How To Hire An Executive Assistant For Your Business

Why do you need an executive assistant? In this episode, Rick sits down with his Executive Assistant, Chamberlynn Campuzano, to discuss her role and how to hire an executive assistant (EA) for your company.

As an entrepreneur, it’s easy to find yourself overwhelmed by tasks that really don’t get meaningful results for your business. You’ve probably given some thought to the idea of having an executive assistant to get some tasks off your plate, but how do you go about determining how to find and hire the best executive assistant candidate?

They help you as a leader/CEO of your company to better manage your time and concentrate only on the tasks that need your attention. In short, they get things done.

Tune in to better understand the role of AN EA and where to find one who is a right fit!

What Does An Executive Assistant Do?

The Executive Assistant (EA) tethers the leader of a business, which can be a CEO, director, business owner, and/or an entrepreneur. They remind the leader of real timelines and budgets. The CEO is the person who puts everything into play, while the EA is the one that orchestrates how it will happen and how to do it. The EA handles the rapport with the CEO and helps to keep everything moving in the right direction. If the ship is turning in a new direction and some people are resistant to change, you’re the cheerleader that helps keep everything moving along, and you’re the shoulder for people to lean on. The EA takes in information, then process and distills that information back to the leader. They help keep everybody in check and make sure that everybody is working for the greater good of the company.

Many entrepreneurs have squirrel brain because of everything they need to get done, but implementation is where the rubber meets the road. If you can’t do everything that needs to get done, you need to find someone that can get things done. The entrepreneur needs help with the details as well and the EA helps the squirrel brain remember where the nuts are buried and helps the squirrel brain do what it does best.

“The executive assistant helps the CEO squirrel brain remember where the nuts are buried.”

Chamberlynn Campuzano

Difference Between An Executive Assistant And Administrative Assistant

Executive assistant is less of an assistant and more of a leader assist person.They are the right hand of the CEO leader with a front forward presence. EA’s take big ideas and plans by breaking down the plan into actionable steps.They look at the overall landscape of what’s going on, and offer solutions or efficiencies or processes to get the job done. Many times when you deal with the C suite leaders, interactions need to be managed with board members, investors and shareholders. So, you also are the communication liaison between groups of people. You are also filing reports, business licensing, and daily business requirements. Many times, the executive assistant has their own administrative assistant.

Administrative assistants are good at the small finite details and are backend operators that get things done. They tend to not have as much of a front forward presence as an executive assistant would have. And that’s been my experience with it. Generally, the administrative assistant has a list of things to do.

How To Find An Executive Assistant

The best place to find an executive assistant is on professional organizational sites, LinkedIn or private recruiters. So if you’re really serious about finding an EA, go through a recruiter because they help vet a lot of things beforehand. Many firms that hunt down CEOs, also look for assistants that are compatible with them. Don’t just go to any old recruiter that doesn’t understand what an executive assistant can do. In order to be successful in any industry, you need to be professional and an EA is an extension of the company’s leader, even when they aren’t present.

Executive Assistant Traits

The trick is finding the right fit because, unlike other roles, you’ve got to find someone with a personality you like and whose energy matches yours because results matter at the end of the day. Metrics need to be met, whether it’s sales, retention, training, grand openings, on-boarding, negotiations, concentrate on what needs to get done. An EA needs to be tough, emotionally resilient, self-disciplined, organized, results oriented, time sensitive, and competitive. In a small business with a few team members, you need to be entrepreneurial in spirit, even if it’s not your money on the line.

Believe In The Company and Product

For long-term happiness and growth, it is important to believe in the product the business is selling. If you’re an entrepreneur in an industry that is making widgets, find somebody that’s passionate about algorithms and technology, and they will help you make your widgets the best widgets available. With the fitness industry, being passionate about the human body and making people better is exciting. As an EA, getting to work in the business side of fitness can be extremely rewarding for someone that loves fitness. By really taking the time to find that right person using the right recruiting firm to find that good alignment between what you truly ultimately want, which is making better widgets, making better bodies, expanding a brand, make sure your EA is on board with the company core values.

Podcast with: Rick Mayo and C hamberlynn Campuzano