Celebrity assistants have a demanding job. The role requires being on call outside of normal working hours, working proactively to anticipate the needs of their boss, and protecting their boss’s schedule and privacy. It takes someone who is engaged, professional, and a team player—and searching for the right person to fill the role takes skill.
“I might as well be a scientist instead of a recruiter, because I’m putting people under a microscope,” says Susan Levine, founder and CEO of Career Group Companies, which has placed assistants with celebrities including Kevin Costner, Maria Shriver, and the Kardashian-Jenners. “I need to be a very good listener with the client first and equally a good listener with the candidate. I make sure that everything that the candidate wants fits what the actor wants, and vice versa.”
In any profession, there are overarching qualities that help you perform well in your job. The key to a long-lasting hire, however, is focusing on the person behind the skills, says Monique Helstrom, an executive assistant recruiter and former assistant to author and speaker Simon Sinek. “Ultimately the relationship is human,” she says. “Human connection is something you have to search for.”
Bonnie Low-Kramen, author of Staff Matters: People-Focused Solutions for the Ultimate New Workplace, says a strong working relationship comes down to chemistry. “If an executive or a celebrity is choosing between two candidates, they’re going to choose who they feel they’ll be most compatible with,” she says.
As a result, hiring can be an exercise in matchmaking. While not every manager is going to be a high-profile individual, hiring managers can learn some tips from celebrity assistant recruiters on how they go about finding the right candidates:
Start with the Boss
An important tool for finding the right person is a well-written job description, says Helstrom. “You need to be blunt,” she says. “I interview the executive quite thoroughly. I also interview people that they know and love. Some pieces will connect to their values, and some pieces will look for slightly opposite skills. I describe both sides thoroughly, so that I can attempt to weed out those that don’t fit the bill.”
For example, the manager may value honesty and need someone who is not afraid to speak up. Or the manager may be a high-energy person. Finding someone who has a calmer demeanor could bring better balance to their relationship.
Levine likes to find out what an executive’s Achilles’ heel is. “Like any relationship in life, in order for there to be compatibility and synergy, you need to know what makes someone tick,” she says. “If they didn’t care for the last assistant they had and are replacing them, what was it about that person that annoyed them?”
Find Matching Values
Having a good understanding of the person behind the management role can help guide the interview. Helstrom asks questions that reveal if their values are in alignment. She likes to ask “What do you value in a personal and professional experience? And give me some examples of the last time you lived one of those values.”
If one of their values is living with integrity, for example, Helstrom wants to hear a story about a time when they didn’t drop the ball, even though there were things against them that could have stopped them from doing their job.
“Did they take ownership of the project?” she asks. ““I want to see if the behavior is what the executive wants, but I also look at their body language. Does what they’re saying match how they’re acting?”
Assess Their Engagement
Some candidates want a job, and some want this job. To determine how important the role you need to fill is to the candidate, Low-Kramen, who was the personal assistant to actress Olympia Dukakis for 25 years, likes to check if they’ve done their homework.
“Not just homework, but deep homework,” she says. “What do they know about the organization, and what do they know about the people involved, even the recruiter. You will be able to tell very quickly if they’ve done their homework or if they ask questions that could have easily been found on Google.”
During the interview, Helstrom assesses engagement by making sure the person is prepared. “I’ve had people come to the interview and say, ‘What interview is this for?’ or ‘What job is this for?’” she says. “I ask them ‘Why do you want this job?’”
Measure Professionalism
Personality is what’s going to get you the job, but you need a high level of professionalism, says Levine. “[Your boss] is not going to be your friend over the years; you might develop a relationship, but it’s a job,” she says.
Different roles will measure professionalism in different ways. For a celebrity assistant, confidentiality is an important value. Helstrom says one of her favorite ways to discern the candidate’s ability to maintain the employer’s privacy is asking them questions about their former executive.
“I’ll say, ‘Tell me about your last executive,’ or ‘Tell me about the worst executive you’ve ever had,’” she says. “I want to see if they start getting personal. If they dish to me, they’re dishing to other people.”
Another way to get insights on someone’s level of professionalism is by checking references. In addition to talking to previous employers, Low-Kramen looks at candidates’ social media platforms for clues.
“[Posts are] evidence of discretion and what is appropriate to be putting out publicly,” she says. “I don’t think it’s a big reach that an executive or hiring manager might think, ‘If she or he is presenting themselves like this on social media, that may be what they’ll do with me.’ Your private life is your private life except when it impacts your professional life. It speaks to their professionalism and dedication to the career. I know of assistants who have not been offered jobs because of what’s on social media.”
Finally, Low-Kramen looks for common courtesies that might indicate how someone behaves in a professional setting. For example, does the candidate stand when the interviewer enters the room? Do they look you in the eye? Did they silence their phone? If you meet them for a meal in a restaurant, how do they treat the waitstaff?
“All of this shows respect and deference to the situation,” she explains. “They should make it intentional that the most important person they’re talking with right now is you.”
