Interview scorecard by role
Executive Assistant Interview Scorecard & Questions
An executive assistant protects an executive's time and acts as a strategic partner. Look for judgment, discretion, superb organization and the confidence to manage up.
What to assess: 5 core competencies
Copy this scorecard. Assign each competency to one interviewer, rate it 1–5 and write down the evidence before discussing the candidate with anyone.
| Competency | What good looks like | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calendar and priority management | protects time for what matters. | ||
| Judgment | makes good decisions on behalf of the executive. | ||
| Discretion | handles highly confidential matters. | ||
| Communication | represents the executive professionally. | ||
| Project coordination | drives initiatives and follow-ups to completion. | ||
| Overall | ☐ Strong no ☐ No ☐ Yes ☐ Strong yes | ||
10 structured interview questions for a executive assistant
Ask the same core questions, in the same order, to every candidate. Probe with "What did you do?" and "What was the result?"
- How do you decide which meetings an executive should take?
- Tell me about a decision you made on your executive's behalf.
- Describe managing an executive's inbox.
- How do you handle conflicting requests from two senior leaders?
- Tell me about coordinating a board meeting or offsite.
- Describe a time you pushed back on your executive.
- How do you track follow-ups from meetings?
- Tell me about handling highly confidential information.
- How do you prepare your executive for a busy week?
- Exercise: here's a messy week of calendar requests; produce a prioritized calendar and explain trade-offs.
Rating anchors for the critical competencies
Anchors stop one interviewer's "4" from being another's "2". These cover the two competencies that most often separate strong and weak executive assistant hires. Read our interview rating scale guide to write anchors for the rest.
Judgment
| 1 — Below the bar | Escalates everything or decides poorly without context. |
|---|---|
| 3 — Meets the bar | Makes routine decisions confidently and escalates the rest. |
| 5 — Exceptional | Anticipates the executive's priorities and makes decisions they would have made. |
Calendar and priority management
| 1 — Below the bar | Accepts every request. |
|---|---|
| 3 — Meets the bar | Organizes the calendar and avoids conflicts. |
| 5 — Exceptional | Designs the week around priorities, protects focus time and prepares briefs for each meeting. |
Red flags to watch for
- Indiscreet about past executives.
- Never pushes back.
- Disorganized in the interview scheduling itself.
30-60-90 day plan outline for a new executive assistant
| Days 1–30: Learn | Learn priorities, stakeholders and preferences; take over calendar and inbox. |
|---|---|
| Days 31–60: Contribute | Run weekly planning; own meeting prep and follow-ups. |
| Days 61–90: Own | Lead a project such as an offsite; improve one executive workflow. |
Turn this into a full plan with goals and check-ins using our 30-60-90 day plan guide or the 30-60-90 Day Onboarding Kit.
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How many interview rounds should a executive assistant go through?
Two or three focused stages are usually enough for a small company: a short screen, a structured interview using the questions above, and a practical exercise or final interview. Score every stage on the same 1–5 scale.
What is the most predictive part of a executive assistant interview?
The practical exercise — "here's a messy week of calendar requests; produce a prioritized calendar and explain trade-offs." — because it shows real work rather than descriptions of it. Score it against the anchors on this page.
Generate more questions with the free interview question generator.