ExamopotamiaWhy assess executive assistants before hiring?
Executive assistants are often hired on the strength of a reference and a good conversation. But the job lives in grey areas. Can they keep a secret when a colleague asks about a rumour? Will they raise an expense problem with a senior leader, or just submit it? What do they do when a client cancels and the executive is mid-flight? A scenario test puts every finalist through the same situations, so you compare judgement rather than confidence.
What this template covers
- Diary management: clashes, meeting requests and handling a busy workload before leave.
- Gatekeeping: urgent unknown callers and protecting the executive's time.
- Confidentiality and integrity: rumours, sensitive plans and out-of-policy expenses.
- Travel and time zones: itinerary essentials and converting meeting times.
- Acting on their behalf: inbox rules, board papers and emails sent for the executive.
How to run it well
Use it after a first screen, when you have a shortlist. Twelve questions in 15 minutes is enough, and a pass mark around 75% suits senior support roles. Shuffle the options so candidates have to read each answer carefully rather than spot a pattern.
The questions are mainly single-choice scenarios, with a multiple-select question on travel itineraries and a true/false about accepting meetings. Results are best used as an interview guide. Pick the two or three questions a candidate got wrong and ask them to explain their reasoning. That conversation often shows more about how they think than the score itself.
Who this test is for
Use it for executive assistants, personal assistants to directors and founders, chief-of-staff support roles and senior team assistants. Recruitment agencies placing EAs can use one consistent test for every client brief. It is also useful when an existing team assistant is being considered for promotion to support a senior leader, because it gives a fair, documented basis for the decision that doesn't rely only on who knows them best.
Make it yours
Add questions about your executive's real working patterns, such as how they like papers prepared, which meetings always take priority and how they travel. Include the tools you use for calendars and expenses. If the role covers a board or committee, add questions about your own governance timetable and how papers are circulated. Keep any real names and plans out of the questions, since candidates outside the company will read them.