I have 10+ years of experience as an EA and was headhunted via LinkedIn. I had an initial conversation within a couple of days. The recruiter interviewing me was robotic and I felt as though she wasn't listening to a word I was saying since her AI was taking notes and recording. I asked probing questions but her responses were very surface level. Despite that, she said that I could be a good fit and would send me a trial project to complete. After opening up the email I was honestly baffled. It was not one but FIVE separate projects which would have taken HOURS of my time. Not something that I was willing to do after only one initial interview and still not having a good idea about the job itself (they didn't have a job description available) or the executive I would be supporting.

The screening with the recruiter was subpar and lacked substance. She seemed inexperienced and a bit immature and lacked proper information to speak to high level EAs about the role. When pushed for information, she became arrogant and mentioned “protecting the Execs” when I asked about the process and roles which I was told there were 3 open. I am happy where I am and was only looking for an EA role that would include more strategic work so it was best for me to end the call as she was the first point of entry to the culture and it was a hard pass for me.