A renowned Medical Doctor once complained how hard it was to find a good medical secretary. Furthermore, he struggled to hire a personal assistant to manage his diary, events and daily affairs. It was interesting that he found it challenging to find a good PA to handle his admin. Was it that what he was looking for didn’t exist? Or was it that he wasn’t looking in the right place?
Clients from around the world will often start a search to hire a personal assistant. But it is very important that they are looking in the right places for the right kind of PA.
Hiring a PA, both for your business or personal life, can dramatically free up your time to focus on projects, family or to simply enjoy the things you have little time for. Re-organising a dental appointment, adding baggage to your next trip, booking a restaurant for visiting family – these are all duties that can be left to a professional PA to handle so you can let go and improve your lifestyle.
Who Would Hire a Personal Assistant?
Of course, entrepreneurs and celebrities will be typically amongst those who hire a personal assistant, but PAs can be hired for all types of clients. In fact, many professional clients such as Doctors, Lawyers, business men/women or simply busy mothers, look to hire a private PA.
One family looked to hire a personal assistant when they had relocated to London from Dubai, the family needed support in all the admin of the new household and move, and help to find the right schools for their children. The parents simply didn’t have the time, and this is where the private PA stepped in.
Another family sought a PA because they travelled a great deal. The wife found she was spending all day on the phone to airlines to move and switch flights and bags. Again, the private PA was tasked with managing all of this and it saved so much of the wife’s precious time.
The PA doesn’t always have to do complex tasks, in fact, they are often doing the more mundane and tedious duties, ensuring that they are completed and giving back the time to families to focus on what they wish to.
How to Recruit the Perfect PA?
There are multiple ways you can hire a personal assistant. Self-recruiting is an option, from Gumtree to other advertising sites. But be careful and make sure you fully vet the candidates. Check their references, get all their paperwork and ID and perform a criminal background check. You don’t want to release personal and private information to the wrong person.
You could reach out to your personal network and colleagues. They may well know someone who is looking for a new role. Again, as with self-recruitment, make sure you check and fully vet them.
If time is against you and you want greater peace of mind, consider using a professional agency to help with your search. A professional agency will do the vetting and background checks for you. This will ensure you have complete peace of mind with your new hire.
Always conduct a trial or a probationary period. It is common in the early stages that you might not know exactly what you need in your personal assistant. It is important that this trial period takes place in order to help establish that the role is right for the PA and they are right for you.
If you hire a personal assistant, it can make a huge difference to your life. Why not drop us a line today and see how we can help make a dramatic and positive change to your lifestyle.