In today’s job market, there are thousands of PAs and EAs. They serve as the gateway to their principal, office, CEO, surgeon or business person they assist.
Although there are qualifications in personal assisting, many candidates don’t have formal qualifications, instead, building their experience as they move from position to position. So when you start to look for a new personal assistant, what should you be looking for in order to get a great personal assistant on the first hire? Read on to learn how to find a personal assistant in four easy steps.
1. Determine What Your Needs Are
It might seem like an obvious point, but you’d be surprised how many job searches fail due to an unclear brief. Perhaps you need email, diary and social media management. Perhaps you need more in depth, personal assistance covering your family and home life, or perhaps you need a specialised PA who has worked in the specific medical field you work within.
You'd be surprised how many job searches fail due to an unclear brief. Click To TweetDetermine your needs from skills, background, remote or in-situ working, days/hours and expectation. After all, if you can’t clearly outline the role, you’ll never match the right person to the job. A great way to create your job spec and determine your expectations is to create a work flow document (cloud based is ideal) as then you can share it with others, and add to it as you need to. It will also keep you organised and not repeat information that has already been dealt with.
2. Cast the Net Wide
You’ll be surprised the places you can look to find a great PA. Start in your personal network and word of mouth. Next, consider self-recruitment or using a professional agency to assist you. Don’t assume your great personal assistant lives around the corner, they might live in another country and be relocating to your home town soon. They may live across the country but be experienced with remote working.
Social media is also a clever tool which many professional agencies use to help spread the word. And remember it’s about repetition (which is why it sometimes pays to get a professional to do the searching) as the perfect candidate might be in a job, but later decide to leave, and if you’ve only posted your job spec once, they will miss it!
3. Interview/Reference/Trial
Yes, it sounds like a tedious step (which is why using a professional agency can reduce the work load), but this is a vital step in this how to find a personal assistant guide. You have to gel with your personal assistant and they, in turn, have to gel with you. Don’t ignore warning bells, they will get worse with time. Like any relationship, personal or business, it needs to be built on mutual trust and respect. Trust your gut instincts and be honest with yourself. You shouldn’t have to compromise as you’ll end up resenting the situation.
It’s vital to reference check and trial the person, to ensure they are up to the task at hand. Giving you that extra peace of mind.
4. The Ultimate Personal Assistant
A PA isn’t just there to clock in and clock off. The ultimate PA will free up your time to focus on tasks which are important to you in both business and pleasure. A good PA is worth their weight in gold, so it’s important you take the time to vet and interview the candidates.
The ultimate PA will understand your brand and core concepts and always look to develop and protect the brand, person or image. They are in essence an extension of you and your services or business. Don’t risk it by hiring the wrong person.
Hiring a great personal assistant can be easily achieved in these four steps, but if in doubt it’s always wise to get professional support and help – after all, that’s what professional service providers are there to do for you. We regularly recruit some of the best personal assistants around the world. We’d be more than happy to give you some advice or guidance. Why not drop us a line and we can discuss how to find a personal assistant.