How do I get the executive assistant hiring manager's email?

Ad Call reads each executive assistant ad and hands back the executive and the likely screener, with name, title, email and office line, graded by confidence. Three searches are free, no credit card.

Roles we cover › Executive Assistant

Who Really Hires an Executive Assistant

Ad Call reads the live executive assistant ads in your market and hands back, for each company, the executive the assistant will support and the person screening for them: name, title, email and office line, graded by confidence, with days open and reposts. You pitch the screener the executive actually trusts.

The person hiring an executive assistant is buying back a large part of their own working day. Speak to that.

Find the executive assistant hiring managers in my market — free

Who decides vs. who screens on an executive assistant hire

An executive assistant is one of the most personal hires in a company. The executive the assistant will support makes the final call, because they are handing over their calendar, their inbox and often their private life. But the executive rarely screens. A chief of staff, an executive operations or administration manager, or the departing EA narrows the field and decides who the executive meets. HR runs the paperwork. At a small or founder-led company, the owner or CEO is the whole process: they post, screen and decide.

Departing Executive AssistantOften screens their own replacement and knows exactly what the executive can't stand. Your best early conversation, handled with discretion.
Administration Manager / Senior Manager, AdministrationRuns the assistant pool at larger companies and screens EA candidates for the executive team.
Executive Operations Manager / Chief of StaffScreens for the executive and protects their time. Their shortlist is the executive's shortlist.
The executive being supported (CEO, president, managing partner, C-suite)usually owns the reqDecides. Meets two or three finalists and chooses on trust and chemistry.
Senior Manager, Executive OperationsAt large companies, approves headcount across executive support. Not the person who decides on fit.

What Ad Call gives you for an EA ad

For executive assistant ads Ad Call names the executive the role supports, when the ad makes it clear, and the screener most likely standing in front of them: a chief of staff, administration manager or executive operations lead. Days live and reposts tell you whether the first round of finalists missed.

jobadcall.com — Executive Assistant to the CEO · Houston, TX

Ad CallDeskFollow-upsCompaniesGuide

Marrow Creek Energy Partners

Executive Assistant to the CEO · Houston, TX

34 days open

live 34 daysreposted after a first round of interviewsad mentions board meetings, international travel and discretion

Likely managers

Graham Pettigrew Chief Executive Officer

high

gpettigrew@marrowcreekenergy.com✓ verified✉ draft email

Anjali Rao Executive Operations Manager

medium

arao@marrowcreekenergy.comunconfirmed✉ draft email

Office line

(713) 555-0138 from the company's own site

Why call today

Reposted after interviews means the CEO met finalists and didn't click with any of them. Chemistry, not skills, is the gap.
Board meetings and international travel point to someone who has supported a CEO, not a department head.
"Discretion" in the ad is a real requirement; lead with a candidate who has handled confidential board and personal matters.

Illustrative sample — the layout and labels are the real console's; the company and people are fictional.

The screener who wasn't on the org chart

A CEO's assistant of nine years announces she is moving across the country. The CEO asks her to find her replacement. HR posts the ad; forty applicants come in; HR sends twelve to the departing EA, whose name appears nowhere in the ad.

She knows things no job description says. The CEO reads email at 5 a.m. and wants the day's first meeting confirmed by 6. He hates surprises on his calendar more than he hates bad news. His family calls the office line when his phone is off. Two board members are sensitive about scheduling, and one of them is his brother-in-law.

A recruiter who pitched the CEO directly got a polite "please send it to HR." A second recruiter called the executive offices, reached the departing EA, and asked one question: "What will your replacement need to know on day one that isn't written down anywhere?" Twenty minutes later, the recruiter knew exactly which of their candidates would fit, and the EA knew the recruiter understood the job. Her shortlist of three went to the CEO. The recruiter's candidate was one of them.

The lesson: on an EA req, the gatekeeper is the process. Treat the screener as the expert on the executive, because they are.

The call: reaching the chief of staff or the executive's office

Call the executive offices, not HR. Be brief, name the executive, and lead with discretion. You are auditioning for trust, just like your candidate.

Executive officeMr. Pettigrew's office, this is Anjali.

YouHi Anjali, it's Rachel Ortiz with Bellmont Executive Support Search. I'm calling about the executive assistant role supporting Mr. Pettigrew. Are you the right person to speak with about it, or should I talk with someone else on your team?

Executive Operations ManagerI'm running the search for him. We've had a lot of résumés.

YouI imagine. I'll only send one or two. Can I ask what didn't work with the finalists from the first round? The ad mentions discretion and board work, and I want to be sure I'm not sending the same profile again.

Executive Operations ManagerHonestly, they were fine on paper. He wants someone who anticipates. He doesn't want to have to ask twice.

YouThat helps. I have someone who spent six years supporting the CEO of a family-owned industrial company: board packets, his family's travel, and confidential matters she has never discussed with me in detail, which I take as a good sign. Her former CEO will speak to how she anticipates. Could I send a short note with how she worked, and a reference you can call?

Executive Operations ManagerSend it to me. If I like her, he'll meet her next week.

What worked: you respected the screener's authority, asked why the first round failed, and led with trust and anticipation instead of software. Offering a reference from the previous executive is often the strongest move on this req. Ad Call puts the executive and the likely screener in the results, so you know whose office to call.

Myths about C-suite executive assistant recruiting

Recruiters who treat an EA search like an admin search lose it. These beliefs are the usual reason.

MythHR owns executive assistant hiring.

RealityHR runs the process. The executive decides, and a chief of staff, administration manager or departing EA usually decides who the executive meets.

MythSoftware skills win the job.

RealityCalendar, email and document skills are table stakes. Discretion, judgment and working-style fit decide it. The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook lists decision-making skills, making judgments on the employer's behalf, among the qualities that matter, and notes executive secretaries typically need several years of related work experience.

MythAn executive assistant is a senior administrative assistant.

RealityDifferent job. BLS describes executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants as providing high-level support for top executives, often reviewing incoming documents, conducting research and preparing reports, and some supervise clerical staff. Supporting one executive's whole working life is not the same as supporting a department.

Myth"The executive wants to meet everyone" means send everyone.

RealityIt usually means the screener hasn't been trusted to narrow the field yet, or the last shortlist missed. Send one or two candidates with a clear reason each fits this executive's style. Volume signals you don't understand the role.

MythEA demand is shrinking, so these reqs are low value.

RealityBLS projects essentially no change in executive secretary and executive administrative assistant employment from 2025 to 2035, partly because many managers now do tasks these workers once did. The remaining seats support senior leaders and pay accordingly: BLS puts the median at $76,590 in May 2025. Flat demand concentrated around senior leaders makes each placement worth doing well.

The pitch: discretion, chemistry and the executive's day

Lead with trust. Describe what your candidate has been trusted with, in general terms: board materials, personnel matters, an executive's family logistics, a confidential acquisition. Never share the details, and say so. The screener will read your discretion as a preview of your candidate's.

Match working style, not just scope. Ask the screener three questions: How does the executive prefer to communicate (email, text, a morning huddle)? How far ahead do they want their calendar locked? What do they hate? Then pitch the candidate whose previous executive worked the same way. An EA who thrived with a hands-off executive can struggle with a detail-driven one, and the reverse.

Credentials, in context. The IAAP's Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) is a widely recognized credential for administrative professionals, with eligibility tied to relevant work experience (fewer hours required with a degree). It shows commitment; it will not win an EA search on its own.

Best time to contact an executive assistant hiring manager. Screeners run on the executive's calendar. Call the executive office mid-morning, after the day's schedule is set, and avoid board-meeting weeks, earnings weeks at public companies, and the days before the executive travels. Email the executive directly only when the company is small enough that they are the only one hiring. Ad Call shows how long each EA ad has been up; a repost after interviews is your cue that the first finalists missed on chemistry. Run your market free.

Questions recruiters ask about executive assistant reqs

Who really hires an executive assistant?: The executive the assistant will support makes the final decision. A chief of staff, executive operations or administration manager, or the departing EA usually screens candidates first. HR handles the process and the offer. At a small company, the owner or CEO does all of it.
What is the best time to contact an executive assistant hiring manager?: Mid-morning, once the executive's day is set. Avoid board-meeting weeks, earnings periods at public companies, and the days before the executive travels. Reposted ads are worth a call the same week.
How do I get the executive assistant hiring manager's email?: Ad Call reads each executive assistant ad and hands back the executive and the likely screener, with name, title, email and office line, graded by confidence. Three searches are free, no credit card.
What do executives look for in an executive assistant?: Discretion, judgment, anticipation and a working style that matches theirs. BLS notes executive secretaries typically need several years of related experience, and some employers prefer some college or a bachelor's degree.

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