Questions to Ask when Hiring an Assistant

Over the last few months, I’ve had a handful of diva strategy calls with mortgage girlfriends regarding the topic of “assistant”. The conversations fell into three categories:

I need an assistant but I don’t know where to begin

The assistants I have hired don’t seem to work out

My assistants quit after X amount of months

What tends to happen is that when you mention that you need help, someone says “I know a person who might be a good fit for the job” or something like that. The problem is that the person making the recommendation does not have a clue what type of tasks you expect the assistant to take over from you—nor do they really know the individual’s work ethic, opinions about working with Realtors, or background.

This questionnaire was provided by Kelly McGuinness, my long-time mortgage girlfriend. It is a list of questions that are open-ended and asked in such a way that will help you determine if that person is a fit and has the same values as you do.

In addition, I also recommend that they take a DISC test to see if it kinda matches the answers they have given you.

What other questions would you add to this list?

Tell me about yourself.
Why are you thinking of leaving your current job?
What are your responsibilities there?
What does your typical day look like?
What talents and strengths did you bring to your position?
Please give me a couple of examples of your strengths.
Tell me about how you have worked in a team.
What’s the best feedback you’ve gotten from a customer?
Give me an example of when your customer service could have been better.
When do you think a customer’s telephone call should be returned?
What’s your opinion of the mortgage business?
Describe what you think a loan officer does/responsibilities.
In your opinion, what’s the hardest part of a loan officer’s job?
In your opinion, what’s the easiest part of a loan officer’s job?
What is your opinion of Realtors?
Tell me about a great experience you’ve had with a salesperson (personal or professional).
Tell me about a bad experience you’ve had with a salesperson.
What could they have done to make the experience better for you?
Please describe your ideal boss.
Please describe your ideal job.
How would your boss describe you?
What have you done in your career to make someone else successful?
What irks you about people?
What irks people about you?
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
Who do you look to for guidance and why?