Blackbook Assess

The gold standard in assessing Assistants and Chiefs of Staff.

Anyone can interview well. Few can perform. The only platform of its kind, Blackbook Assess puts every shortlisted candidate through the situations the role will actually throw at them — so you hire on proof.

Why it matters

Hire on evidence, not instinct.

01 · Bespoke to the mandate

No off-the-shelf rubric.

Every Assess is engineered for one role, one firm. Sectors, weighting, scenarios, sensitivities — all calibrated to your principal's reality before a single candidate is invited.

Bespoke sections built per mandate
Weighting set to what your principal values
Scenarios drawn from real situations in the role

Building assessment…BB-2603

Principal priorities mapped

6 bespoke sections defined

22 scenarios written & calibrated

Section weighting configured

Assessment ready

Why Blackbook Assess exists

The hardest problem in hiring assistants.

A candidate can have an exceptional resume, have supported well-regarded principals at reputable firms, and come across brilliantly in interview — and still unravel the moment they start. Whether it's a mismatch against the principal's expectations, a working style that doesn't translate, or capability that simply wasn't there in practice — it happens more than most are willing to admit.

Blackbook Assess was built to address exactly that. The platform tests for proven capability — the judgment calls, the commercial instincts, the discretion — that a resume can claim but never demonstrate. Our consultants assess career history, experience, and chemistry fit. Blackbook Assess addresses the rest.

“We know she's great in theory. How do we prove it in practice before we hire?”

— Chair of an $800m practice group, on a candidate we had shortlisted. The answer became Blackbook Assess.

Available within Premier search

Put it to work on your next mandate.

Assess comes as standard with every Premier retained search. If the stakes are high, we'd welcome the conversation.

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