A lot of entrepreneurs and business owners feel that getting the services of a personal assistant is a luxury they simply cannot afford. They tend to think that only top executives of large companies need them. But what if we told you that having a personal assistant is more of a necessity than a luxury? Think about it. Why don’t you get someone to lighten the load if you can no longer find the time to do the things you need to do?
A personal assistant is someone who is often appointed to assist a single person within an organization. They are present in practically every industry these days, and yes, many work remotely. So what exactly does a personal assistant do? How can a personal assistant make life easier for you?
First of all, you need to find a personal assistant who is offering the right services to suit your needs. The responsibilities of a personal assistant vary depending on the requirements of the employer. They can perform a broad scope of work for you, so we’ve listed down some of the most common duties they carry out.
• Deal With Correspondence – One of the most basic services a personal assistant is expected to provide is to act as the first point of contract between you and people from both inside and outside your company. Your assistant will take calls for you and receive/send emails on your behalf, so you’ll save yourself hours every day.
• Calendar Management – Another key responsibility is managing your calendar. Your personal assistant can organize meetings and appointments for you and remind you of important tasks so you can stay productive and do things on time.
• Administrative Support – Personal assistants can provide administrative support to ensure that day-to-day office operations are running smoothly. They prepare documents for you, manage databases and filing systems, carry out research, prepare reports and presentations, take notes or dictation at meetings, provide assistance during presentations, and assist you on other ad hoc administrative tasks as needed.
• Personal Life Maintenance – Personal assistants can run errands like paying your bills and doing grocery shopping for you. Of course, they will have to do that online if they’re working remotely.
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Want to find a personal assistant who ticks all the right boxes? Here are the key qualities that any good personal assistant must have:
• Discreet – Since your personal assistant is going to be privy to confidential information, you need to have someone who knows how to keep things confidential. So do your due diligence and conduct background and reference checks before you hire someone.
• Proactive – Great personal assistants don’t wait for something to happen. They can anticipate your needs before they even cross your mind. Find someone who will take the initiative to take care of things that you don’t ask them to do.
• Critical Thinking – You don’t want to do all the thinking for your personal assistant. That would be a waste of your time. Look for assistants who can think for themselves.
“While every assistant brings a unique set of personality traits and skillsets to the table, the one that I don’t compromise on is a strong capacity for handling ambiguity. Hiring a personal assistant shouldn’t be thought of as automation — your assistant should be able to synchronize with your operational behavior and be an extension of what you’re doing in your busy day.
Chances are, you don’t have the time to sit down with your assistant and review every email that goes out, every meeting document that’s prepared, or every call that’s being set up. And that’s not even accounting for new challenges that come up that need to be solved. Hiring someone who needs every detail laid out on your end is a logistical nightmare, not to mention an easy spiral towards micromanagement.”
– Author and business coach David Finkel
• Communication – As the first point of contact for your company, your personal assistant’s verbal and written communication skills will have to be impeccable.
• Flexibility – Since the duties for the role vary depending on the employer, a personal assistant should know exactly how to work around any unexpected changes of circumstances or workload.
• Organizational – Your personal assistant should display excellent organizational skills since he/she will be handling tasks that often require precise attention (managing calendars, handling email and phone communication, scheduling meetings, etc.).
• Computer skills – Okay, everybody should have this skill nowadays. Depending on your needs, your personal assistant must know how to use tools like Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Google Calendar, etc.
While there are a lot of online job sites out there, we prefer to find the talent we need at Onlinejobs.ph. They have the largest database of Filipino virtual workers with more than a million profiles, so it should be easy to find a personal assistant who fits your budget and needs. Just head to the site, create an account, post your job ad, and wait for the resumes to come in. You’ll have to upgrade your account to communicate with the applicants, but it doesn’t cost much ($69 per month). Once you are done hiring, simply cancel your subscription. If you prefer a US-based personal assistant, check out Fancy Hands, Time etc, and BELAY.
Personal assistants are there to take care of the tasks that have been left unfinished on your to-do list. With someone handling all the tasks that used to disrupt your flow, you should be able to increase your productivity. Now, go and hire your first personal assistant!
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to message us.
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