Reference check questions for administrative assistants

An administrative assistant’s best work goes unnoticed: the meeting that did not double-book, the expense report that went through the first time, the sensitive letter nobody saw early. That is why it rarely comes across in an interview. The executives and office managers the candidate supported noticed it every day, and they noticed when it slipped.

Ask references about the routines of the job: calendars across time zones, travel that changes at the last minute, minutes, filing, visitors and the files the candidate could open. Ask each reference which of these they saw, because an executive may know the calendar well and the filing not at all.

Who to ask

• The executive or manager they supported most closely, who depended on their calendar, travel and correspondence.
• An office manager or chief of staff who assigned their work and saw how they handled several requests at once.
• A colleague in finance or HR who processed their expense reports, invoices or personnel paperwork, for accuracy.
• A fellow assistant who covered for them, for what the candidate left in place when they were away.

Questions to ask, by competency

Choose the competencies that matter most for the position and two or three questions from each. Ask every reference the same set, and when an answer is a rating, ask for the example behind it.

Calendars and travel

One scheduling mistake can waste an hour of several senior people’s time. The executive whose calendar the candidate ran knows how often that happened.

1. Tell me about a week when the candidate had to rebuild your calendar after plans changed. How did they handle the conflicts?
2. When travel fell apart, such as a canceled flight or a meeting moved at short notice, what did the candidate do, and how much was left for you to sort out?
3. How well did the candidate know which of your meetings could move and which could not, without being told?

Confidentiality and discretion

Assistants often see personnel decisions, legal documents and private calendars before anyone else does.

1. What kinds of confidential information did the candidate handle, and how did they keep it secure?
2. Have you seen the candidate deal with someone pressing them for information about a meeting, a decision or a person? What did they say?
3. How much did you trust the candidate with sensitive matters, on a scale of 1 to 5, and what experience is that based on? (rating)

Accuracy and follow-through

Minutes, letters, expense reports and purchase orders go out under other people’s names, so their errors become someone else’s embarrassment.

1. How often did documents the candidate prepared, such as minutes, letters or expense reports, need correcting before they went out?
2. When the candidate made a mistake, such as a wrong date or a missed invoice, how did you find out about it?
3. Which tasks did the candidate take off your list entirely, so that you never had to check them?

Competing priorities

An assistant who supports several people gets requests that all arrive marked urgent.

1. When two people the candidate supported needed something at the same time, how did the candidate decide what came first, and how did they tell the other person?
2. Describe a day when the candidate had far more to do than time allowed. What did they let slip, and did they tell anyone?

Representing the office

The assistant is often the first person a visitor, client or board member deals with, in person or on the phone.

1. How did the candidate handle a caller or visitor who insisted on seeing someone without an appointment?
2. How did the candidate speak for you when you were unavailable, and did they ever commit you to something you would not have agreed to?

Close the reference

End every reference the same way: ask whether they would hire or work with the candidate again and why, what support would help the candidate do their best work, and whether there is anything else you should know. The general question bank explains why the first of these matters most.

Checks a reference does not replace

• Skills, with a short exercise. A reference can tell you the candidate was accurate. A short task using the spreadsheet, document and calendar work the job involves shows you their skills now.
• A background check, if the role touches payroll, money or personnel files. When a screening company runs it, the FTC’s guidance for employers explains your obligations under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Warning signs to follow up

• The executive the candidate supported most closely is not on the list, and the references are colleagues from other teams.
• Praise for the candidate "always knowing what is going on", with nothing about keeping it to themselves.
• Repeated mentions of others checking the candidate’s work, such as travel bookings or expense reports.
• Praise only for following instructions, with no example of the candidate spotting a problem before it reached anyone.

One warning sign is a reason to ask another question, not a verdict. Reference check red flags covers how to check a concern fairly.

Questions to leave out

Ask only about the work. Before an offer, the EEOC’s guidance says an employer may not ask a third party, such as a former employer, any question it could not ask the candidate directly. Leave out health, medical leave, age, family plans and other protected characteristics. What to leave out has the full list.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Confirm the requirements that apply to your organization, and in your state, with your counsel or HR policy office.