Candidates
We work with highly experienced, top-caliber executive assistants and chiefs of staff who are passionate about their roles and have chosen the administrative career as their profession. We focus on making long-term successful business partnerships between our candidates and executive clients
Our Values
First and foremost, we identify with you! As former career Executive Assistants/Administrative Managers/Chiefs of Staff, we understand the extraordinary demands placed on you by the high pressure and complex nature of your position. We know at a core level what it takes to be successful as an EA and believe whole-heartedly in the importance and value of that role within the office of the CEO.
Because we have walked in your shoes, we also understand the importance of working with the right executive partner. Your working relationship with an executive can significantly impact your sense of job fulfillment, self-confidence, and overall happiness. Our goal is to make that relationship a positive and highly beneficial one for both you and our client.
Our Approach
As a retained search firm, our fundamental motivation is distinctly different than what many candidates may have experienced in working with contingency-based personnel agencies. In short, we are essentially paid upfront by our clients to perform a targeted and extensive search for their future assistants and chiefs of staff.
Given our commitment to making successful long-term partnerships, it is essential for us to assess the work environment in which you best thrive and to determine if our client’s working style is the best fit for you. In order to do so, we diligently strive to understand your needs, your past work experience, the different environments and office cultures you have been in, and the types of executives you have previously supported.
The majority of the administrative professionals we work with are currently employed. We adhere to a strict confidentiality policy with regard to your privacy. Your information is never released without your explicit permission.
Our Relationship With Our Executive Clients
On the other side of the equation, we always interview our clients (the executives) upfront to evaluate:
- The scope of responsibilities of the position and specific skills required
- The executive’s work, management and communication styles
- The executive’s expectations of the assistant/chief of staff role(s) and dynamics within the Office of the CEO
- Office environment and corporate culture
By assessing your needs and abilities in conjunction with these and many other important elements of our client’s criteria, we are best able to determine if one of our clients is a well-suited match for you. We work very hard to inform you as thoroughly as possible about the career opportunity we present. It may sound trite, but your job satisfaction and happiness is ours too! We find great reward in connecting the right people who enable each other to achieve their greatest potential.
Our Support
Once you become a finalist candidate, our goal is to support you throughout the interview process. We offer interview preparation and guidance and will inform you in a timely manner of the search progress and client feedback. If our client selects you for the position (and you accept), we will support you during the entire salary and benefit negotiation process. We continue to guide you as you prepare to give notice to your employer and thereafter—as you transition into your exciting new role with our client!
Our Referral Program
Many of our searches originate from our candidate relationships. We value these relationships and are deeply thankful for referrals.
Should you refer us to an organization that contracts with us for search services, we will be pleased to make a generous donation to your favorite charity or make a cash payment to you. Please contact us for details.
Prospective Candidates
If you are a prospective candidate new to Kathy Macdonald Associates, please submit your confidential information via the form below. We will respond to all inquiries.
What Our Candidates Say:
Debra Brashear
Former EA to Scott McNealy, CEO & Chairman, Sun Microsystems
“Kathy Macdonald is, by far, head and shoulders above all executive assistant recruiters that I have dealt with in my career. She has a keen, innate skill of being able to hone in on an executive’s needs, and then couple them with ideal candidates – not just from a skill point of view, but she truly has a keen eye for coupling personalities that would work well together. And Kathy doesn’t just throw bodies at opportunities. She knows her reputation is on the line with each candidate that she puts forth. She embodies the word “professional” and is delightful to work with. Any candidate would be lucky to have her representing them.”
Karen G.
Former EA to President, McKesson Corporation
“In over 30 years in this field, I have never worked with a recruiter who researched each position more thoroughly. Kathy Macdonald is equally in tune with the needs of the client and the candidate, resulting in a true possible “fit.” Because Kathy’s integrity is impeccable, I know she would never push a candidate to take a job just to close a deal. This business needs Kathy; she is providing the best professionals to the finest companies in the Bay Area and she is raising the bar for candidates.”
Cheryl A.
Former EA to Steve Jobs, CEO, Next Computers
“It is immediately clear that Kathy Macdonald understands the complex nature of a top administrative position. She realizes that it’s truly a partnership between executive and assistant.”
Cindy S.
Former EA to the CEO, Apple Computer Inc.
“Kathy Macdonald intuitively understands that it takes more than just job skills…she looks beyond that to the very important interpersonal skills that ensure a successful match.”