Your calendar has four meetings one after the other with no travel time in between, and your “assistant” thinks nothing of it. This is the type of issue calendar management is supposed to solve. Most people think that calendar management is merely scheduling meetings as requests come in, but if you want to hire an executive assistant in Mumbai, it‘s worth understanding the skill set beyond that
What calendar management actually involves
This is more than just scheduling meetings as requests come in and finding space for them in your calendar.
Proper calendar management also encompasses
– prioritizing which tasks actually need your involvement over those that can be delegated,
– building in buffer time between meetings so you’re not rushing,
– allocating time to focused work rather than just having spaces between meetings,
– resolving conflicts rather than asking for your involvement,
– and understanding that demanding meetings shouldn’t be scheduled one right after the other if that doesn’t leave room for other important work
If you want to hire an executive assistant in Mumbai for this reason, you’re looking for someone who thinks strategically about your time and not someone who is willing to accept every request.
What calendar management involves over general EA skills
Many executive assistants are excellent at handling emails, errands, and travel, but don’t have the nuance about managing a calendar that an EAC in Mumbai would have.
Being able to manage a calendar as a distinct skill set means being able to have judgment about what requires your time, and what can be delegated, as well as what requires more preparation, travel, or discussion even if two meetings on paper appear the same.
Without proper calendar management skills, people often end up
– with meetings that don’t allow for enough preparation or travel time in between,
– with their schedules appearing busy but not actually getting core work done,
– with calls that require your focused attention getting scheduled one right after the other because no one built in the necessary buffer,
– letting low priority tasks eat up the time that high priority tasks need to happen in.
What to actually look for when you have to hire an Executive Assistant in Mumbai
This is often where the trial period and first few interviews can miss the mark, since many are looking to gauge general organization rather than judgment about the calendar itself, especially when a family rushes to hire an executive assistant in Mumbai to fill a position without a proper screening.
Key Things to check before you hire an Executive Assistant in Mumbai:
1. Experience with complex or overlapping calendars
This is a good question to gauge the applicant’s ability here, since a vague answer will reveal that they don’t have much experience with this particular aspect of scheduling
2. Familiarity with relevant tools
Ask an EAC applicant what tools they’re comfortable with, rather than relying on assumptions. It’s not the end-all-be-all, but a comfort with the tools relevant to the job will save everyone time.
3. Judgment on what requires prioritization
This is the big one. Ask an EAC applicant how they would prioritize which meeting to keep and which to reschedule if two important-sounding but non-urgent requests come in for the same time, to see how they think through things.
4. Proactive rather than reactive scheduling
Asking a candidate to describe a point where they’ve resolved a conflict in advance rather than waiting for it to happen will give insight into their abilities.
5. References on scheduling ability
When you reach out to references, ask about instances where they’ve had calendar chaos, and how the EAC applicant dealt with it. If the EAC applicant has handled double-booking requests, or was able to explain scheduling changes clearly to a busy executive, that’s a good sign.
What to consider for a trial run
The usual trial run may focus on general organization, but you can add one specific thing to test someone’s calendar management judgment. For example, you could give them a scenario with one packed week, multiple meetings, unclear prioritization, and a couple last-minute requests, and have them walk through how they would reorganize the week and why. This will give you more information about the EAC applicant’s abilities than a vague discussion about their general skills with organization.
If the EAC applicant rearranges the week but doesn’t talk through why one request was prioritized over another, this tells you something useful about their abilities.
Scheduling vs. task management
The terms are often conflated, but task management and scheduling are actually separate skills.
Task management generally deals with
– tracking emails and other correspondence,
– maintaining to-do lists and following up on tasks,
– and helping with logistics and errands.
Scheduling, meanwhile, deals with
– protecting and prioritizing the time of the person being assisted,
– making judgments about what should and shouldn’t take up time in the assisted person’s calendar,
– and organizing the assisted person’s week to maximize productivity given their other constraints.
Many excellent EAs have both skills, but if you’re having issues with your own calendar being overrun, it’s worth considering when you hire an executive assistant in Mumbai specifically for the calendar management skill rather than someone who is good at general task assistance.
How much does it cost to hire an executive assistant in Mumbai for this sort of task?
The cost will depend on a few factors, including the EAC’s experience (someone with years of experience managing other executives’ or HNWI’s calendars will cost more than someone new), the complexity of your own calendar (a busy one with lots of stakeholders and time zones will cost more), the overlap of other skills (if you want someone who not only manages your schedule but helps you prioritize decisions as well), and whether you opt for a virtual EAC rather than someone local.
Investing in someone who can manage your calendar well rather than having to wrangle it yourself is almost always worth the cost.
Why it’s more important for business owners in Mumbai
An executive’s calendar is effectively their lifeline, and poor management of it can lead to their time and energy being wasted on unproductive or unimportant tasks. It’s the reason why business owners increasingly hire an executive assistant in Mumbai with this skill set in particular.
This is exactly why many business owners opt to hire EA for business owner Mumbai rather than just someone to fill up spaces in the calendar.
Why an agency is better than a random referral when it comes to hiring an EAC in Mumbai
Finding someone with the right skills to manage your complex and important calendar requires actual expertise, which is why it’s important to hire an executive assistant in Mumbai via an agency process rather than a casual referral.
Hiring an EAC through an agency gives you the benefit of
– referring to candidates with experience with similar scheduling concerns,
– faster replacement if the EAC isn’t a fit,
– clear documentation of the expectations,
– and access to people who are experts in scheduling rather than just general organization
Conclusion
Someone who just books meetings without protecting your time isn’t managing your calendar, they’re just filling your free spaces with meetings. If you’re hiring an executive assistant in Mumbai, you should look at their judgment when it comes to scheduling and ask them the direct questions rather than someone who thinks the role just revolves around filling available meeting slots in your schedule.
At Solitaire Consultancy Services, we specifically screen applicants to see if they have the skills to help schedule your meetings in a way that preserves your time, rather than just filling your calendar. If you’re looking to hire an executive assistant in Mumbai without the hassle of guessing whether they have the skills for your complex scheduling needs, we’re more than happy to help you find someone who actually has these capabilities.
