It is that time of the year when some of you (or other administrators in your district) will be hiring an administrative assistant. Reasons for the need vary, but it is important to remember this position, likely more than any other, will impact your success on the job. A good administrative assistant can make you more effective and efficient; alternatively, they can drive you to take on an expanded number of duties due to their lack of ability.
Regardless of the reason, I want to take time today to discuss three characteristics, based upon experience, which you should consider and plan to assess when hiring an administrative assistant.
First, and likely most important, is to hire an administrative assistant who is trustworthy. It is vital to be able to speak freely with and around the individual regarding confidential issues without concern that information will leave your office. Think about how many times you are on the phone or talking to someone where there is the potential for sensitive information to be leaked. Clearly situations like this can be damaging and oftentimes irreversible.
The best way to assess trustworthiness is to do a deep dive into the person’s employment history with a variety of individuals who interacted with the individual. Typically, if you check with enough supervisors and co-workers, you will be alerted to problems with trustworthiness. I realize this is not novel and is consistent with how you analyze the hiring of other employees, but I thought it important to provide a reminder.
Another method is to use real life scenarios in the interview process, which place the person in situations where you can gain clues regarding how they might handle different types of sensitive scenarios. Although a savvy individual may figure out where you are going with the scenarios if you approach confidentiality and sensitivity of information from various angles it can be instructive in identifying hidden habits or modes of operation.
The second characteristic is to hire someone with high capacity. An obvious precursor to doing so is to ensure the salary range for the position is competitive. Oftentimes superintendents and other administrators accept antiquated salary ranges for these employees, but in my mind that is a mistake. I recommend that you “fight” to make these positions some of the most competitive in your district. If you don’t, you will never achieve the opportunity to compete for a high capacity individual.
A high capacity administrative assistant can do many things that make your job easier. My last administrative assistant could outline and initially draft a presentation for me or put together a letter that went to a parent. The stress this took of me was tremendous because I could then spend my time on more important tasks.
Assessing whether a potential hire is high capacity in your context includes understanding your individual work needs. In other words, in which areas do you require high capacity from this individual? Do you need them to write well, or handle people well, or? You will likely say “in all areas”, but the reality is you have particular work pattern preferences and thus need someone who can match your needs and desires. And that is not every candidate…
The third and final characteristic I would like to discuss relates to the individual being an effective time manager. Now let me explain that I am not talking about how they use their time, but rather how they manage your time. Effective administrative assistants know your work pattern preferences and operate from that perspective. Ideally, they know when and how to place appointments on your calendar. It may be that first thing in the morning you prefer to catch up on email and make important calls. A good administrative assistant understands this fact and makes sure they don’t schedule meetings during that time.
It comes down to the administrative assistant having a high level of emotional intelligence and keen observation skills. Ineffective administrative assistants will often be clueless as to your needs, working robotically in following what they think is a necessary pattern.
Some of you may be old enough to remember a television series called “MASH”, which was about the comedic operations of a mobile hospital unit during the Korean war. The assistant to the colonel was nicknamed “Radar” because he knew what the colonel was thinking before he spoke. So, as the colonel would begin to ask for a certain report based upon a conversation with someone in his office Radar was already there with the report in hand. It was funny to watch but highlights the concept that a good administrative assistant knows your patterns and can anticipate your needs even before they are stated.
How do you hire for this skill set? I believe it comes back to the earlier two suggestions. 1) Ask about how the person anticipates their supervisors needs and whether they take initiative when completing background checks. Also, ferret this information out by providing work scenarios in the interview which reveal how the individual handles various circumstances.
So, these are three characteristics among many that one might look for in an administrative assistant. I believe these to be generalizable to across most situations, but it is always important assess your individual needs in targeting how to conduct the interview process and evaluate reference checks. If you have other thoughts on how to assess an effective administrative assistant, please place your thoughts in the comment section below. As always, we all grow and when we share what we have learned and experienced with each other.