An Executive's Guide to Hiring an Executive Assistant
Beyond the resume: Finding the right chemistry and personality fit for a lasting partnership
One of the questions I get often from friends of mine who are looking for an Executive Assistant is, “how can I find a great EA”?
However, after many years of interviewing, vetting, hiring, and firing EAs, I realized that that’s the wrong question for someone to ask. The question that should be asked from the start is “what do I want and need from an Executive Assistant at this point in my career”. A “great” EA is so subjective.
There is a huge difference between searching for an EA who is great and searching for an EA who fits you. Just like there is no such thing as a “great partner” who will be great for every single person, there is no “great EA” who will be great for every exec.
The EA-Executive relationship is a human relationship. And depending on your age, the stage and size of your company, your tenure as an executive, your personal life, your working style, your personality, etc. your needs will differ as will the type of person who can support you well.
So if you are searching for an EA, ask yourself questions like these:
What am I like as an executive and a person? (And be brutally honest with yourself about this)… like if you know you tend to be controlling or micro-manage-y or high maintenance, own it, don’t hide it, and ask interview questions that will help you determine whether someone can work with that working style or not.
What type of person or personality am I looking for in someone who is going to be working very closely with me?
What qualities, traits, and characteristics are important to me in someone who is supposed to represent me and my company? Imagine if you tend to be laid back and want give autonomy to your EA, but you hire someone who needs structure and guidance and wants to meet with you everyday. That partnership is not going to last long.
At this stage of my company and life, what kind of EA do I need? What kind of work will I need them to do? How will I need them to operate?
The type of EA you need will differ depending on so many things specific to you and your company.
Don’t seek out credentials and resumes first. Those are words on a piece of paper that can often times amount to BS. I’m not saying resumes are worthless, I’m saying don’t focus on it as the foundation for whether someone is good or not. Just because someone supported Bill Gates, for example, does not mean they will be an incredible EA for you. You are not Bill Gates, so this is not an apples to apples comparison. Use the resume as a basis for the “years of experience or level” of EA you may want and need. But that’s it.
Instead, focus on the interview and the human interaction you have in the first 30 minutes of speaking with someone. If you’re unsure, spend more time. Just like when you go out and meet people, there are those whom you will instantly click with and others who give you negative vibes. So will it be in interviews.
Because an EA is someone you will spend a lot of time with and someone who will know a lot of personal information about you, you want to find someone who you feel is generally smart and quick and someone you can connect with. You don’t have to become instant best friends (that may actually not be a good thing), but you have to trust your gut about them. You need to find someone whom you’ll be able to trust — not just with secrets, but someone you can trust to do a good job in what they’re hired to do, someone who can represent you well, and someone who will put your and your company’s best interest at the forefront.
As an executive, think about where you are in your life and what stage your company is in, as well. Find an EA who will fit that mold. If you’re a hypergrowth startup CEO, you may need someone with several years of experience, but maybe not someone with 15 years of experience. If you’re a 10,000 person company CEO, you probably won’t work well with an EA straight out of college whose first job would be this one, but you may jibe well with someone who does have that 15 years of experience.
Also ask questions about the EA’s career trajectory. What do they love about this role and what are their expectations? Some want to become a Chief of Staff to a CEO while some others are career EAs, and some even consider this role just as a stepping stone to another role, which could be ok depending on your needs.
Is your company at a stage where you could eventually provide that Chief of Staff role? Or are you ok with someone who plans to leave in a year to pursue something else? Do you need a generalist EA who loves helping people, can adapt and pivot well, and loves what they do? Or do you need a career EA with many years of experience who can help you learn how to use them? The questions are endless.
This is a special role. The relationship and partnership you have with this person will be unlike any other in the company. This is also a relationship that you will have to invest in. The more you invest in it, the easier and quicker it will be for your EA to get to know you and your habits, preferences, working style, communication style, etc. This a relationship and partnership that will take 6 months to a year to build, and it will take work. So don’t expect wonders to happen in the first few months.
If you can find someone you work well with and trust and who can run at the same pace as you, do everything you can to keep them around. “Great” EAs are extremely hard to come by.