Executive assistant interview questions

A great executive assistant protects someone’s time, anticipates what they need and handles sensitive information carefully. These questions ask for real examples of judgement, because the hardest parts of the job are the ones nobody writes down.

10 questions for a executive assistant first round

Pick three to five that fit your role, rather than all ten: a short first round gets more finished interviews. All ten together take about 22 minutes to record. The time limits suit a one-way video interview, where each answer is recorded once.

  1. 1

    Tell us about a time you had to rearrange a busy executive’s week at short notice.

    Listen for: Deciding what mattered most, communicating changes clearly and protecting what couldn’t move.

    3 min to answer
  2. 2

    How do you decide what to bring to your manager and what to handle yourself?

    Listen for: Clear criteria, a habit of acting within agreed limits and asking when unsure.

    2 min to answer
  3. 3

    Describe a time you handled confidential information. What did you do to protect it?

    Listen for: Practical care without sharing anything confidential in the answer itself.

    2 min to answer
  4. 4

    Tell us about something you did before your manager asked for it.

    Listen for: Anticipation based on knowing their priorities, not busywork.

    2 min to answer
  5. 5

    How do you organise complex travel or an event with many moving parts?

    Listen for: Checklists, confirmations, a back-up plan and calm when something goes wrong.

    3 min to answer
  6. 6

    Describe a mistake you made and how you dealt with it.

    Listen for: Owning it quickly, fixing it and changing a habit so it didn’t happen again.

    2 min to answer
  7. 7

    How do you deal with people who want time in your manager’s diary that you can’t give them?

    Listen for: Politeness, firmness and an alternative where possible.

    2 min to answer
  8. 8

    Which tools do you use to keep track of tasks, notes and deadlines?

    Listen for: A reliable system they actually use, and comfort learning a new one.

    2 min to answer
  9. 9

    Tell us about a time you had to work with someone difficult to get something done.

    Listen for: Professional patience and a focus on the outcome.

    2 min to answer
  10. 10

    What makes a working relationship with a manager go well, in your experience?

    Listen for: Regular check-ins, clear expectations and trust built over time.

    2 min to answer
Scoring

Signs of a strong candidate

  • Anticipates needs instead of waiting for instructions
  • Handles sensitive matters with care
  • Stays calm and organised when plans change
  • Knows when to decide and when to ask

Agree what a 3 and a 5 look like for each question before anyone watches, and save your own rating before reading your colleagues’.

Use them

Run these as a video interview

  1. Save your chosen questions as a question set in AsyncView, with the minutes for each.
  2. Create an interview for the role, import the set and pick a deadline.
  3. Paste your candidates’ names and emails. Each gets a private link.
  4. Watch, rate and compare answers with your team, then shortlist.
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Send these questions to your executive assistant candidates today.

Candidates record their answers in their own time; your team reviews together. The Free plan includes 5 interviews and needs no card.

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