Hiring an Executive Assistant…in one week

“I can already feel such relief.”
“I feel so relieved.”
“I’m so happy.”
“I’m glad I moved so quickly.”
“I already feel such a sense of relief and space.”
“I’ve already created a new leadership program…because I had the space.”

These are some of the sentiments expressed by our CEO and Founder here at Growmotely – Sarah Hawley– off the back of hiring an Executive Assistant (via the Growmotely platform) back in October of last year.

Do any of these sentiments sound good to you? / Is there anything here that you might like to declare as well? If yes – keep reading. (Or – if you prefer to watch, click here. There are nine juicy episodes.)

As leaders of teams, Executive Assistants can take significant amounts of work off of our plates. Work that we are not the best at nor called to do…work that we probably shouldn’t be doing. Making the move to hire an Executive Assistant can also have a positive impact on our company’s culture. ‘Being the change’ – and shifting work that belongs on someone else’s plate over to that person’s plate (even if that person doesn’t exist yet) – sends a message to our team members: let’s get everyone focusing on and working in their zone of genius.

It is simple, fun and quick (if you follow Sarah’s example) to hire a (capable) Executive Assistant via our platform. Let’s dive in to Sarah’s ‘Executive Assistant hiring journey’…and see what we can learn from it!

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The prequel: getting out of our own way‍

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The ‘prequel’ to Sarah’s hiring journey is important; she had a slew of ‘old stories’ that were preventing her from making the decision to move forward and hire someone. She – with the help of her husband (but it could be anyone who is willing to challenge our faulty narratives) – was able to finally separate her past experiences with EAs (i.e. at one point she had hired one as a way of proving her worthiness), from what she was living and needing in the present. As soon as this clicked for her – she was off to the races.

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Cruise over to the Growmotely platform and post the job

Once *you’ve* made the decision that you would like to hire an Executive Assistant, head on over to our platform. It’s easy to set up a company profile if you haven’t already. If you already have one set up – great. You’ll need to fill out a number of fields: ‘about the job’, ‘skills required’, and some initial questions that you would like your applicants to answer. (We’ve posted what Sarah typed into the ‘about the job’ field at the bottom of this article to bring this story to life further; be sure to check it out.) Sarah cruised through this step in seven minutes; your mileage may vary! Once you’ve done this – check that your job is showing up on our job board, and if it is, feel free to copy the link and post it on any social media account (e.g. LinkedIn) that you use for some additional visibility.

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Sit back and let the applicants apply

Next step (this one’s easy): sit back and let the applicants apply! Sarah had about 30 applicants in the first 24 hours after her job was posted. That number crept up to 40 after the first 48 hours…

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Review applicants and move all ‘yesses’ on to the next step (video Q&A)

Sarah knew that she wanted to make the hire quickly, so she reviewed all 40 applicants, and moved each ‘Hell, yes!’ on to the next step of the process – which is the video Q&A – via our easy-to-use kanban board-style user interface. She also moved over those applicants who fell into her ‘I’m curious to learn more…’ category. There were 13 in total. It’s worth noting that we recommend keeping an open mind if you have a candidate who is an exceptional fit on the ‘company culture’ front, but whose experience might not match what you’re looking for. The former can be worth more than the latter, and – depending on the skills needed – a candidate might be able to swiftly upskill if appropriately motivated and given the resources to do so. (Top tip from our recruitment team!)
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Review applicants’ videos and then schedule ‘live’ interviews

Once your chosen applicants have completed the Video Q&A step, dive into reviewing their videos, and please note that we do have ‘speed up’ keys, if you need to cruise through a lot of videos in a short period. After reviewing her applicants’ videos, Sarah reached out to Lee Van Staden – one of our stellar recruitment support professionals here at Growmotely – and asked for assistance in getting live interviews booked for Sarah’s short list of preferred candidates. (It’s worth noting here that our recruitment professionals can help you – and your company – out as much as or as little as you like at any step of the process!) Sarah also asked Lee to comb through the newer applicants (the applicant count was over 100 at this point) and she gave her permission to ‘move through’ any exceptional, stand-out candidates. (You can ask Lee to do this as well…)

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Conduct ‘live’ interviews

After conducting seven back-to-back interviews, Sarah emerged with her top two favorite candidates – wanting to hire them both of course! But, alas, sticking to her plan to only hire one.

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Make the offer…and if the love cuts both ways…make the hire!

Drum roll please. Exactly a week after she kicked-off her Executive Assistant hiring journey, she extended an offer of employment to Nayeli Cruz, who is now a beloved – and invaluable – member of the Growmotely team. It’s hard to imagine our company without her. She stands on her own two feet – as showcased in this article – and she allows Sarah to more freely step into her zone of genius. 

Are you next? If yes – cruise on over to our platform. We can’t wait to play our part in you shifting your energy, your relationship to your work, and your company culture…by hiring an Executive Assistant via our platform.

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Here’s the text that Sarah typed into the ‘about the job’ field:

We’re looking for an experienced Executive Assistant to support our CEO. You’re someone who enjoys the details, is organized and efficient, and thrives in the role of supporting someone professionally.

While the role will evolve over time, as a starting point you’ll be doing the following:

– Managing email

– Managing calendar

– Booking flights, tickets, conferences, etc.

– Booking meetings

– Assisting with projects

– General communication and liaisons

This is an exciting opportunity to join our fast-growing startup as we change the world of work. This is an especially exciting opportunity for someone engaged in personal development and growth and would like to bring this into their work life in an integrated way.

Before applying, please also take a look at our values, and ensure they align with your personal values.