Hiring a Personal Assistant

Unfortunately for the busiest of us, science hasout for skills or qualifications that you may not
yet to create discover a way for us to be in twohave thought of but will still be useful to you.
places at once. Until that happens, personalDon't be quick to rule out recent college
assistants will continue to provide support to busygraduates or retirees. While it is important to take
individuals. You can easily simplify your life bywork experience into consideration, a recent grad
effectively delegating the following tasks to amay have majored in an area that specifically
professional personal assistant:o Running generalapplies to your requirements, and retirees bring
errandso Managing the household calendar andyears of experience and knowledge to the table.
booking appointmentso Taking laundry to theAfter sorting through the resumes, schedule an
cleanerso Making travel arrangements andinterview with your top candidates. This is your
appointmentso Shopping for groceries or thatchance to see if the person matches the
perfect birthday or holiday gifto Organizing yourqualifications he or she details on the resume.
officeo Assisting in planning parties and otherTake into account personality traits that mesh
eventso Providing concierge servicesowell with yours and how the candidate reacts and
Coordinating home maintenance and repairthinks. Trim the candidate pool and perform a
Sound good? The next step is to find a reliablesecond round of interviews to discuss job
and trustworthy assistant who will complete thesespecifics such as salary, benefits, and hours.
tasks quickly and efficiently. The following stepsOnce you have narrowed down your search,
will help you find a worthy candidate.extend the offer. Because personal assistants are
First, create a list of specific qualities you'reinvolved in most details of your life, it may be a
looking for or a job description. The descriptiongood idea to offer a probationary period to see if
should clearly state your needs and be detailed.you two really work well together.
Include the daily tasks that the assistant will beIf the idea of having a personal assistant appeals
expected to perform with little or no supervisionto you but the process appears daunting, or you
from you.just don't have the time in the first place, consider
After you have created your job description,finding a personal assistant through an agency. A
place an ad in the help wanted section of yourpersonal assistant agency can best help you
newspaper. State that the first requirement is tonarrow down your needs and has a database of
send a cover letter and a resume to a P.O. Box.tried and true personal assistants. Going this route
After you have received the resumes, filtertakes the pressure off your shoulders and quickly
through them for candidates that most closelygets a reliable professional into your home or
match your needs. While doing so, keep an eyebusiness to simplify your life.