How to hire executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.
Job description template
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.
[Job title] at [Company name] [City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range] About the role [Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.] What you will do • Answer phone calls and direct calls to appropriate parties or take messages. • Coordinate and direct office services, such as records, departmental finances, budget preparation, personnel issues, and housekeeping, to aid executives. • Greet visitors and determine whether they should be given access to specific individuals. • Make travel arrangements for executives. • Manage and maintain executives' schedules. • Open, sort, and distribute incoming correspondence, including faxes and email. • Prepare invoices, reports, memos, letters, financial statements, and other documents, using word processing, spreadsheet, database, or presentation software. • Prepare responses to correspondence containing routine inquiries. What you bring • [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any] • [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: High school diploma or equivalent] • Strong active listening, reading comprehension, speaking, writing, critical thinking and active learning skills • Working knowledge of administrative and English Language • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $36.82 an hour ($76,590 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.
- Tell me about a time you had to answer phone calls and direct calls to appropriate parties or take messages. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to coordinate and direct office services, such as records, departmental finances, budget preparation, personnel issues, and housekeeping, to aid executives. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to greet visitors and determine whether they should be given access to specific individuals. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to make travel arrangements for executives. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
- Tell me about written instructions, a policy or a manual you had to follow closely. How did you make sure you followed it correctly?
- Explain something technical from your last job as you would to a new coworker.
- Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?
Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.
What executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants do
- Answer phone calls and direct calls to appropriate parties or take messages.
- Coordinate and direct office services, such as records, departmental finances, budget preparation, personnel issues, and housekeeping, to aid executives.
- Greet visitors and determine whether they should be given access to specific individuals.
- Make travel arrangements for executives.
- Manage and maintain executives' schedules.
- Open, sort, and distribute incoming correspondence, including faxes and email.
- Prepare invoices, reports, memos, letters, financial statements, and other documents, using word processing, spreadsheet, database, or presentation software.
- Prepare responses to correspondence containing routine inquiries.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent (BLS)
- Related work experience most have: 2 to 4 years (O*NET)
- Experience usually needed to start: Less than 5 years (BLS)
- Job outlook: 0% over ten years, little or no change · about 43,300 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $90,850 |
| New Jersey | $89,520 |
| California | $89,000 |
| Massachusetts | $82,650 |
| Connecticut | $82,520 |
| Louisiana | $53,240 |
| Wyoming | $52,210 |
| Arkansas | $51,600 |
See executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants pay in every state
Related hiring guides
- Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
- Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive
Post this job on JAI Bot. Free to start: JAI Bot reads every applicant against your must-haves, shows the resume evidence behind each one, and helps you reply to everyone. People make every decision.
Post a job freePay by areaJob duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.