Have you ever wondered why a personal assistant is important? If you are a business leader running a fast growing company, then you know just how valuable your time is. You need to get your work organized and well coordinated to fit into the limited time you have every day.
This is why delegation is important. You cannot do everything on your own and it is only prudent to have the right support to help you achieve your business goals.
One of the best ways to go about this is to hire a personal assistant. This is a very important role and a good assistant can be very crucial to the growth of your company. When done the right way, this hire can save you a lot of valuable time to focus on more important aspects of running your business by freeing up your time.
So what does a personal assistant do?
Duties of a Personal Assistant
A competent personal assistant can help you with the following:
- Managing your calendar and meetings
This involves scheduling business meeting and communicating with the other party to ensure that the meeting goes well. Your assistant also follows up with them after the meeting and takes care of rescheduling future meetings. Your personal assistant can help you prepare the agenda and relay this information to all the concerned parties.
- Planning your business trips
Since your personal assistant stays on top of your calendar and knows which events or meetings are coming up in the future, he or she can easily plan and organize your business trips. They can find hotels for you to stay in and book plane tickets. They can also organize your transport in the other location and ensure that you carry everything you need. This will help you to be comfortable and have peace of mind as you carry on your business.
- Coordinating with company employees
If you are a busy professional with limited time to meet your employees, your personal assistant can come in very handy. They can keep you updated on what your employees need from you and act as a link between you and your organization.
A personal assistant can also act as a link between you and other leaders of your company if or when you are unreachable. This is because the assistant has access to your calendar and in some cases may have access to a private number you can be reached on in case of an emergency.
- Managing your inbox
If your inbox is in chaos, a personal assistant can be a great asset to your business. This applies to both professional and personal email accounts. An assistant can help you fix the chaos and clean up your email. They can also monitor all future correspondence and organize emails in different folders to make future reference easier.
- Managing ad hoc projects
A personal assistant is meant to take the load off your shoulders. This means that they can take on tasks that you would rather not spend your time on. This could include things like preparing presentations, taking minutes, improving office systems, conducting research, organizing company events, as well as managing your office stationery.
Other tasks could include providing support in your personal life, taking care of house shopping, liaising with your family and friends, running personal errands, etc. The list is endless.
A personal assistant is therefore very invaluable, just not in your business but also in your personal life. They have a big void to fill.
So what should you do to ensure that you hire the best personal assistant?
What To Look for When Hiring a Personal Assistant
Before you start embarking on hiring the best personal assistant, there are some key things you need to take note of. For starters, you must know what duties your new personal assistant will undertake. Write down all the tasks that overwhelm you everyday that you don’t enjoy doing, then use that as a starting point.
Next, prepare a list of the key attributes your ideal personal assistant should have. What skills should they possess? How many years of experience do they need to have? What industry should they come from?
All these questions will come in very handy when reviewing candidates and help filter out the right personal assistant to hire.
Also, it is important to ask about referrals or reviews from the candidates. What do their previous employers have to say about them? Did they have a good working relationship? How long did they work for the other business leaders?
Another key factor to consider is the number of hours your personal assistant will be required to work every day or every week. Are you looking to hire a full-time personal assistant? Or are you thinking of hiring a part-time assistant first?
In addition, you have to find out whether or not your new personal assistant can work within tight deadlines or under pressure. How fast or slow are they? This is something you can find out during the interview process. Observe their mannerisms and how they respond to your questions. Also, find out if they have experience working under pressure.
Another important thing to look out for when hiring a personal assistant is to gauge their confidence levels. You want a person who can confidently speak with other leaders, engage well with employees, and have the courage to speak up in tough situations.
A good personal assistant should also be guided by ethics and good business practices. They should value confidentiality and honesty.
Finally, you have to find out whether or not you have the budget for hiring a personal assistant. Think about the salary you will pay your assistant. Think also about any bonuses or benefits the assistant will expect. Do you have the money to do this?
Conclusion
There are many benefits of having a personal assistant. However, in order for them to carry out their duties well and meet your expectations, you have to take an active role in their recruiting and hiring.
It is important to take your time in finding the right person who can fit into your company culture.
We would love to hear from you. Let us know in the comments section below what tips entrepreneurs and business leaders can use to find the right personal assistant.