Hilani Ellis is the founder of Exceptional Admins, a specialized headhunting firm renowned for connecting top talent with high-demand roles for over eight years.
In this episode of The Leader Assistant Podcast, Hilani, a former executive assistant, shares her top tip for resume crafting, recommendations on preparing for and nailing job interviews, and gives us an inside look at what executives are hungry for in an assistant.
LEADERSHIP QUOTE
For every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned.
– Benjamin Franklin
CONNECT WITH HILANI
- Hilani on LinkedIn
- Hilani’s book, Capacity: The New Advantage
- exceptionaladmins.com
- instagram.com/exceptionaladmins
ABOUT HILANI
Hilani Ellis is the founder of Exceptional Admins, a specialized headhunting firm renowned for connecting top talent with high-demand roles for over eight years. As a leader in this niche, Hilani has earned a reputation for transforming the way executives and professionals approach capacity and productivity. To date, she’s put together over 175 leaders with exceptional admins.
Hilani is also the author of the highly anticipated book Capacity: The New Advantage, where she shares unconventional strategies that transform the way you work, achieving sustainable results without compromise.
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THE LEADER ASSISTANT PREMIUM MEMBERSHIP
To learn more about how you can join growth-minded Leader Assistants, check out our Leader Assistant Premium Membership for ongoing training, coaching, and community.
THE LEADER ASSISTANT BOOK
Download the first 3 chapters of The Leader Assistant: Four Pillars of Game-Changing Assistant for FREE here or buy it on Amazon and listen to the audiobook on Audible. Also, check out the companion study guide, The Leader Assistant Workbook, to dig deeper.
LEADER ASSISTANT LIVE EVENTS
Check out our constantly updated schedule of events for admins and assistants at LeaderAssistantLive.com.
JOIN THE FREE COMMUNITY
Join the Leader Assistant Global Community for bonus content, job opportunities, and to network with other assistants who are committed to becoming leaders!
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
00:00:00.500 –> 00:00:03.220
JEREMY: Person meeting planning can be a lot to manage.
00:00:03.220 –> 00:00:05.940
JEREMY: That’s where Troupe Planner comes in.
00:00:05.940 –> 00:00:10.560
JEREMY: Troupe Planner is built to make life easier for busy assistants like you.
00:00:10.560 –> 00:00:19.640
JEREMY: Whether you’re organizing an executive offsite, department meeting, or team retreat, Troupe keeps it simple, fast, and organized.
00:00:19.640 –> 00:00:34.480
JEREMY: From choosing the perfect location to managing budgets, coordinating travel, and tracking attendee details, Troupe brings everything together in one easy-to-use platform so you can save time and focus on what matters most.
00:00:34.480 –> 00:00:41.140
JEREMY: Troupe has an exclusive offer for leader assistant listeners through Administrative Professionals Day, so don’t miss out.
00:00:41.200 –> 00:00:45.180
JEREMY: Visit leaderassistant.com/troupe to learn more.
00:00:46.200 –> 00:00:51.840
HILANI: Hi, I’m Hilani Ellis, and today’s leadership quote comes from Benjamin Franklin.
00:00:51.840 –> 00:00:56.120
HILANI: For every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned.
00:01:02.328 –> 00:01:09.928
<v SPEAKER_3>The Leader Assistant Podcast exists to encourage and challenge assistants to become confident, game-changing leader assistants.
00:01:19.010 –> 00:01:26.010
JEREMY: Hey friends, my best-selling book, The Leader Assistant, has a companion study and discussion guide to go along with it.
00:01:26.010 –> 00:01:28.710
JEREMY: It’s called The Leader Assistant Workbook.
00:01:28.710 –> 00:01:42.290
JEREMY: Now, you can buy the Kindle ebook version of The Leader Assistant Workbook on Amazon, or you can go to leaderassistantbook.com and get a printable PDF version of the workbook.
00:01:42.290 –> 00:01:50.930
JEREMY: This version has all the space and margin in between the questions that you can write your own answers and take notes with.
00:01:50.930 –> 00:01:58.370
JEREMY: So it’s a great way to print it out and keep track of your discussion and study guide notes.
00:01:58.370 –> 00:02:05.610
JEREMY: Again, go to leaderassistantbook.com and click on workbook to check out The Leader Assistant Workbook.
00:02:05.610 –> 00:02:07.810
JEREMY: Hey, friends, welcome to The Leader Assistant Podcast.
00:02:07.850 –> 00:02:13.750
JEREMY: It’s your host, Jeremy Burrows, and I’m excited to be publishing episode 317.
00:02:13.750 –> 00:02:15.950
JEREMY: You can check out the show notes at leaderassistant.com/317.
00:02:18.310 –> 00:02:22.630
JEREMY: leaderassistant.com/317.
00:02:22.630 –> 00:02:28.970
JEREMY: Find all the links and bio and headshots and all those things, all the fun stuff for today’s conversation.
00:02:28.970 –> 00:02:32.370
JEREMY: And speaking of today’s conversation, I’m excited to be speaking with Hilani Ellis.
00:02:32.470 –> 00:02:42.010
JEREMY: Hilani is the founder of Exceptional Admins, a specialized headhunting firm renowned for connecting top talent with high-demand roles.
00:02:42.010 –> 00:02:45.130
JEREMY: And she’s been doing this for over eight years or so.
00:02:45.130 –> 00:02:47.150
JEREMY: So, Hilani, welcome to the show.
00:02:47.150 –> 00:02:48.890
HILANI: Thank you so much, Jeremy, for having me.
00:02:48.890 –> 00:02:50.230
HILANI: And congratulations.
00:02:50.250 –> 00:02:53.610
HILANI: 317 episodes is a lot.
00:02:53.610 –> 00:03:00.250
HILANI: And I know what goes into doing that, having a podcast myself, even though I sunset it in December of 2024.
00:03:00.570 –> 00:03:02.850
HILANI: But congratulations, that’s a huge feat.
00:03:02.850 –> 00:03:03.290
JEREMY: Thank you.
00:03:03.290 –> 00:03:04.930
JEREMY: Yeah, it’s been a wild ride.
00:03:04.930 –> 00:03:12.310
JEREMY: And we’re going to keep going as long as I as long as I can find lovely people like yourself to talk to, then we’ll keep going.
00:03:12.310 –> 00:03:14.070
JEREMY: So thanks for thanks for being on the show.
00:03:14.070 –> 00:03:16.210
JEREMY: What what part of the world are you in?
00:03:16.210 –> 00:03:20.850
JEREMY: And maybe tell us what your favorite thing to do when you’re not working is.
00:03:20.850 –> 00:03:28.850
HILANI: Ah, I am joining you virtually here from Denver, Colorado, with a beautiful, but crisp 48 degree weather.
00:03:29.250 –> 00:03:39.710
HILANI: And the sun is shining and it’s amazing and early, excuse me, late October, 2023, I took up golfing.
00:03:39.710 –> 00:03:46.770
HILANI: And so I’ve been having a lot of fun with both the wow, that was a great swing and oh my gosh, that really sucked.
00:03:46.770 –> 00:03:48.930
HILANI: And so it definitely keeps me on my toes.
00:03:48.930 –> 00:04:00.170
HILANI: And so when I’m not in my home office, you know, typing away and working on a variety of things, I can absolutely be found on the fairway somewhere on a golf course nearby.
00:04:00.170 –> 00:04:00.850
JEREMY: Nice.
00:04:00.850 –> 00:04:11.510
JEREMY: I know I like the idea of being outside and beautiful landscaping of golf, but I am more of a putt-putt guy myself.
00:04:11.510 –> 00:04:22.190
HILANI: That’s actually very good because when you get to the green, where the pin is, that’s really where the game that you want to master, not at the tee box, not on the fairway.
00:04:22.730 –> 00:04:25.950
HILANI: So if you’re not a putt-putt, you actually could be really good if you took up golf.
00:04:25.950 –> 00:04:26.390
JEREMY: Nice.
00:04:26.390 –> 00:04:26.990
JEREMY: Good to know.
00:04:26.990 –> 00:04:28.510
JEREMY: Good to know.
00:04:28.510 –> 00:04:28.930
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:04:28.930 –> 00:04:36.310
JEREMY: Well, tell us a little bit about your career and, yeah, just how you ended up doing what you’re doing now.
00:04:36.310 –> 00:04:41.010
JEREMY: Just give us a little summary of your career journey.
00:04:41.010 –> 00:04:41.710
HILANI: Amazing.
00:04:41.710 –> 00:04:48.670
HILANI: You know, it’s so neat when I look in the rearview mirror today and just think about where I’ve been.
00:04:49.150 –> 00:04:54.990
HILANI: And I’d love to talk about this from the stage as well when I’ve said I did this before we had the iPhone.
00:04:54.990 –> 00:05:07.690
HILANI: So I started accidentally as an executive assistant, as a receptionist first to a radio company that did syndication of certain shows across the nation.
00:05:07.690 –> 00:05:12.110
HILANI: And I actually landed that receptionist position because I was tired of waitressing.
00:05:12.110 –> 00:05:14.690
HILANI: My background does not include a degree.
00:05:15.190 –> 00:05:26.110
HILANI: I do have a degree in a scrappy, classy university, which is something I leverage a lot now as a business owner and a founder of a boutique company.
00:05:26.110 –> 00:05:30.290
HILANI: And I was a receptionist at the front desk and it was so boring.
00:05:30.290 –> 00:05:32.450
HILANI: It was not great for my personality.
00:05:32.450 –> 00:05:36.670
HILANI: And there was an individual that had an office on our floor.
00:05:36.670 –> 00:05:42.950
HILANI: And I constantly was interacting with her because she was coming by the desk and it was someone to talk to and didn’t really know much about her.
00:05:43.050 –> 00:05:46.930
HILANI: But she was a radio talk show host and a New York Times bestselling author.
00:05:46.930 –> 00:05:50.430
HILANI: And one day she said, you know, I want to bring you back and have you be my executive assistant.
00:05:50.430 –> 00:05:52.430
HILANI: I had no idea what I was signing up for.
00:05:52.430 –> 00:05:56.070
HILANI: I actually think I was like 19 and a half, almost 20 at the time.
00:05:56.070 –> 00:05:59.370
HILANI: And she was this big personality.
00:05:59.370 –> 00:06:07.410
HILANI: So I landed into that role and it was in that role that I realized I was put on this earth for this profession.
00:06:07.410 –> 00:06:11.630
HILANI: And so much about the profession is being of service to others.
00:06:12.210 –> 00:06:19.630
HILANI: And that really tied into who I was as a young lady and always helping out with anything you can think of.
00:06:19.630 –> 00:06:24.950
HILANI: Fast forward, I continued my career path in executive assisting in a couple of different organizations.
00:06:24.950 –> 00:06:29.770
HILANI: And I did one of the hardest jobs out there, at least in my world, was a stay-at-home mom for eight years.
00:06:29.770 –> 00:06:38.750
HILANI: I’ve got two amazing boys, been married for quite a long time, and was being CEO of the house and really using that time at home with them, essentially running the house like a business.
00:06:39.630 –> 00:06:45.930
HILANI: And then I re-entered the workforce in 2013 as an executive assistant to a private equity CEO.
00:06:45.930 –> 00:06:57.550
HILANI: And it was amazing in those four years, because by the way, I had had an eight-year gap from doing it, again, circling back to, I believed I was put on this earth for this profession.
00:06:57.550 –> 00:06:59.950
HILANI: And I just got back in the saddle.
00:06:59.950 –> 00:07:02.490
HILANI: And I loved everything about it.
00:07:02.490 –> 00:07:10.490
HILANI: And the Tetris we play with the calendar and the executive decision making you’re able to do when you earn agency with your leader.
00:07:10.490 –> 00:07:21.050
HILANI: And it was actually in that role here in Denver specifically, because I had left Los Angeles and moved here, that the business leaders, my executive, was constantly interacting with.
00:07:21.050 –> 00:07:26.330
HILANI: We were in private equity, so investors and deals with other executives and other firms.
00:07:26.330 –> 00:07:28.910
HILANI: They’re like, where did you find Hilani?
00:07:28.910 –> 00:07:32.570
HILANI: We kind of haven’t seen someone with her style before.
00:07:32.570 –> 00:07:34.370
HILANI: And he’s like, well, we got lucky, right?
00:07:34.370 –> 00:07:36.450
HILANI: We had Monster, which no one really uses today.
00:07:36.570 –> 00:07:41.010
HILANI: They posted a job, which, by the way, had been up for three months, and they were almost going to take it down.
00:07:41.010 –> 00:07:42.770
HILANI: And then I applied.
00:07:42.770 –> 00:07:44.050
HILANI: And so that’s a fun, long story.
00:07:44.050 –> 00:07:53.350
HILANI: But I was asked by one of his best golf partners, you know, will you let her help me find someone?
00:07:53.350 –> 00:07:57.290
HILANI: She gets the role, you know, I can’t steal her and poach her from you.
00:07:57.290 –> 00:08:07.950
HILANI: And I knew my executive knew at the time that I would have fun with that because of that altruistic service, like really loving the profession, problem-solving in creative ways.
00:08:07.950 –> 00:08:13.090
HILANI: So that was actually the small launch into fast forward what I’m doing now.
00:08:13.090 –> 00:08:17.090
HILANI: And I’m in my ninth year running Exceptional Admins, which is funny.
00:08:17.090 –> 00:08:22.730
HILANI: I still to this day give my executive at that time credit because we were sitting together.
00:08:22.730 –> 00:08:31.430
HILANI: He had just gotten back from a three-week European trip and like, hey, I got another request from one of your executive friends to do another search for them.
00:08:31.850 –> 00:08:35.770
HILANI: And I truly believe I’ve got a higher calling now.
00:08:35.770 –> 00:08:37.730
HILANI: He’s like, well, let’s talk about it.
00:08:37.730 –> 00:08:39.970
HILANI: And he named the company Exceptional Admins.
00:08:39.970 –> 00:08:41.430
HILANI: He’s like, you’ve got to call it that.
00:08:41.430 –> 00:08:42.450
HILANI: And it’s not a good admin.
00:08:42.450 –> 00:08:43.690
HILANI: We’re looking for exceptional, right?
00:08:43.690 –> 00:08:44.810
HILANI: Top talent admins.
00:08:44.810 –> 00:08:47.490
HILANI: And the abbreviation is also EA, right?
00:08:47.490 –> 00:08:49.730
HILANI: And so it makes complete sense.
00:08:49.730 –> 00:08:51.530
HILANI: And so I registered it that night.
00:08:51.530 –> 00:08:53.210
HILANI: I already knew what the logo was going to look like.
00:08:53.210 –> 00:08:55.170
HILANI: And so all the stars were aligning.
00:08:55.170 –> 00:08:58.790
HILANI: And the first year was amazing in a hard way.
00:08:59.250 –> 00:09:01.910
HILANI: And fast forward, here I am in my ninth year.
00:09:01.910 –> 00:09:06.390
HILANI: And I know we’ll talk a little bit more about how that applies to serving your audience here.
00:09:06.390 –> 00:09:08.950
HILANI: And so that’s my story.
00:09:08.950 –> 00:09:09.350
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:09:09.350 –> 00:09:12.150
JEREMY: So what was your, do you have any crazy stories?
00:09:12.150 –> 00:09:17.070
JEREMY: I was looking at your LinkedIn on the EA career.
00:09:18.330 –> 00:09:20.610
JEREMY: You know, you worked in entertainment a little bit.
00:09:21.090 –> 00:09:26.770
JEREMY: Is there any funny stories that you like to share as you’re kind of reminiscing about your time as an assistant?
00:09:27.470 –> 00:09:29.530
HILANI: Yeah, I have two.
00:09:29.530 –> 00:09:36.930
HILANI: So in the first job that I had, I lived in LA and I didn’t travel with my executive at the time.
00:09:36.930 –> 00:09:41.010
HILANI: It kind of wasn’t a thing unless you’re like really personal assistant for celebrities.
00:09:41.010 –> 00:09:47.410
HILANI: And so even though she had a television show, radio, syndicated show, multiple books, she was in New York for her book tour.
00:09:47.410 –> 00:09:53.430
HILANI: And at the time we had, which I don’t even think exists today, a Nextel two-way walkie talkie cell phone.
00:09:53.950 –> 00:09:57.370
HILANI: And it was sort of the next best thing besides a BlackBerry.
00:09:57.370 –> 00:10:04.410
HILANI: And which I don’t really follow this now, and I probably should, but I kept that cell phone charging in another room.
00:10:04.410 –> 00:10:08.970
HILANI: And I was sleeping and it was really in that deep part of my sleep because it was 3 a.m.
00:10:08.970 –> 00:10:10.710
HILANI: for me and 6 a.m.
00:10:10.710 –> 00:10:12.290
HILANI: for my executive in New York.
00:10:12.290 –> 00:10:15.090
HILANI: And because she’s up, I clearly now need to be up.
00:10:15.090 –> 00:10:29.190
HILANI: And all of a sudden I hear off in the distance, which breaks me out of my deep sleep, there was like a double tap sound when someone was signalling you to get your attention to then respond back and said, you know, like a walkie talkie, you know, hey, I’m here, what’s up?
00:10:29.190 –> 00:10:40.410
HILANI: And I heard the noise and I sat up quickly in bed, rolled out of bed and my legs had not woken up yet that I completely fell to the floor, which woke up my husband.
00:10:40.410 –> 00:10:42.790
HILANI: And he’s like, oh, my God, what’s happening?
00:10:42.790 –> 00:10:48.210
HILANI: And I’m doing the Army soldier crawl because my legs I still had not woken up and I keep hearing her do the double beep.
00:10:48.310 –> 00:10:51.590
HILANI: And by the way, a little Devil Wears Prada, I was freaking out.
00:10:51.590 –> 00:10:53.610
HILANI: If you don’t answer the call, it’s a big deal.
00:10:53.610 –> 00:10:56.210
HILANI: And the movie Devil Wears Prada hadn’t even been out before.
00:10:56.210 –> 00:11:00.110
HILANI: And so that was a really funny story.
00:11:00.110 –> 00:11:15.750
HILANI: And then a quick second one that is not my story that’s crazy is I know when an executive assistant, some admins do this, but the executive comes upstairs and goes, okay, so you need to take the car to get washed and you need to pick up my prescription.
00:11:16.290 –> 00:11:21.390
HILANI: But before you do all that, there’s a small bag in the passenger seat.
00:11:21.390 –> 00:11:24.090
HILANI: And I’m going to need you to take care of that for me.
00:11:24.090 –> 00:11:29.350
HILANI: And the assistant is describing this story to me, because when I talk to thousands of them, it’s like, tell me your story.
00:11:29.350 –> 00:11:31.070
HILANI: Like, let’s have some fun.
00:11:31.070 –> 00:11:35.950
HILANI: And she says it was dog elements.
00:11:35.950 –> 00:11:39.050
HILANI: And I’ll just put it that way for our listeners to not freak them out.
00:11:39.050 –> 00:11:42.070
HILANI: I’m going to need you to drop that off to the vet’s office.
00:11:42.070 –> 00:11:43.410
HILANI: And so that’s just one.
00:11:43.410 –> 00:11:51.390
HILANI: And if I had a black book or even a reality show sometimes, I’ve said, which I can’t because so much of the stuff I talk about is confidential, it would be very entertaining.
00:11:51.390 –> 00:11:52.390
HILANI: Let’s just put it that way.
00:11:52.390 –> 00:11:55.290
HILANI: So personal story and then a side story from someone I’ve talked to.
00:11:55.290 –> 00:11:56.330
JEREMY: Nice.
00:11:56.330 –> 00:11:57.550
JEREMY: Love it.
00:11:58.870 –> 00:11:59.250
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:11:59.250 –> 00:12:00.590
JEREMY: Well, thanks for sharing.
00:12:00.590 –> 00:12:05.270
JEREMY: And I love talking to, obviously, assistants on the show.
00:12:05.270 –> 00:12:15.730
JEREMY: But then I love talking to people who maybe aren’t currently an assistant, but have that background in their journey and their career and have gone on to something else.
00:12:15.730 –> 00:12:24.830
JEREMY: But I love what you’re doing with Exceptional Admins and the headhunting in this industry is very unique, very niche industry.
00:12:24.870 –> 00:12:43.810
JEREMY: And so it’s, I think it’s very important for assistance looking for work to find someone in that recruiting, retained search, headhunting, whatever you want to call it, world, that gets the assistance and gets what executives are looking for.
00:12:43.810 –> 00:13:00.490
JEREMY: And so on that note, I would love for you to talk about what you’re seeing and what you’ve seen in your career, that as you talk with executives, as you talk with chairmans and principles who are looking for an assistant, what are they hungry for in an assistant?
00:13:00.490 –> 00:13:03.830
JEREMY: What do they look for in an executive assistant?
00:13:05.050 –> 00:13:07.450
JEREMY: Yeah, what do they want?
00:13:07.450 –> 00:13:09.790
JEREMY: What do they tell you that they want?
00:13:09.790 –> 00:13:11.430
HILANI: Yeah, this is a common one.
00:13:11.430 –> 00:13:21.730
HILANI: And I’m going to hope a good percentage of your audience has seen the show Suits with, and you’re nodding your head, so I’m imagining you have.
00:13:22.750 –> 00:13:31.070
HILANI: Side tangent, they think they’re going to make one out of LA., so that’ll be actually interesting and see if they sort of bring back, which now I’m going to mention to answer the question, the Donna Paulson.
00:13:31.070 –> 00:13:38.790
HILANI: And so for those that haven’t, fast forward to Andy, which I’m hoping 100% of your audience has watched that, The Devil Wears Prada.
00:13:39.530 –> 00:13:52.170
HILANI: The character of Andy, after she had really put together an executive posture, which, yes, in her clothing, but in her executive presence, right?
00:13:52.170 –> 00:13:56.090
HILANI: Knowing what Gabbana and how to spell it.
00:13:56.090 –> 00:14:04.510
HILANI: That executive presence, and I’ll give you some specificity in a second, that executive presence is top top in the top two.
00:14:04.510 –> 00:14:12.670
HILANI: And what that actually looks like is, Hilani, I need someone who is confident enough to ask me questions.
00:14:12.670 –> 00:14:28.110
HILANI: Because one of the big pain points that continues to come up for these leaders, which makes them hesitant to want to pay the right price, is they’ve been only introduced to the admin that’s the yes admin.
00:14:28.110 –> 00:14:32.750
HILANI: Now, granted, there’s some circumstances to that and a couple of tangents, but I’ll try to stay focused.
00:14:34.910 –> 00:14:42.230
HILANI: One of the key things I give is a tip to admins, which is kind of an intellectual question is, you know, hey Jeremy, you’re my new executive.
00:14:42.230 –> 00:14:46.930
HILANI: You know, please tell me why I’m doing this so I can download data on the why.
00:14:46.930 –> 00:14:51.750
HILANI: And also, where Jeremy, my executive, is this a priority for you right now?
00:14:51.750 –> 00:14:56.770
HILANI: That’s really helping the assistant get closer in sync.
00:14:56.770 –> 00:14:58.330
HILANI: That’s when you start a new hire.
00:14:58.330 –> 00:15:05.210
HILANI: By the way, that’s applicable to when you’re, you know, onboarding a new executive member and you’ve been in the role for a while.
00:15:05.210 –> 00:15:08.370
HILANI: The big thing is, is that leaders have a lot of skepticism.
00:15:08.370 –> 00:15:14.290
HILANI: They don’t think that Adana Paulson exists or the later version of Andy in the movie exists.
00:15:14.290 –> 00:15:21.290
HILANI: And sometimes that’s because they’ve seen, which excuse me, our audience knows this word, more secretaries out in the population.
00:15:21.290 –> 00:15:25.670
HILANI: And so how do we change the bias that is out there?
00:15:25.670 –> 00:15:28.450
HILANI: And it truly applies to each and every one of you.
00:15:28.450 –> 00:15:30.050
HILANI: Your thumbprint is unique.
00:15:30.510 –> 00:15:32.370
HILANI: And the way that you position yourself.
00:15:32.370 –> 00:15:39.370
HILANI: And so they asked for the Adana Paulson, which is a little bit of a joke, but it’s actually a starting qualifier for me.
00:15:39.370 –> 00:15:53.090
HILANI: And the third thing that really, I mean, it’s kind of like a five-year-old on Christmas morning lights up these leaders when I’m beautifully talking to them at length, one-on-one, Hilani, I just make too many decisions.
00:15:53.090 –> 00:16:13.030
HILANI: And I always tell the admins that I work with, whether it’s through coaching or placing them, one of your top three jobs is to get closer and closer to helping alleviate some of their decision fatigue, which allows you to have that ability to make executive recommendations, not always an executive decision.
00:16:13.030 –> 00:16:17.870
HILANI: And when you have executive recommendations, hey, we’re presented with this problem.
00:16:17.870 –> 00:16:19.290
HILANI: I’ve done some due diligence.
00:16:19.290 –> 00:16:20.870
HILANI: I’ve talked to so-and-so.
00:16:20.870 –> 00:16:23.150
HILANI: Here’s my three recommendations.
00:16:23.150 –> 00:16:26.090
HILANI: We’re immediately allowing them to start with your three.
00:16:26.410 –> 00:16:51.070
HILANI: And by the way, if they don’t want your three, you still help them because your three inspired and sparked ideas to then tell you what they wanted, which if we thought about the span of time, we’re shortening time, which is also buying them back capacity, giving them the opportunity to achieve more without compromising for life that’s over-exhaustive.
00:16:51.070 –> 00:17:06.710
HILANI: So decision-making, the right posture to ask questions, and a level of excitement and curiosity around wanting to earn that agency to essentially, and we all know this one, to become that strategic business partner.
00:17:08.370 –> 00:17:14.610
JEREMY: What I like how you said, you know, executive, what do you say, executive suggesting?
00:17:14.610 –> 00:17:15.710
HILANI: Oh, recommendation.
00:17:15.710 –> 00:17:16.590
JEREMY: Recommendation, yeah.
00:17:17.330 –> 00:17:20.350
JEREMY: Recommendations instead of necessarily decisions.
00:17:20.850 –> 00:17:23.430
JEREMY: Sometimes you do make decisions, obviously.
00:17:24.670 –> 00:17:42.330
JEREMY: But like the recommendations, and I always said that, you know, if you’re going to an executive, you know, one-on-one, or you’re sitting down with your executive and you’re talking about the agenda and you have questions for them or you need, you know, to clarify things.
00:17:43.770 –> 00:17:51.690
JEREMY: I always say, you know, don’t ask a question that you haven’t already answered yourself, or at least attempted to answer.
00:17:51.690 –> 00:17:53.290
JEREMY: Yeah.
00:17:53.290 –> 00:18:00.090
JEREMY: And that way, you know, because a lot of times that your executive isn’t thinking about it and all of a sudden you throw this question out and they’re kind of on the spot.
00:18:00.090 –> 00:18:03.310
JEREMY: And it’s, you know, you’re just like, well, what am I supposed to do?
00:18:03.310 –> 00:18:03.670
JEREMY: I don’t know.
00:18:03.670 –> 00:18:04.530
JEREMY: I haven’t thought about that.
00:18:04.610 –> 00:18:06.230
JEREMY: It’s like, well, OK, I’ve thought about that.
00:18:06.230 –> 00:18:09.130
JEREMY: And here’s the suggestion or the recommendation like you mentioned.
00:18:09.130 –> 00:18:11.710
HILANI: So that invites decision fatigue.
00:18:11.710 –> 00:18:13.930
HILANI: It’s also a pivot.
00:18:13.930 –> 00:18:18.410
HILANI: I do have an article on my website that helps kind of elevate the way admins are having one on ones.
00:18:18.410 –> 00:18:21.810
HILANI: And I give two recommendations in the free workbook that’s downloadable.
00:18:21.810 –> 00:18:34.650
HILANI: And I’ve gotten some feedback that, you know, but even by 15 or 20 percent, it’s optimized the way that they’re spending time, which, by the way, they’re actually getting time with their leaders, which I know a majority of our listeners get bumped.
00:18:34.650 –> 00:18:38.230
HILANI: And that could be a whole conversation, by the way, but we won’t tangent for too long.
00:18:38.230 –> 00:18:39.450
JEREMY: Totally.
00:18:39.450 –> 00:18:39.810
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:18:39.810 –> 00:18:40.530
JEREMY: Well, okay.
00:18:40.530 –> 00:18:47.650
JEREMY: So now we kind of have an idea of what an executive is hungry for, what they’re looking for.
00:18:49.430 –> 00:19:06.050
JEREMY: I know it seems like there’s all these waves of job market craziness where there’s layoffs and then there’s hiring ramp ups, and then it kind of slows back down.
00:19:06.050 –> 00:19:25.370
JEREMY: And depending on the city you’re in, depending on the industry you’re in, or where you’re looking, or what preferences you have, all those things taken into account, the job market can be stressful and overwhelming, and sometimes to be blunt, downright depressing.
00:19:25.370 –> 00:19:27.270
HILANI: Yeah, I just wrote the word emotional.
00:19:27.270 –> 00:19:28.010
JEREMY: Yeah.
00:19:28.010 –> 00:19:28.290
HILANI: Yeah.
00:19:28.290 –> 00:19:40.830
JEREMY: So, what would you, how would you encourage those who are in the hunt for a job, and maybe they’ve been in the hunt for months and months, how would you encourage them?
00:19:40.830 –> 00:19:55.270
JEREMY: And then let’s get into, that’s my first question, and then we’ll get into more specifics about like, you know, maybe a quick tip for resumes or interviews, but in general, like to start off, how would you encourage people that have been looking and looking and looking, and they haven’t found anything yet?
00:20:00.887 –> 00:20:09.847
JEREMY: The ping pong back and forth game of manually scheduling meetings is unnecessary and inefficient in today’s automated world.
00:20:09.847 –> 00:20:16.087
JEREMY: It’s time to embrace calendar automation for increased productivity and capacity.
00:20:16.087 –> 00:20:21.347
JEREMY: You Can Book Me by Capacity is my favorite automated booking solution.
00:20:21.347 –> 00:20:24.767
JEREMY: It’s a game changer for me and my executive.
00:20:24.767 –> 00:20:34.247
JEREMY: You can manage scheduling for your entire executive team, send automated reminders, add buffer time between appointments, and much more.
00:20:34.247 –> 00:20:43.147
JEREMY: You Can Book Me integrates with your existing Microsoft and Google calendars, so you can add automation without disrupting your current workflow.
00:20:43.147 –> 00:20:52.447
JEREMY: Go to leaderassistant.com/calendar to learn more and sign up for a free trial of this powerful scheduling automation tool.
00:20:52.447 –> 00:20:53.827
JEREMY: That’s leaderassistant.com/calendar.
00:21:01.312 –> 00:21:17.772
HILANI: So, I want to make sure that everyone knows, and by the way, for those that it’s become your full-time job to find a job, even those passively looking, there’s emotions in both buckets.
00:21:17.772 –> 00:21:21.692
HILANI: And I’ll fast forward, but then I’ll rewind.
00:21:21.692 –> 00:21:27.292
HILANI: I have talked to thousands, and I calculated it’s like 7,000 admins one-on-one.
00:21:28.872 –> 00:21:36.752
HILANI: Those that are in a long term, which, by the way, long term is now three months you’re looking.
00:21:36.752 –> 00:21:38.592
HILANI: Severance has run out.
00:21:38.592 –> 00:21:42.232
HILANI: You know, unemployment is not enough.
00:21:42.232 –> 00:21:49.292
HILANI: Your, excuse me, desperation for just wanting, just put me in the role and I’ll show you how amazing I am.
00:21:49.292 –> 00:21:52.552
HILANI: I’m clearly not good at articulating it.
00:21:52.552 –> 00:22:04.592
HILANI: That sadness, it does come through in the call, which if you’re having another call and you’re trying to put on that pretty smile and that that strong face, they can hear it in your tone.
00:22:04.592 –> 00:22:19.172
HILANI: And so leaving the job boards for a day and not looking, not applying, treat yourself to a smoothie or a coffee in a business district, dress up really nice, go sit on a bench.
00:22:19.172 –> 00:22:20.432
HILANI: Hopefully the weather’s good, right?
00:22:20.432 –> 00:22:28.992
HILANI: Let the sun, if it’s out, hit your face and remember through even an hour of reflection why you love to work.
00:22:28.992 –> 00:22:35.992
HILANI: And by the way, why you love this profession, even if you only love it 80%, that’s still loving it.
00:22:35.992 –> 00:22:49.912
HILANI: And so when you have that introspective moment, and by the way, if you’re a journaler or open your phone for a note app, start writing those things that remind you, I do love the Tetris.
00:22:50.112 –> 00:22:53.672
HILANI: Yes, I’m sorry, I complained about it a lot, but I actually do love it, right?
00:22:53.672 –> 00:22:56.892
HILANI: I love the spiciness of it and really own it.
00:22:56.892 –> 00:23:04.192
HILANI: And by the way, if going and getting a coffee at a business district is not a fit for your finances, just then do it in your neighborhood.
00:23:04.192 –> 00:23:09.092
HILANI: But the reason I recommend in a business district is I need you to be around business people again.
00:23:09.092 –> 00:23:15.392
HILANI: And if we’re at home in front of the screen, we have screen fatigue, we have, you know, job board fatigue.
00:23:15.392 –> 00:23:18.832
HILANI: And then we have that resume, that job posting looks like the other one.
00:23:19.172 –> 00:23:21.692
HILANI: God, they copy each other’s, which, by the way, is a thing.
00:23:21.692 –> 00:23:28.032
HILANI: And so I want to just highlight the emotion and I want to hand out a permission slip.
00:23:28.032 –> 00:23:29.972
HILANI: Take a day off.
00:23:29.972 –> 00:23:31.112
HILANI: Take a day off.
00:23:31.112 –> 00:23:40.232
HILANI: Save your sanity because that insecurity of not landing a job yet, making it to the final round and not getting the offer, that emotion comes through.
00:23:40.232 –> 00:23:43.912
HILANI: And I would like less of that for all of those looking.
00:23:43.912 –> 00:23:46.572
JEREMY: Yeah, that’s great.
00:23:46.572 –> 00:23:47.672
JEREMY: Thanks for the encouragement.
00:23:47.832 –> 00:23:56.852
JEREMY: And I love the idea of just like dressing up, going out on the town, just like, yeah, sometimes just getting out of the house is just such a huge, huge help.
00:23:56.852 –> 00:23:57.632
HILANI: Yeah.
00:23:57.632 –> 00:24:04.052
JEREMY: Okay, so let’s share maybe one, your top, your very top resume tip.
00:24:04.252 –> 00:24:13.392
JEREMY: You see somebody at a happy hour or you bump into an assistant in an elevator, and they’re just like, oh, yeah, I’m working on my resume.
00:24:13.692 –> 00:24:17.852
JEREMY: And the elevator dings and you have to tell them really quickly.
00:24:17.852 –> 00:24:18.392
HILANI: Quickly.
00:24:18.392 –> 00:24:21.092
JEREMY: What’s the one thing that you give them?
00:24:21.092 –> 00:24:27.692
HILANI: Your opening summary is not a regurgitation of the jobs and bullets below.
00:24:30.592 –> 00:24:35.252
HILANI: Meaning, if I had $1,000 for every time I saw this, I’d like own $100,000 car.
00:24:35.252 –> 00:24:39.012
HILANI: So I know that math doesn’t work, but I’m just being exaggerated.
00:24:39.012 –> 00:24:43.252
HILANI: Executive Assistant with 27 years of experience, and you can hear the sarcasm in my voice.
00:24:43.252 –> 00:24:52.172
HILANI: 27 years of experience, powerful strategic partner, who’s super great at calendar management and time management and great attention to detail.
00:24:52.172 –> 00:25:01.632
HILANI: For someone that has seen more than the 7,000 calls, I’ve probably looked at about 10 or 11,000 resumes and then LinkedIn profiles on top of that.
00:25:01.632 –> 00:25:04.312
HILANI: You guys are all saying that.
00:25:04.312 –> 00:25:08.452
HILANI: I want to know, and this is personal branding, which I’m really passionate about.
00:25:08.772 –> 00:25:12.552
HILANI: No, I want to know what makes Jeremy different.
00:25:12.552 –> 00:25:23.352
HILANI: I want that opening summary to say, if you were to speak to any of my prior executives over the span of my career, they would tell you A, B, and C.
00:25:23.352 –> 00:25:28.692
HILANI: You have actually addressed a reference call at the top of the resume.
00:25:28.692 –> 00:25:35.152
HILANI: And there’s ownership around how you know people see you, which tells me your brand is solid.
00:25:35.152 –> 00:25:40.932
HILANI: And then there’s a little bit of risk where it’s like, Oh, if I called one of the references, I’m going to pull this resume back up.
00:25:40.932 –> 00:25:43.012
HILANI: And is this person authentic?
00:25:43.012 –> 00:25:45.952
HILANI: Is this person accurate?
00:25:45.952 –> 00:25:53.452
HILANI: You need to imagine a trailer for a movie and your favorite, who’s your favorite actor, actress, Jeremy?
00:25:53.452 –> 00:25:56.172
HILANI: Ooh, that’s tough.
00:25:56.492 –> 00:26:00.012
JEREMY: I mean, I really like anything that…
00:26:00.012 –> 00:26:02.352
HILANI: Adventure, Tom Cruise, maybe Top Gun.
00:26:02.692 –> 00:26:04.072
JEREMY: Tom Cruise is great in Mission Impossible.
00:26:04.072 –> 00:26:06.532
JEREMY: My boys and I love those movies.
00:26:06.532 –> 00:26:08.592
JEREMY: You can go with Tom Cruise for Mission Impossible.
00:26:08.592 –> 00:26:13.392
HILANI: So there’s a commercial for a new movie, and Tom Cruise is in the first eight seconds.
00:26:13.712 –> 00:26:14.412
HILANI: Are you hooked?
00:26:14.412 –> 00:26:14.852
HILANI: You’re in?
00:26:14.852 –> 00:26:16.112
HILANI: You’re like, I’m going to probably watch that.
00:26:16.112 –> 00:26:16.592
JEREMY: He’s running.
00:26:16.592 –> 00:26:17.492
JEREMY: He’s probably running.
00:26:17.492 –> 00:26:17.972
JEREMY: He’s always running.
00:26:17.972 –> 00:26:18.672
HILANI: He’s running, right?
00:26:18.672 –> 00:26:20.232
HILANI: He’s got the fast running.
00:26:20.232 –> 00:26:30.092
HILANI: So because that first eight seconds of the 30 second trailer shows you Tom Cruise, who’s a well-known, highly acclaimed, loved actor, you are more interested.
00:26:30.712 –> 00:26:33.872
HILANI: So we have to use that opening summary on your resume.
00:26:33.872 –> 00:26:36.332
HILANI: And I don’t like cover letters, but I’ll leave that aside.
00:26:36.332 –> 00:26:43.052
HILANI: If you have that opening summary and it’s catchy, it’s a little bit of personality.
00:26:43.052 –> 00:26:49.152
HILANI: You have created that first eight seconds of the trailer with Tom Cruise, like, I’m going to watch this whole trailer.
00:26:49.152 –> 00:26:55.412
HILANI: We need to grab their attention beyond the eight seconds of their decision-making to want to look below.
00:26:55.472 –> 00:27:05.172
HILANI: If they read yet again the 100th resume that says the darn opening for how many years, calendar management, it’s like, this is the ding on our profession as admins.
00:27:05.172 –> 00:27:09.712
HILANI: You guys, of course, then, will look all the same, because the resumes look the same.
00:27:09.712 –> 00:27:14.692
HILANI: Make that opener unique and specific to you like your thumbprint.
00:27:14.692 –> 00:27:15.912
JEREMY: Love it.
00:27:15.912 –> 00:27:18.432
JEREMY: Can I ask a clarifying question on that?
00:27:18.432 –> 00:27:19.132
HILANI: Sure.
00:27:19.192 –> 00:27:22.632
JEREMY: So, would you recommend that opener?
00:27:22.632 –> 00:27:23.812
JEREMY: Obviously, it’s unique to you.
00:27:23.932 –> 00:27:25.072
JEREMY: It’s a hook.
00:27:25.072 –> 00:27:30.092
JEREMY: You know, it’s that first eight seconds of the trailer to get them to continue to read.
00:27:30.092 –> 00:27:51.332
JEREMY: Would you put a specific number in there if you had a compelling data point, or would you make it more personal like, hey, I, you know, I supported, I helped manage the energy and time of a top Fortune 50 CEO?
00:27:52.032 –> 00:28:02.072
JEREMY: Like, would the specific data point, I know that’s important in resumes in general, but would that be a good hook or is that more something you add later?
00:28:02.072 –> 00:28:05.952
HILANI: No, and you bring up a word that I am known for having on repeat.
00:28:05.952 –> 00:28:12.272
HILANI: Specificity is key, and so because you’re asking for more, I’m going to lean in to that.
00:28:12.272 –> 00:28:18.472
HILANI: If you are, which by the way, if you supported Elon Musk, that goes in the cup, that goes in the opening.
00:28:18.472 –> 00:28:20.452
JEREMY: If you supported Tom Cruise.
00:28:20.452 –> 00:28:22.632
HILANI: Exactly, keeping with the theme of Tom.
00:28:22.632 –> 00:28:37.912
HILANI: If you, and one thing that is capitalizing on your awesomeness as an admin, you could, to Jeremy’s point here, responsible for organizing up to 30 company objectives weekly.
00:28:39.132 –> 00:28:41.332
HILANI: They’re like, well, I want to know more.
00:28:41.332 –> 00:28:44.352
HILANI: That’s what we’re trying to create is I want to know more.
00:28:44.352 –> 00:28:50.652
HILANI: And so, yes, also if it’s a Fortune 50 CEO, we want that because it’s interesting.
00:28:50.652 –> 00:29:12.772
HILANI: And so try to avoid platitudes and go with the interesting, and I’m about specificity, which by the way, on the rest of the resume, do not just say calendar management, get to the specifics like I just provided, you know, managing up to five executive C-suite calendars, organizing anywhere between 30 to 50 calendar meetings a week or company objective activities.
00:29:12.772 –> 00:29:21.252
HILANI: Try to avoid this rinse and repeat language that we’ve been using for decades, which is why they still see us the way they do, because we’re not using new vocabulary.
00:29:21.252 –> 00:29:22.752
JEREMY: Yeah, makes sense.
00:29:22.752 –> 00:29:23.832
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:29:23.832 –> 00:29:26.692
JEREMY: Okay, and then the same question except interviews.
00:29:26.692 –> 00:29:41.672
JEREMY: If you got an interview tomorrow, and, you know, you’ve done all the research on the company, and you’ve done the research on the executive, you’re maybe you’re maybe even run into someone in the elevator literally on the way to the interview.
00:29:41.672 –> 00:29:42.852
JEREMY: Yeah, the next floor.
00:29:42.852 –> 00:29:44.132
JEREMY: What do you say?
00:29:45.972 –> 00:29:51.672
HILANI: And I’m having to pause because I only have one floor to tell this to them, and I’ve got a lot of exciting things running through my mind.
00:29:55.432 –> 00:30:06.152
HILANI: And I want admins to be prepared to say what you onboarding yourself in the first 30 days looks like.
00:30:08.132 –> 00:30:19.052
HILANI: So for the fast one floor recommendation, be prepared to say, in the first 30 days, I plan to, you know, operate and then fill in the blank.
00:30:20.392 –> 00:30:21.792
JEREMY: Gotcha.
00:30:21.792 –> 00:30:22.492
JEREMY: Super helpful.
00:30:22.492 –> 00:30:23.372
JEREMY: This is awesome.
00:30:23.372 –> 00:30:34.392
JEREMY: And I know we could talk about this for another hour or more, but I wanted to just let people know where they can find you and where they can learn more about you.
00:30:34.852 –> 00:30:41.212
JEREMY: And if they really do want to dive deep on interviews or resume or executive presence or branding and all the things.
00:30:41.212 –> 00:30:43.272
JEREMY: I know you’ve got a book coming out soon as well.
00:30:43.352 –> 00:30:48.432
JEREMY: So what, yeah, where’s the best place for people to reach out and connect with you?
00:30:48.432 –> 00:30:52.952
HILANI: Very active on LinkedIn under Exceptional Admins.
00:30:52.952 –> 00:30:55.172
HILANI: All of our EA stuff flows through there.
00:30:55.172 –> 00:31:00.252
HILANI: We have weekly polls that are really fun to kind of get into the heads of other people in the profession.
00:31:00.252 –> 00:31:00.952
HILANI: You’re right.
00:31:00.952 –> 00:31:05.272
HILANI: I have a book coming out and it will be out soon here in 2025.
00:31:05.272 –> 00:31:10.772
HILANI: And it’s not an executive assistant book, but an executive assistant absolutely could read it.
00:31:10.892 –> 00:31:21.832
HILANI: It’s written about four leaders and it’s all on the concept of capacity, the new advantage and how we need to be thinking about that as we work and optimize ourselves each day.
00:31:21.832 –> 00:31:31.512
HILANI: And there’s a variety of resources on exceptionaladmins.com, everything from job searching, one-on-one meetings, workbooks, free guides.
00:31:31.512 –> 00:31:42.752
HILANI: We also have some fun assessments and we really made a large sort of go-to library to feed the needs of pretty much anyone at any point in their career here in the administrative profession.
00:31:42.752 –> 00:31:43.172
JEREMY: Love it.
00:31:43.172 –> 00:31:46.732
JEREMY: I’ll put all of those links in the show notes at leaderassistant.com/317.
00:31:48.892 –> 00:31:59.972
JEREMY: Again, leaderassistant.com/317 and check out all the information and reach out to Hilani and check out all the great resources she’s put together and her team’s put together.
00:31:59.972 –> 00:32:02.492
JEREMY: And yeah, I’m excited for, congrats on the upcoming book.
00:32:02.612 –> 00:32:16.912
JEREMY: Excited to check that out and congrats on just really fighting for the assistance of the world and, you know, helping those executives get matched up with with leader assistance of the world.
00:32:16.912 –> 00:32:17.652
HILANI: Thank you, Jeremy.
00:32:17.652 –> 00:32:20.292
HILANI: And thank you for all the work that you’re doing for everyone, too.
00:32:20.292 –> 00:32:21.432
HILANI: Have a great day.
00:32:21.432 –> 00:32:21.952
JEREMY: Thanks, Hilani.
00:32:33.073 –> 00:32:35.433
<v SPEAKER_3>Please review on Apple Podcasts.
00:32:41.848 –> 00:32:43.548
<v SPEAKER_3>gobullos.com.
00:32:47.588 –> 00:32:54.528
JEREMY: Hey, friends, my best-selling book, The Leader Assistant, has a companion study and discussion guide to go along with it.
00:32:54.528 –> 00:32:57.248
JEREMY: It’s called The Leader Assistant Workbook.
00:32:57.248 –> 00:33:10.268
JEREMY: Now, you can buy the Kindle ebook version of The Leader Assistant Workbook on Amazon, or you can go to leaderassistantbook.com and get a printable PDF version of the workbook.
00:33:10.868 –> 00:33:19.468
JEREMY: This version has all the space and margin in between the questions that you can write your own answers and take notes with.
00:33:19.468 –> 00:33:26.908
JEREMY: So it’s a great way to print it out and keep track of your discussion and study guide notes.
00:33:26.908 –> 00:33:33.068
JEREMY: Again, go to leaderassistantbook.com and click on Workbook to check out The Leader Assistant Workbook.
