Whether you are a real food connoisseur, or you just like to dine in great restaurants. Staying on top of all the latest restaurant trends can be difficult. It is difficult to find all these restaurants, let alone get a reservation sorted. Learn here how restaurant reservations are made easy with help from a PA.
It can be challenging, as with a busy lifestyle you might not have the time or the connections to stay on top of all the information, nor would you have time to harass a bookings team to get one of their popular tables.
Did you know there are ways to land a seat in the best, new restaurants, without it costing you any time or effort? This is how restaurant reservations are made easy with help from a PA.
We will share the PA industry’s best-kept secret.
How a PA can help
You might already have a PA, or you are looking to hire one. If you are indeed considering the idea of finding a PA, you can 
add this to the list of benefits.
Besides being extremely organised, a good PA will also be very connected. If you are lucky, they might be an absolute foodie themselves which will mean they know about all the exciting restaurants in your area or locations of travel. They might have worked in the hospitality industry before and therefore know people that can get you into the best restaurants.
But even if they have no connections or knowledge of this area – it can become one of their tasks to research this for you. They can create an active working document whilst they start making connections, staying on top of all the latest news and openings, and taking all the hard work and networking away from you!
How to find the best PAs
If you are looking to hire a (new) PA, there are a couple of things you should consider.
Firstly, get a very clear idea of what you need.
This might seem an obvious one, but it really is worth taking the time to make a full list of the exact tasks you need fulfilling. It really is worth your time as you’d be surprised how many job specs are unclear, leading to unrealistic expectations from both you and the candidates applying for the role. Once you start actually writing down what you would like a PA to do, there might be much more there than you initially assumed. Keep a list with you for a couple of days and add tasks to it as you go – during a full working week there will be many times a situation presents itself where a PA could have helped out that you might not have thought of previously.
Once you have the list of tasks, you can use this to form the rest of the job. Would this be suitable for someone to do part time, or is full time coverage needed? Concretely get together a job spec with working location, days and hours. Because not clearly outlining the role will make you struggle to find the right match, and risks you wasting a lot of time looking at unsuitable CVs and speaking to candidates that will not match your requirements.
Think outside of the box when searching for candidates
There are many different ways of finding a PA. You should start spreading the word in your direct network: friends, colleagues; see if you can find some candidates word of mouth. Next, consider self-recruitment or using a professional agency to assist you. Don’t be too limited in location either, as casting the search net wide means you have a lot more candidates to choose from, candidates willing to relocate or work remotely if appropriate.
Vetting, reference checking, and selection
Extremely important. You might not want to do this, or have the time for this, and this is which is why using a professional agency can concretely reduce the work load. Whether you outsource or do it yourself, it is a vital step in how to find the right person. You have to have a good connection with your personal assistant and they, in turn, have to understand 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.
Can you see how restaurant reservations are made easy with help from a PA? Then find the right PA for you know. And we can help! We have PAs with all sorts of backgrounds and expertise, and we would 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 for you.