Anyone here an Executive Assistant?

[Quirkyme]

I have an Executive Assistant interview coming up in the council I currently work for.

Is anybody here in the role, and could perhaps give me tips and ideas of questions that may come up? And any particular answers, tips, things to think about/make sure I say to really impress the interviewers?

Used to be, definitely have examples of how organised you are

My mum used to be. Yy to examples of your organisational experience plus probably where you've restructured procedures.

Used to be - some solid examples of being v organised, on it, very discreet (important if senior support) etc. is it competency based? Solid examples covering organising, competing priorities and how you manage them, being flexible etc

Stakeholder management is very important.

I'm not but I've interviewed for one plenty of times. Yea to all the things above but I'd say that interpersonal skills are just as important. An executive assistant works closely with someone senior usually. That senior person wants someone easy to get along with as well as efficient. Someone who will be a good outward face for them with stakeholders. So warmth and approachability matter as much as technical skill. And initiative too.

Good luck

Stakeholder management is also a key skill.

Also planning meetings - talk about agenda planning, recording action points and sharing them with key parties, how strict you are re receiving papers in advance of meetings.

I have an EA

What I look for

Exceptional communication skills
Excellent organisation skills
Ability to read between the lines
Ability to smooth things over when dealing with difficult people
Proactive, discreet, reliable

Here are the interview questions I used to hire the current EA (with edits so not to be outing)

1. What attracted you to the Executive Assistant role at xxxx?
2. How do you feel your experience matches the needs of the role?
3. This role has 2 main parts: supporting the CEO and Director of xxxx and supporting governance and our trustees. Which of

these areas do you enjoy the most and why?

1. How do you ensure the CEO and Director are briefed and prepared?
2. Tell me how you prioritise your workload when you have multiple tasks to complete.
3. Describe a time where you managed a specific challenge and were proud of how you acted.
4. Sometimes you may need to interact with difficult personalities. How do you handle different personalities?
5. What would you do if another staff member asked to see confidential documents?
6. What are your top strengths and weaknesses?

10. What strategies do you use to maintain accurate and up-to-date information. 11. Are there any parts of the role where you would benefit from additional training?

Tips

Research the person you will be supporting and the type of work they do

Ideally you will be aware of what their likely priorities and challenges are.

Good questions

What do they think the challenges and priorities are?
Why do they like their job?
What is the workplace culture like?
How would they describe their leadership style?

Thank you very much everyone. These are all really useful tips. Much appreciated

Hi everyone, I had the first stage interview a few weeks back, - it was informal and only then just found it there was going to be a second-stage interview, which I have later on this week :)

I really prepped hard not knowing it was going to be informal!

Anyways here's to hoping this week I get it!

Hey, I found these really helpful.

Would you mind giving me some tips or things to think about for number 4 please?

I have some ideas that I've noted but would appreciate any extra in case I'm missing anything x

No 4 a couple of examples

Good prep for a meeting that your CEO is attending. They will want to know

who else is attending, job title, organisation

Where. When. What time, length

In person - travel arrangements
Online is it zoom or teams

Background to the meeting, what happened at the last one, purpose of meeting

What are the key agenda items and a summary of the key points

Any likely issues or challenges

prep for the week

Key things happening each day
Pressure points
Issues challenges
Actions needed

I've been an EA for about 20 years now had one main boss during most of this time and he recently retired and am working for someone new. I also work for various other directors in the business. Re No. 4 - its an information gathering exercise. Look at the diary and ask for information about agendas and documents for any forthcoming meetings/regular meeting cadence. Ask if they need any pre meetings to prep if they are meeting stakeholders - so organise meetings with colleagues so that they can prep the director beforehand and provide updates on topics being discussed.

Thank you 💕

Thank you so much

I used to be.

An element of the EA role, is that of a problem solver, so do you have any examples of times of how and when you dealt with difficult situations?

I used to support C Suite & above, my last role for an international CEO. They gathered I would have the core skills like organisation, communication etc. What they wanted to know, was how I was going to improve their business lives.

Part of my role involves PA'ing, I know EA is a bit more in depth but probably similar is:

*Ensuring their wellbeing, e.g. factoring in travel times, you don't want them having meetings they don't have time to get to, or aren't logical e.g. if they're due to meet with 2 different people who are a way away, can it be the same day/consecutive days with a hotel stay - rather than have one, come all the way back for a day then come all the way back

*Things frequently come up that trump an existing meeting that has to be rescheduled due to the urgency of the emerging priority - so being able to send apologies on their behalf and looking for alternatives at the same time

*Helping them prepare for meetings - have they got all the documents they need in the format they need? (E.g. our CEO prefers lengthy documents printed so he can properly read them). Do they need anything booked in e.g. travel or a hotel. Has all the paperwork that was needed for the meeting been received.

*You may be asked to prepare documents for them/proof reading/pulling stats for a meeting they have coming up.

*You may well have to send emails on their behalf so need to ensure they reflect their professional standards - almost always they will be formal, you won't want to be sending casual emails!

*You want to explain how you can make their working day as easy as possible, so they can focus on their role - so doing things like making sure their diary is in order, no clashes etc

Hey, thank you!

Yes I have a number of examples ready to be applied! One of which is an example of a difficult situation and how I dealt with it

Thank you, this is really useful :)

Don't forget managing worklife/balance. Its a big thing with my MD and you can try and add time in but sometimes its impossible with deadlines and at certain times of the year.

Thank you! Yes, this is something I've factored in my prep too.

I have sent you a msg btw, hope that's okay