Senior Executive Assistant
Complete with job descriptions, skill profiles, and interview templates. Use this Senior Executive Assistant hiring guide to help you make the right decisions, fast.
HOW TO HIRE A Senior Executive Assistant
What does a Senior Executive Assistant do?
Senior Executive Assistant provides administrative and clerical support to senior officials in the company. They help in managing their calendar, assist in meetings, and act as the middle man between the employees and the upper management.
Day to day tasks of a Senior Executive Assistant
- Manage the calendar of senior executives–ensure all important appointments are prioritized.
- Prepare travel arrangements including flight and accommodation bookings, and transportation transfer if needed.
- Create presentations and reports as requested.
- Organise and maintain internal databases.
- Manage phone calls, emails, and other correspondences of the senior executive.
- Prepare internal communication materials such as memos, invitations, announcements, and other correspondence.
- Answer phone calls, emails, and other inquiries.
- Review company policies and offer suggestions for improvements.
Senior Executive Assistant definition
A Senior Executive Assistant’s primary responsibility is to provide administrative and clerical support to a senior official of a company. This person will be responsible for organizing and managing the day to day of a senior official. The Senior Executive Assistant will also be the link between the upper management and the staff of the company.
HIRING PROCESS
Senior Executive Assistant Hiring Process
Build the ideal candidate profile
Skills needed for a Senior Executive Assistant
A Senior Executive Assistant must have exemplary organizational skills to be able to support the daily operations of a senior executive. Because the assistant will be working closely with a top level official, they should exhibit outstanding resiliency and adaptability.
- Communication
- Multitask
- Professional Discretion
Pro Tip
For this role, you may highlight the required years of experience in the profession or the nature of industry that the applicant should have come from. In this way, applicants will easily gauge if they are fit for the role and if they have what it takes to be hired.
WRITE A JOB DESCRIPTION BASED ON SKILLS
How to write a Senior Executive Assistant job description
Once you’ve determined the skills required for the role, you can write the job description to advertise for your position. Here’s what to include in your Senior Executive Assistant job description:
Job Title: What position are you hiring for?
Summary: What makes your company unique? What would it be like to work for you?
Responsibilities: An overview of the role’s day-to-day activities, and how the position contributes to the organization
Requirements: Skills a candidate must have to perform the job successfully
Benefits: Details of compensation, benefits, and any perks on offer
Pro Tip
In building your candidate profile, remember you’ve already identified what skills are needed to succeed in the role. Here’s where to list your “must-have” skills and maybe a couple of “nice-to-have” skills. For example, a Senior Executive Assistant must have exemplary organizational skills, and it would be nice to have Quickbooks experience.
SELECTING THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
Sample skill tests for a Senior Executive Assistant
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Question 1
Multitask
Question Type: Text
What is the difference between ‘urgent’ and ‘important’ ?
Tell us how you would distinguish the two from each other and give an example of when you have had to do so.
Question 2
Communication
Question Type: Video
Imagine, you have been shortlisted for this role as a Senior Executive Assistant, upload a video explaining why you stand out from the other applicants
Think about experience, skills and personality.
Question 3
Professional Discretion
Question Type: Text
Tell us about a time in the workplace where you have had to show a level of discretion with something you were doing or saying.
What did you do to make sure you maintained complete professionalism while doing so?
INTERVIEW TOP PERFORMERS
How to interview a Senior Executive Assistant
Once your Vervoe skills assessment has surfaced the most qualified people for your open role, you can focus on interviewing these candidates. The interview should focus on any skills that require development that were highlighted from the skills assessment.
Now you know that candidates can do the job, the interview becomes more of a relationship building exercise where you can get to know the candidate on a more personal level, understand their motivations, and how they would fit in with the team.
Making An Offer
How much does it cost to hire a Senior Executive Assistant?
The US average for a Senior Executive Assistant, as reported by Glassdoor.com, is $66,586, while Payscale.com reported it at $71,794. Some companies can offer profit sharing, cash bonus, and tips, increasing the total pay being received.
Senior Executive Assistant Salary United States
Senior Executive Assistant salaries in the United States range from $45,000 – $129,000. The salaries depend on the years of experience, industry, educational background, and the location. Other companies can offer additional pay in the form of profit sharing, cash bonus, and tips.
Source: Glassdoor.com, Payscale.com
Senior Executive Assistant Salary United Kingdom
Senior Executive Assistant salaries in the United Kingdom range from £25,000 – £59,000 (GBP). The salaries depend on the years of experience, industry, educational background, and the location. Some companies offer additional pay through bonuses.
Source: Glassdoor.com, Payscale.com
Senior Executive Assistant Salary Australia
Senior Executive Assistant salaries in Australia range from $68,000 – $123,000 (AUD) . The salaries depend on the years of experience, industry, educational background, and the location. Some companies offer additional pay through bonuses.
Source: Payscale.com, Glassdoor.com
