Insight Articles

When you are recruiting an executive assistant for a senior company leader or c-suite executive, you may be seeking a business partner EA - one who provides top-level strategic support and insights to act as your chief of staff.  But what qualities do you need to find an executive assistant who performs at that seni...

In the last decade, the way that executives work with assistants has changed drastically. Increasingly, the traditional relationship between leader and assistant was entirely focused on paperwork, diary management and other administrative tasks.  However in recent years, there’s been a significant shift. More compan...

Are you tempted to share an executive assistant between two leaders? It can be highly cost efficient, but there are pitfalls. Firm rules of operation need to be established for the partnership to be successful. If it’s a plan you’d like to pursue, it’s important to have clear lines of communication and boundaries to...

As an executive assistant, it’s great to be known as a specialist. Perhaps you’re known as a leading EA in the technology, finance or medical field. Building your extensive knowledge of the industry, the stakeholders and the leading organisations can help considerably advance your career.  But what happens when you ...

If you are an HR manager for a large organisation, there may come a time when you are tasked with recruiting an executive assistant to the CEO. It can be one of the most daunting appointments to place. Many HR managers find it challenging. After all, it’s a unique position in the organisation—the executive assistant...

When you’re a high-level executive assistant, no two days are the same. So it’s important to have a reliable system with an executive assistant daily checklist to keep you on track.  Having worked as an EA myself, and now specialising in hiring executive assistants for Australia’s leading employers, I have spent man...

  Are you hiring an EA and not sure what questions to ask? Do you feel confident in interviews for other staff but due to the personal nature of the EA/executive relationship, want to be very sure you get the questions right? You need the executive assistant interview questions to be strategic, insightful and stimul...

Your executive assistant is an integral part of your leadership team. The right EA brings out the best in the executive, and is single mindedly focussed on achievement of the executive’s KPIs. So, finding the right executive assistant is crucial, and hiring a specialist makes all the difference.    Specialists of al...

When you’re recruiting an executive assistant, finding the ideal candidate can seem as elusive as a needle in a haystack. When you have a particular set of requirements for the role, and the applicants aren’t meeting the criteria, it’s incredibly frustrating. It can cause inconvenience to the senior executive who co...

Are you an executive assistant reporting to a new CEO? This can be a stressful time. While you are established in the role as EA, your former CEO has departed and a new replacement has arrived. Naturally, it’s essential to your continued career growth to establish a positive start to this new working relationship.  ...

In the last decade there’s been an enormous shift in the role of the high-performing executive assistant. As automation and software makes time-consuming tasks more efficient and easy, EAs are now increasingly stepping into leadership positions. Rather than filing papers and taking minutes, business partner EAs are ...

What is a chief of staff?  A chief of staff acts as the CEO’s sounding board, strategic partner and overseer. Put simply, the chief of staff acts as a go-between for the CEO and important stakeholders. The chief of staff keeps a track of the broader picture, acts as the eyes and ears for the CEO and is a sounding bo...

If your industry has been hit hard by COVID-19 and the subsequent recession, you may be rethinking your recruitment policies. When you need an EA for your senior leadership during this challenging time, is it the right idea to proceed? If you’ve made redundancies in other areas of your business, is it consistent wit...

LinkedIn is an important platform that can help position your executive as a thought leader, raise their profile and increase their network. And it’s all in your hands. By getting into the habit of engaging with LinkedIn regularly, you can deliver plenty of benefits for your executive.  Plus, these tips also work fo...

We’ve been recruiting EAs for decades. When we ask employers the personal qualities they’re seeking in an EA, everyone says the same thing: someone organised.    Imagine you had an EA who is experienced, professional and personable… if they’re disorganised, all those other skills don’t matter.    Of course, during t...

Is your EA candidate a strategic partner or a transactional implementor?  This is an important distinction to clarify when you’re an HR Manager recruiting an EA for the CEO or c-suite executive.    Increasingly, EAs are becoming more strategic in their level of support Due to the advancement of technology and projec...

Everyone says their workplace is fast-paced right? But as a recruiter, I’ve placed candidates in busy offices that would make the typical employee’s head spin.  Sometimes, the fast pace is directed by the leadership team and company culture. They’re decisive and they act quickly on those decisions.  Otherwise, it’s ...

It’s a major milestone in the career of any in-house HR Manager: recruiting the EA for the CEO (or another C-suite executive). What a challenge! It can be a daunting prospect. The EAs to the leadership team have unparalleled levels of reach and influence. No one else works so closely with the senior leadership of th...

When an EA and executive work together harmoniously, the results can be powerful. Of course, a tight-knit relationship like that takes cultivation. If you’re an EA striving to establish a stronger relationship with your executive, here are 12 tactics to consider.  Seeking solutions  When problems arise, instead of a...

When you are a busy CEO or senior executive, the pressure is always on. That’s why you’ve got an executive assistant. They manage your schedule, provide administrative support and ensure your day runs smoothly. But are you using them to their best ability?  When you’re used to doing it all yourself, it can be challe...

Unfortunately, as we near the end of 2019, it’s possible that your EA may resign. At the close of this year, which is also the close of the decade, it’s a natural time for staff to seek new challenges and greener pastures elsewhere. Whatever the reason for your EA’s departure, the end result for you is clear: you ne...

Every CEO wants a high performing executive assistant. So, as the HR Manager for your organisation, you are likely to be tasked with finding the perfect candidate. Unlike other roles across the business, the executive assistant to the CEO has a unique set of responsibilities. No other position within the organisatio...

When you are hiring an EA, you might be tempted to handle it in-house to save on recruiter fees. With decades of experience as both an executive assistant and an EA recruiter, I’ve seen first-hand the problems that arise when people decide to hire their own EA. Read on to find out why it’s a process best left to pro...

A career as an executive assistant is filled with opportunities to provide senior strategic support to a powerful business leader. As an EA, you can heavily influence the success of a company. Senior executives look to their EAs as their second-in-command, so it’s a big responsibility, and it’s very rewarding. When ...