What an executive assistant does
An executive assistant supports a senior leader, such as a president, owner, chief executive or managing partner. The work goes well beyond scheduling. A strong executive assistant manages complex calendars across time zones, prepares board and meeting materials, screens requests, handles confidential correspondence and often acts as a liaison with clients, directors and senior staff. Many also manage personal appointments, travel and special projects for the executive they support.
This is a trust-based role. The right person saves an executive a great deal of time and helps them make better decisions with the right information in front of them. The wrong person can create risk, especially when board matters, financial data or personnel issues are involved. Finch screens for senior-level experience, discretion and the ability to work independently, and we speak with references who can describe how the candidate handled confidential, high-pressure situations.
Typical responsibilities
- Manage a complex executive calendar and prioritize competing meeting requests
- Prepare agendas, briefing notes, board packages and presentations
- Screen calls, email and visitors, and respond on the executive's behalf where appropriate
- Coordinate domestic and international travel and itineraries
- Take minutes at senior meetings and track decisions and actions
- Handle confidential correspondence, contracts and personnel documents
Qualifications and credentials
- Previous experience supporting a senior executive, owner or board
- Advanced Microsoft 365 skills, including PowerPoint and Excel
- Excellent business writing and the judgement to draft correspondence independently
- A degree or diploma in business or office administration is common
- A record of handling confidential information, confirmed by references
Who hires an executive assistant
- Corporate head offices and private companies
- Law, accounting and consulting firms
- Hospitals, health organizations and post-secondary institutions
- Family-owned businesses and family offices
- Non-profit organizations with boards of directors
Where we recruit executive assistant candidates
We fill executive assistant roles for employers across Toronto and the GTA, including North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Burlington, Oshawa and Pickering, and for employers across Canada. GTA employers can meet us at our North York office by appointment.
What Finch checks before you meet a candidate
- Seniority and scope of the leaders the candidate has supported
- Discretion and judgement, confirmed through detailed reference checks
- Writing quality, including correspondence drafted on an executive's behalf
- Ability to manage priorities with little direction
- Personality fit with the executive's working style
Interview questions to ask
- Tell me about a time you had to say no to someone senior on your executive's behalf. How did you handle it?
- How do you prepare your executive for a busy week?
- Describe a confidential situation you managed. What did you do to protect the information?