Looking for a role as an executive assistant? As an executive assistant, you’ll be in a central support role for the executive team in a company. You’ll be responsible for scheduling, answering inquiries, and managing clerical tasks. According to ZipRecruiter job listings, to find success in this role you need to be able to take responsibility for your tasks, have good organizational skills, and be personable. If you’re preparing for an executive assistant interview, you’re in the right place. Below we’ll show you some of the most common executive assistant interview questions (and tips on how to answer them!) so you feel well-prepared. 

Sample Executive Assistant Interview Questions 

Before we get on to some great executive assistant interview questions, let’s talk about how to get those interviews in the first place. ZipRecruiter is the #1 job site in the United States, and you can find executive assistant positions there, too!

To get started, create a profile. Then, upload your resume, specify what kind of work you’re looking for, and start browsing! While you’re doing this, ZipRecruiter will send your profile to employers who are hiring executive assistants. If any of them are interested in you, you’ll get an invitation to apply.

Responding to that invitation triples your chances of getting hired!

1. How Do You Decide Which Tasks Take Priority? 

Try to think of examples of how you handled various situations ahead of time so you have them in your mind for these kinds of questions. Don’t overthink this; if you don’t have work experience for this question, think of a time when you juggled studying for a test with other tasks. 

2. How Would You Handle a Demanding Visitor?

They may substitute “visitor” for a supervisor or another person who is likely to ask you to do something for them. They’re looking to see how you handle yourself when someone is being unreasonable. 

3. What Goes Into Your Process for Making Travel Arrangements? 

If you’re going to be an assistant to executives that travel a lot, put some thought into how you’ll go about making sure their trips go smoothly. 

4. How Might You Anticipate the Executive’s Needs? 

Try to think about how you can best support them in doing their job. Feel free to include some little touches of your own. This answer should include how you’ll go about learning about their likes and dislikes first so you can best anticipate their needs. 

5. List 3 Skills That Make You a Good Candidate for This Position. 

This is a good time to analyze the job description on ZipRecruiter so you can reflect the skills they’re looking for. Of course, don’t lie, but don’t be too modest, either!

6. What Past Experiences Make You Feel Well-Equipped for This Position? 

This is another question to have some examples ready to offer. You can list past positions, but make sure you also give an example of a specific time that gave you the right experience for this position. 

7. How Proficient Are You [with Computers/Software/Etc.]? 

A question this open on your hard skills can throw you off, especially if it’s about digital proficiency, since we’re all pretty computer-literate these days. Instead of saying something vague like “very,” consider giving yourself a rating out of 10 and then talking about how easily you pick up software. If you have previous experience in a role like this, this is also a good opportunity to talk about specific relevant software you have experience with. 

Get Ready for Your Interview!

Everyone has at least a few butterflies in their stomach before an interview, especially when the interviewer starts asking questions and you’re not sure what they want to hear. If you use these questions to prepare and think about other general interview questions, you’ll be able to walk into those executive assistant interview questions with confidence and stand out from the crowd.