Related Posts
More Posts
Additional Posts in EAs / Executive Assistants
New to Fishbowl?
Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Download the Fishbowl app to unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
Copy and paste embed code on your site

Scan your QR code to download
Fishbowl app on your mobile

I have never heard of this for an interview and it does seem like overkill! What type of info did you ha e to provide?
They asked you to do this? Case study about what?
What kind of case study?
I can’t wait to hear what the topic was, how the case study was used, if you had to defend it, and why it was assigned in the first place.
GTFO! Why waste peoples time like this? You posted a position to turn around and ask the candidate why they believe THEY NEED AN EA?! This is overkill. WOW.
Likely happens more now because there’s a large pool of qualified candidates. This helps them narrow down the list.
I think it varies but is unfortunately the norm. I worked at Uber and spent about 10-12 hours total on something similar. I’m now at Microsoft and it was like two twenty minute interviews and I was hired. Definitely think it’s overkill 🤦🏻♀️
When I did the one for Uber they had me do a presentation about how I would plan a trip for three executives and make sure they were prepared, help them while they were there, etc and it had a bunch of random “challenges” 😂 eg what would you do if your exec lost his phone, what would you do if there was a mixup at the hotel, etc
A presentation is definitely overkill. I think it's reasonable for them to give you some scenarious during the interview and ask you what you would do, but preparing something in advance and calling it a case study is overblowing things.
EAs at McK have a test like that during the interview process, but you do it on the spot and it’s in no way a case study! It’s a task and you just do it and answer a few questions about your process.
Update! I didn’t want to give too much information while i was interviewing. I didn’t end up getting the job. I likely wouldn’t have accepted the offer had I gotten one anyway. The “executive” has never had executive support before. They were very young. There was no roadmap and the expectations were vague. I honestly think the case study requirement was some buzzword they picked up at a conference and wanted to deploy it for the interview process, even though (I felt) it was incredibly overkill. I wasn’t really onboard with their mission statement and what they were “selling” so it’s for the best! Back to endless job searching!
Congratulations! There were red flags all over that position right from the start, so it was meant to be. Keep on trucking and you’ll find something that is a good fit.
What would the topic be for your case study? How much more effective an executive can be if they have an EA? This is definitely overkill.
Yes I have. This is the norm now.
Yes, this is the norm. We use 2 cases for our final round support services interviews. It’s a good way to show real time thought processes and see how candidates approach and work through the cases. It’s also helpful when the interview goes over them with the candidate and you can see how they ask question or explain why/how they chose their answers.
Can you share the details of the case presented and what they wanted from you? I'm preparing for one of these now. The organization is headed by former Mc Kinsey partners, so I understand why they're asking.
Is there any information on what the case study ended up being about? I have one tomorrow!