and encourage people to apply. 
• Conduct a search online. Search online platforms to find experienced executive assistants who are searching for work. 
• Network. Build relationships with other corporations to get leads about executive assistants who may be looking for jobs. 
• Post your job online. Try posting your executive assistant job on Indeed to find and attract quality executive assistant candidates.

What are the ranks of executive assistants?

There are a few positions in the assistant industry ranked in a well-defined hierarchy. While these positions may not interact with each other often, there may be some overlap in their duties. These positions include: 

• Office assistant: An office assistant is an entry-level employee who assists the team working in an office. Their duties include answering phones, writing emails and filing documents. 
• Administrative assistant: An administrative assistant can be either an entry-level or a high-level position, depending on the company. Administrative assistants typically have similar responsibilities to office assistants, but they usually work with a specific department. 
• Executive assistant: Executive assistants perform many of the same duties that office and administrative assistants do, but they specifically work with high-level employees and are tasked with more advanced duties. 
• Senior executive assistant: A senior executive assistant often works under top-level executives, such as the CEO. On top of the duties a regular executive assistant performs, a senior executive assistant are given organizational tasks that affect other senior employees. 

Writing an executive assistant job description

A detailed job description is vital to finding exceptional executive assistant candidates. The executive assistant job description must include defined roles and responsibilities with clearly outlined job duties and essential skills.

When writing your executive assistant job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting. These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on executive assistant jobs, according to Indeed data:

• Executive assistant
• Administrative assistant
• Personal assistant
• Administrative
• Executive administrative assistant
• Office assistant
• Assistant
• Remote work from home
• Virtual assistant
• Clerical

Interviewing executive assistant candidates

Making the right hiring decision for an executive assistant is crucial. The hiring manager must design the interview questions to gauge the experience, skill set and character traits, including.

• Examples of prioritizing and multitasking abilities
• Administrative and office management experience
• How they’ve resolved a tricky situation using strong organizational and communication skills

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of executive assistant interview questions for examples (with sample answers).