The Qualities Of A Personal Assistant

The Qualities of a Personal Assistant

People who are always on the go need someone to watch their back. In business, we call that individual a personal assistant. But this job is not for everyone which is why there are certain qualities that you have to look out for when you are hiring one.

First, that person should be a jack of all trades. This means he or she is used to multi-tasking. The successful candidate must have a flexible work schedule that goes beyond the nine to five job. You can call them up at anytime, be able to work on weekends, holidays or even overnight if necessary. If this person is not able to do that, then you better hire someone else.

The personal assistant should be internet savvy and computer literate so certain projects can be typed up, research can be done and a presentation can be made. If you are using some programs that the personal assistant is not familiar with, then this person has to learn it quickly in order to adapt to your needs.

When you hire a personal assistant, it is best to get someone with experience so more or less they know what to do in the position. You just have to brief them on how things are done where you work.

The candidate has to be very dependable especially when you are not around because he or she represents you. If a judgment calls needs to be made, the personal assistant has to step up and do what needs to be done. Having such a quality shows this person is self-confident and has the leadership potential to handle more responsibility in the future.

They should show that they are trust worthy so everything you say that is concerned with the business does not leak out of the office.

What does a personal assistant want in return for what you expect from them? Simply put, fair pay because no one is going to work beyond 8 hours everyday and only get paid minimum wage. If you have to travel and you need this person, be prepared to shell out their travel and living expenses.

From time to time, give them tickets to a party or a show if you are not around. As you can see, money is not the only thing that a personal assistant looks for when looking for a job.

How do you look for a personal assistant? By putting down on paper what is their job description and then posting an advertisement saying that you are in need of one. If your company is quite big, you can announce for an opening first within the organization before opening this for outsiders.

Once you have a list of potential candidates, you can now go through the screening process. Those who pass the initial interview and exam can be scheduled to meet you. To help you decide which candidate you think is best, have someone from the company interview this person with you.

If you want to see them in action, let them do something and if you are happy, keep them on a probationary basis first before you decide to regularize them.

At the end of the day, the personal assistant is another employee. If this person does not perform as you expect, they can easily be replaced.