If you’re recruiting an executive assistant at the moment, take another look at your job specification. It’s highly likely that it still asks for many of the same skills as last year, namely an ability to manage a diary and inbox, arrange travel and be part of the executive team. Yet, when you’re hiring an executive assistant today, AI skills need to be on the list too. Here’s why.

AI fluency is increasingly listed as an advantageous skill for EAs

Recruitment company, Robert Half, surveyed UK hiring managers and C-suite leaders. It discovered that 64% of hiring managers are looking for people with AI skills, and 87% of C-suite leaders state AI knowledge is one of the most important skills. AI is not likely to be a formal requirement on the job spec, as 49% still describe AI expertise as a strong advantage rather than a must-have, but the direction is clear: leaders now expect their EA to use AI for the routine work, which could include creating first drafts, summarising meetings, and for researching and scheduling.

However, there’s a caveat. An EA saying that they use AI is one thing, but when you’re hiring you need to know how they use AI and just as importantly, ensure that they know what not to use it for.

What to look for when hiring an EA with AI skills

1. It’s very easy to rack up the hours by asking AI to do everything for you, however, AI isn’t always reliable. For example, we’ve seen AI suggest answers based on data from 2016 or even make up legal statutes.
   Check that your applicant knows how to use AI sensibly. A good way is to ask the candidate to describe something they did with AI in the last month. If they wax on about AI being amazing or that they simply searched for some information, you may want to reflect if that’s enough. Whereas, someone who describes how they reduced a 40-page report down to a one-page brief is on the right track. We recommend that you also ensure that they reviewed the AI-generated output against the original document because AI can easily misconstrue meaning and nuance, particularly from voice notes.
2. Ensure that your potential EA knows what best practice with AI is too. Free versions of AI will use inputs as part of its learning, for example. It’s recommended that an EA recognises that no platform is 100% safe, even paid for models, and restricts the confidential and proprietary information shared. This could mean documents such as board papers, or information about individual staff members, or personal client details. Also be aware of intellectual property (IP).
3. Knowing how to get the best from AI is just one part of the equation. Once you have established that an EA can use AI sensibly, you can review their personal skills to ensure that you are employing a strategic EA partner, not an administrator. Consider the following very human attributes that AI cannot deliver:
   a. Judgement about what matters. Your EA knows which of the 40 emails in your inbox need you today, and which can be handled without you.
   b. Discretion. Your EA can handle confidential information, awkward politics and sensitive decisions without needing reminders to keep quiet.
   c. Anticipation. They notice the clash between next month’s board meeting and your planned leave before you do and suggest a solution.
   d. Willingness to push back. They’ll tell you the diary is unrealistic or that an email reads badly, and help you to make changes.
   e. Relationships. Your EA can smooth things over with a difficult client or a nervous new starter.

These attributes are hard to draw out during an interview, so we recommend asking for specific examples such as: “tell me about a time you changed an executive’s mind” or “describe a problem you spotted before anyone asked you to”. You want concrete examples, not generalities.

In-house or outsourced EAs?

It’s clear that you need an EA with AI skills who can complete a task efficiently yet accurately. Not every EA will be able to manage this, so it’s worth exploring the time and expense of hiring an EA versus the value of outsourcing your EA tasks.

An in-house hire is embedded in your culture and is physically there every day but the downside to an in-house EA is more practical. Recruitment can take months, there’s salary plus employer costs, especially with ever-increasing NICs, and when your EA is on holiday or off sick, your support is away too. Finding one person who is strong on both AI and people skills is harder than it sounds. 67% of recruiters report difficulty finding EA candidates with the right skill sets (Morgan Spencer).

Outsourcing gives you access to a team rather than one individual. Holiday and sickness cover comes as standard, you can flex the support you purchase as your business and market changes, and you don’t take on employment overheads or tax hikes. An outsourced EA provider is likely to be highly skilled in using AI as they tend to keep abreast of changes. If you would like to consider outsourcing, look for a provider that already works with AI.

A useful question to ask yourself is “how much of the hiring, training and keeping-up-with-new-tools you actually want to do?” If the honest answer is ‘not a lot’, then outsourcing is worth your consideration.

Consider the Hour Hands EAs with AI skills

If you’d like to learn more about Hour Hands and our services, about us being a B Corp UK, or to discuss how we use AI productively yet sensibly, let us know. We’re happy to share some of our numerous testimonials, chat over a coffee and to create an EA business service package that works well for you.

Our outsourced PA and EA service pairs experienced assistants with the AI tools that deliver faster, so you get human judgement and discretion without weeks of onboarding. There’s no recruitment process and no gaps in cover, and you can change the level of support as your priorities shift. Give us a call today – we look forward to talking to you.