Executive Assistant Interview Questions

Executive assistants provide high-level administrative and business support for company leaders, such as CEOs, directors and senior-level management.

An executive assistant is commonly found answering phones, screening visitors, making travel arrangements, preparing reports, filing and organizing documents, recording meeting minutes, and performing basic bookkeeping tasks.

Whether you're a job seeker preparing to be interviewed for the role of Executive Assistant or an employer preparing to interview candidates for Executive Assistant position, these Executive Assistant interview questions will help you prepare yourself for the job interview session.

Executive Assistant Interview Questions

Below are a list of some skill-based Executive Assistant interview questions.

1. How do you anticipate the needs of an executive?
2. What process would you use to set up a meeting?
3. What do you believe an executive assistant brings to a company?
4. How would you best support an international C-Level executive?
5. Recall a time you worked on a challenging project with multiple people. What was the project? What was the outcome?
6. What would you do if two people you support gave you conflicting directions?
7. What kinds of reports and communications did you work on for your superior or CEO?
8. What strengths do you have that help you excel as an executive assistant?
9. If you need to schedule a last-minute meeting and the conference room was unavailable, what would you do?
10. What sort of operational support have you provided executives in the past?
11. Do you know how to use Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint?
12. Your CEO has given you sensitive information about a possible merger with another company. Another executive asks you what you know about these plans. How do you handle it?
13. How would you rate your ability to maintain confidentiality?
14. Do you consider yourself an extrovert?
15. Have you ever felt like your workload was too much to handle?
16. How would you approach a situation where you were unsure about something and didn’t know who to ask?
17. How would you respond if you saw misconduct occurring within your organization and your line manager wouldn’t take action?
18. Do you support more than one person? If so, how do you prioritize your tasks?
19. Recall a time you disagreed with your colleagues about how to execute a project. How did you resolve it?
20. How would you rate your ability to work with difficult personalities?
21. How much do you know about this company and industry?
22. What would you say is your greatest success as an executive assistant?
23. What would you do if you received criticism from one of your executives?
24. What would you do if an executive gave you an assignment without complete instructions on how to accomplish the task?
25. How would you rate your computer skills?
26. What specific software programs do you feel are essential to your day-to-day work?
27. Describe your experience with booking international and domestic travel.
28. How would you handle a situation where you made a mistake in flight booking for an executive?
29. Talk about any work experience you have that is relevant for this role.
30. Describe your typical workday as an Executive Assistant. How do you prioritize your tasks?
31. Describe a time you had to adjust a schedule due to unforeseen circumstances.
32. How would you deal with an angry person demanding to speak with an unavailable executive?

Executive Assistant Interview Questions and Answers

Every interview is different and the questions may vary. However, there are lots of general questions that get asked at every interview.

Below are some common questions you'd expect during Executive Assistant interviews. Click on each question to see how to answer them.

1. Are You a Leader or a Follower?
2. Why Do You Want This Job?
3. What is Your Greatest Strength?
4. Tell Me About Yourself
5. What is Your Salary Expectation?
6. Why Should We Hire You?
7. Why Do You Want To Leave Your Current Job?
8. What Is Your Greatest Accomplishment?
9. Do You Have Any Questions for Us?
10. What is Your Greatest Weakness?