What do you expect being a virtual assistant?
Why This Is Asked
Athena uses this question to test whether candidates see the Executive Partner role as more than a transactional task-doer. They need people who are ready for the unpredictability and high trust of a 1:1 partnership.
General Approach
Research what Athena's EAs actually do by reading their job posts and blog. Structure your answer: acknowledge the role's complexity, then give a concrete example of a time you handled an unexpected responsibility with initiative, even if it wasn't a VA job. Mention how you'd thrive in a remote, cross-cultural environment like Athena's.
Sample STAR Answer▾
Situation
When I first started as a freelance virtual assistant for a US marketing agency, I assumed the role would be mainly administrative tasks like data entry and email sorting. In my second week, the client suddenly asked me to manage their social media content calendar and create basic graphics in Canva, which I had never used before.
Task
My task was to manage these unfamiliar creative responsibilities without delaying the client's content schedule or compromising quality, all while showing I could be trusted with more than routine work.
Action
I informed the client I needed 24 hours to get up to speed. I spent that night watching Canva tutorials on YouTube and recreating several of their past post designs as practice. I also signed up for a free trial of Buffer to schedule posts and built a draft content calendar in Google Sheets. Before sending the first batch, I asked the client for a quick 10-minute call to walk through the plan and get initial style feedback.
Result
The client appreciated the proactive approach and the first set of posts performed as well as their usual content. They expanded my scope to include influencer outreach and increased my weekly hours from 15 to 25. Within two months, I was fully managing their social presence.
Attempt Your Answer
Write your own answer, then get instant AI feedback graded against:
- •STAR Structure
- •Specificity & Numbers
- •Ownership Language
- •PH Workplace Context
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