The Top 5 Qualities to Look for When Hiring a Personal or Executive Assistant
Dec 25, 2024 11:00:00 AM
Executive management is known to be constantly busy, juggling multiple tasks and making sure the company runs smoothly. With never-ending to-do lists and calendars that are always full, having a personal or executive assistant is needed to help manage all these tasks with ease.
But assistants are more than just, well, assistants. They’re basically the right arm of any C-suite-level executive, acting as their primary support system in the business. The role of an executive assistant has changed over the years and has progressed from more than just answering calls and doing other administrative tasks to a more strategic role.
This is one of the reasons why finding the right qualities in a personal or executive assistant is crucial. Read on as we show the top 5 traits that you need to look out for when hiring notch personal or executive assistant:
Communication Skills
Excellent communication skills go beyond speaking; they can be in all forms as well. Confidence is expected, as executive assistants are the first point of contact when reaching out to clients and customers. A good candidate must possess great writing skills, as well as familiarity with the latest tools.
Problem-solver
A suitable candidate is a problem-solver, and they should also be able to easily find quick solutions for issues without having to bother their bosses. They should be analytical and can anticipate problems before they happen.
Organisational Skills
Because of the never-ending tasks that executives take on, the assistant should be able to effectively manage all of these and be able to do so under pressure. It’s given that executive assistant jobs can be chaotic, but a good candidate should be able to find some structure to handle the chaos.
Trustworthiness
Since an executive assistant is considered the right-hand person, there should be a level of trust that they must possess as they are tasked with dealing with confidential information of the company and the executive.
Adaptable and Willingness to Learn
A good assistant should also be able to adapt quickly to any challenge they face, whether that is learning a new tool or even dealing with a new client. Even if they are not well-versed in one thing, they should be welcome to learn new things in order to succeed in their role.
Having all these skills in a candidate guarantees that they have what it takes to nail the role of a personal or executive assistant. If you or your company are on the lookout for a personal or executive assistant to support your C-level executives, we can help you find the right person. Visit www.Halian.com to learn more about our recruitment solutions.