Your Executive Administrative Assistant Interview Cheat Sheet

Sherrie Scott, blogger for Demand Media, provides an inside look at the types of questions you can expect while interviewing for an executive administrative assistant position. Knowing what to expect on the day of the big interview will put you at the front of the job-hunting pack and set you up for landing your next great job!

Although interviews—and interviewers—will vary, the nature of high-level executive administrative assistant positions requires that candidates possess a fairly specific and specialized set of skills. Therefore, job candidates can usually expect interview questions that are designed to assess their abilities and competencies in the following key areas. Expect questions that want to determine if you really understand the roles and responsibilities of the position—including why there’s executive in the job title. Because you’ll be providing high-level support, interviewees will want to know if you really understand the tasks you’ll be taking on if given the job, and if your previous employment has equipped you to do so. You should also expect questions that are meant to see how you’d handle a variety of work situations. Do you think well on your feet? Are you a natural problem solver? Can you take a project with minimal guidance and run with it? Don’t be surprised if you encounter questions designed to answer these during an interview. Last but not least, expect questions involving hours and flexibility. A great executive administrative assistant must be an unwavering and reliable vessel in the stormy seas of tight deadlines and huge workloads, and potential bosses will want to know if you’re the sort of employee who will do whatever it takes to get the job done—from working extra hours and weekends to putting the rest of your life on hold if needed. Of course, you should always be ready to handle unexpected curveball questions that come your way—really good executive administrative assistants must be great at handling unexpected and last-minute demands from bosses—but being prepared for and mastering questions that fall under these categories will really set you up for interview success!