How do I screen Executive Assistant candidates before interviewing?

Send every applicant one link that carries 4 skills tests (Executive Assistant, Attention to Detail, Communication, Microsoft 365), 2 personality inventories and 5 one-way video questions. springhire scores everything automatically and ranks the candidates, so you interview the top few. The free plan covers 10 candidates a month.

How long does the Executive Assistant screening take a candidate?

About 40 minutes for the tests, plus 10 to 15 minutes for the video questions. Candidates complete it on their own time, on any device.

What should a Executive Assistant job description include?

A short brief, key responsibilities, must-have and nice-to-have skills and the requirements. The JD generator writes one for this role in a minute.

Which interview questions work best for a Executive Assistant?

Questions that ask for a specific past example and a walkthrough of how the candidate thinks. This page lists 8 with sample answers, and the full bank has more.

Yes. The free plan includes every screening tool with 10 candidate credits a month and no card. Paid plans start at $39 a month.

Operations

How to hire a Executive Assistant

What the role does, the job description, the interview questions, and the 40-minute screening pack that tells you who can do the job before you book a single interview.

Screen Executive Assistant candidates free See the pack

The role

What a Executive Assistant does

A Executive Assistant sits in the Operations function. The sections below give you the job description, the interview questions and the screening pack for the role.

Screen before you interview

The Executive Assistant screening pack

Judgement, precision, communication and tools, plus discretion. Every applicant gets one link. You get one ranked report.

Skills tests · 40 minutes total

Office & adminExecutive Assistant Test10 min · 20 questions · AdvancedThe Executive Assistant Test shows you how a candidate performs when the stakes are executive-level: board meetings, confidential deals, competing C-suite demands, and correspondence that carries the CEO's name. Twenty situational judgment scenarios score four dimensions, giving you evidence of senior judgment before the interview.Cognitive & aptitudeAttention to Detail Test12 min · 24 questions · IntermediateThe Attention to Detail Test shows you how carefully a candidate reads, checks, and verifies textual information. It measures four practical skills: matching strings against a reference, comparing records, checking that document fields agree, and spotting errors and omissions in text and data.CommunicationCommunication Test8 min · 20 questions · Entry levelThe Communication Test shows you how a candidate actually communicates at work: how clearly they write, how carefully they listen, how reliably they confirm understanding, and how considerately they handle tone and timing. Through 20 realistic entry-level scenarios, it scores four dimensions so you can hire people who keep customers and colleagues on the same page.Software skillsMicrosoft 365 Test10 min · 20 questions · IntermediateThe Microsoft 365 Test helps hiring teams check practical workplace software skills for candidates who use shared files, Teams and Outlook every day. It suits roles where people need to collaborate, manage updates correctly and follow basic security practices without heavy support.

Personality inventories

Integrity and Reliability TestThe Integrity and Reliability Test helps hiring teams assess how entry-level candidates are likely to respond to workplace rules, deadlines and responsibilities. It is useful for roles where showing up, following process and taking ownership are essential to daily performance.DISC Personality TestThe DISC Personality Test helps hiring teams understand how candidates tend to communicate, respond to change and work with others. It is useful for entry level hiring when role success depends on pace, collaboration, follow-through and comfort with structure.

One-way video questions · answered on camera, scored by AI

1
Two executives need you at the same time. How do you decide?
2
Describe how you manage a calendar across three time zones.
3
Tell us about a confidential situation you handled.
4
How do you prepare an executive for a week of travel?
5
What do you do when you spot a mistake in something your executive is about to send?

Send this pack to your applicantsFree plan, 10 candidates a month, no card.

Interview questions

Executive Assistant interview questions

For the candidates who pass the pack. Each comes with a sample answer on the full page.

01
What do you find rewarding about being an executive assistant?
02
Who have you supported before and at what level?
03
How do you handle the confidential nature of this role?
04
Why are you interested in supporting our leadership?
05
How do you manage a complex, constantly changing executive calendar?
06
Describe how you coordinate complex domestic and international travel.
07
How do you prepare an executive for a busy day or an important meeting?
08
What is your approach to managing an executive's email and communications?

All Executive Assistant interview questions with answers

Frequently asked questions

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