10 Things I Don’t Want to Hear in an Interview with an Executive Assistant
As an Executive Assistant recruiter, I conduct a lot of interviews.
I interview people who may manage the schedule, communication, priorities, information, and sometimes the sanity of a very busy executive. I interview for $200k positions. So yes, I pay attention to your answers in the interview. I’m listening to what you say, how you say it, and what you don’t say.
And, I’m also paying attention to how you show up.
If you’re an Executive Assistant preparing for your next round of interviews, please, for the sake of everyone involved, avoid these 10 things.
1. “So…what does this company do?”
Or “Which job is this interview for?”
No. No. No. No. No. No.
If the company name is listed, you should know what the company does before you talk to me. You should know who the CEO is. You should understand what the role is. And for the love of God, please know what job you are interviewing for.
I’m not asking you to know everything about the company. I’m asking for ten minutes of Googling.
Go to the company website. Read the About page. Look at LinkedIn. Read the job description again before the interview starts.
If I have to explain to you what company you applied to or what position we are discussing, it tells me you didn’t prepare and our interview typically ends five minutes later.
And for me, that is usually an automatic out.
2. Nothing, because you’re late.
If you are interviewing for a senior Executive Assistant or C-suite support role and you casually show up three minutes late with, “Hi! How are you?” and no explanation, I’m already concerned. I’ve already written my little note at the top of your resume that says, “3 mins late.”
In fact, if you are three minutes late to one of my interviews and I haven’t heard from you, I disconnect.
I get it. Things happen. Zoom breaks. Traffic happens. Your previous meeting ran long. Please just communicate.
But if you cannot manage your own time for one of the most important appointments in your job search, I have to wonder how you’re going to manage someone else’s.
3. “Well, depends on the situation, but generally speaking, what I usually do is…”
Not when I asked you for a specific example!
If I say: “Tell me about a specific time a recent executive wanted to blow up the calendar in the middle of the busy day and you had to push back. Walk me through what happened.”
I don’t want: “Well, generally, I try to understand their priorities and then, depending on the exec, I can…”
No. I want you to tell me about a specific time. Who was the executive? What did they want? What did you say? What did they say back? What happened next? How did you solve the problems?
If you’ve been doing this work for 10+ years, I know you have stories. Before you interview, build what I call your story bank: specific examples of conflict, pushback, mistakes, difficult executives, confidentiality, competing priorities, impossible travel, feedback, problem-solving, and times when you had to use judgment.
This is actually one of the biggest things I work on my resume and interview coaching. Because having the experience is one thing—being able to articulate it is another.
4. An answer that proves you can’t explain your own resume.
If you put something on your resume, please assume I may ask you about it.
If your resume says: “Established company-wide planning standards and operational protocols that improved consistency across the organization.”
I’ll probably want to know: “What were some of those standards and protocols?”
You need to have an answer. Not, “Hmmm…let me think. It was so long ago…um…”
If you tell me you regularly managed highly confidential communications, I may ask you to give me an example of a time someone pushed you for confidential information and how you handled it.
If you say you “transformed processes,” I’m probably going to ask what process you transformed.
Every bullet is fair game. If you cannot explain your own accomplishment when I ask about it, I will wonder whether you actually did it.
5. Looking everywhere except at me.
Most of my interviews are on Zoom or Teams, and you would be amazed at how distracted people can be during their own job interview.
I can hear the email notification. Then I can watch your eyeballs move to the second screen. Then I can watch you read the email while your speech slows down or even stops.
My eyeballs work too. (Even if they don’t tolerate small fonts these days.)
I’ve also had people interrupt interviews to answer phone calls. Or watch traffic through the windshield, talk to someone walking by, or spend the entire conversation looking somewhere other than at me.
Eye contact is still eye contact, even through a screen.
And please pay attention to your camera angle. If your phone is sitting flat on the table and I am interviewing you from underneath your chin, we have a problem.
I do not want to count your nose hairs. (TRUE STORY!)
Put the camera somewhere reasonable. Look at the screen. Look engaged. Make me feel like you are actually in the conversation with me.
And unless there is absolutely no other option, don’t interview from your car.
Sit down. Pay attention. Be present.
6. The incorrect answer to “Why do you want this job?”
This one is nails on a chalkboard for me.
The first question I almost always ask is: “Why did you apply for this particular job? What was it about this role that drew you in?”
And far too often I hear: “The salary looked good and it’s five minutes from my house.” Or, “The commute would be great and I’ve done all of this before so it would be easy.”
Okay… Those can absolutely be benefits of the job.
But they cannot be your entire reason for wanting it.
You’re asking me to recommend you over dozens, sometimes hundreds, of other candidates. I need to believe there is something about this role that you actually want.
Maybe it’s the executive, the company, the scope, the responsibilities, the opportunity to build something, the industry—just make it something.
Because if the only thing tying you to the job is a five-minute commute, I have to wonder… what happens if you move?
7. “Um…so…like…you know…kind of…literally…”
Fillers happen. I deliver keynote speeches in front of hundreds of people and I still use them, too! But there’s a point where they start taking over the answer.
“Um, so, I was, you know, responsible for, like…” And now I’ve forgotten what you were trying to tell me.
You don’t need to fill every second of silence.
Pausing is fine!
Thinking is fine!
Blank space is fine!
You can even say, “That’s a good question. Give me a second to think about that.”
But silence sounds far more confident than stuffing every pause with “um,” “like,” “kind of,” and “you know.”
8. “I’ve never really thought about what my communication style is.”
This worries me, especially when I am interviewing someone 10 or 20 years into their career.
You have been communicating professionally for years. You’ve worked with different executives, peers, clients, teams, vendors, and personalities.
Surely someone has given you feedback?
Are you direct? Diplomatic? Detailed? Concise? Very verbal? Someone who prefers written communication? Do you adjust depending on the audience? Have you ever been told you overcommunicate? Undercommunicate? Move too quickly? Need more context?
You do not need a perfect answer, but you should have some level of self-awareness about how you communicate.
And the worst answer I’ve ever received to this question?
“Depends on who you ask.”
9. Showing up in a hoodie.
Yes, I know this is Zoom. Yes, I know you are probably interviewing from the comfort of your own house. No, I do not expect you to wear a three-piece suit.
But if you are interviewing for a $120,000 Executive Assistant position in a corporate environment and you show up wearing a zip-up hoodie and a baseball cap, I’m going to question your judgment.
You should look representative of how you would show up for the actual job on the first day. That is the standard.
You don’t need to overdress, wear something that’s inauthentic to you or be uncomfortable. But dress appropriately for the environment you are asking to work in—at least from the waist up.
You’re interviewing for the job. Look like you want the job.
10. “This would be a great stepping stone to my next role as Chief of Staff.”
Please do not tell the recruiter that the job you are interviewing for is simply your route to something else.
“This will get me to Chief of Staff.”
“This is a great stepping stone.”
“This would give me the experience I need for my next opportunity.”
You may absolutely have career ambitions. I hope you do!
But I am hiring someone to do this job.
If you’re already explaining to me how quickly this position can help you leave this position, you have made my decision much easier.
I want to know what you want to learn, how you want to grow, and where you see your career going, but I don’t want to hear that my client’s job is merely the waiting room for the one you actually want.
In conclusion…
None of this means you have to give perfect answers or that you “can’t be nervous.”
I don’t want rehearsed robots. I don’t expect you to never stumble over a word or need a second to think. You’re human!
What I do expect is preparation, professionalism, self-awareness, and enough respect for the opportunity to show up ready.
Because by the time you get to the interview, your resume has already told me you can do the job.
Now I’m trying to figure out whether I trust you to actually do it.
Want more resume and interview advice for Executive Assistants? Check out my articles [10 Things I Don’t Want to See on Your Resume] and [4 Interview Questions Every Assistant Should Be Prepared to Answer].
Or learn more about my Executive Assistant resume and interview coaching services.