A valuable addition to your household staff could be hiring a Personal Assistant. If you have tasks that constantly get pushed aside or find there is never enough time to get everything done, you will benefit from hiring a Personal Assistant.

What Is a Personal Assistant?

A Personal Assistant takes on the tasks which you delegate allowing more time for you. They may also be referred to as a Personal secretary, Personal Administrative Assistant, or Personal Aide. Essentially, they assist you with your daily personal or business-related tasks.

For example, if you need to modify your upcoming travel arrangements for a family vacation, rather than spend countless hours on hold yourself, you can delegate this task to your Personal Assistant.

What Does a Personal Assistant Do?

The job responsibilities and duties of a Personal Assistant will vary depending on the needs of their principal. The role can be customized based on your needs, including household and administrative functions such as:

Administrative Functions

• Phone Calls
• Schedule Appointments
• Travel Arrangements
• Pay Bills
• Light Bookkeeping
• Manage Emails and Correspondence
• Conduct Research
• Calendar Management and Scheduling
• Party and Event Planning

Household Functions

• Errands
• Shopping
• Personal Driver
• Pet Care
• Meal Preparation
• Light Housekeeping
• Grocery Shopping
• Oversee Household Maintenance and Upkeep

Signs You Need a Personal Assistant

Now that you know more about what a Personal Assistant is and what they do, here’s how to determine if you need to hire a Personal Assistant. 

#1. Simple tasks are getting put aside and not getting done.

Do you find that you constantly put off doing the dishes or laundry? Maybe you have packages that need to be mailed that have been sitting for weeks or months? When you have a lot of tasks that need to be done and lack the time, you will benefit from a Personal Assistant.

#2. You never have the time to sit down and relax.

Does it seem like you have things to do from the time you get out of bed until you retire for the evening? Are you not getting enough sleep, or are you unable to take time out for yourself to unwind and relax? When you have so much to do and working on the tasks has become the only thing you do all day long, it is time to hire a Personal Assistant.

#3. You no longer have time to do the things you enjoy.

There will always be times when you may have more to do than anticipated, but it should not be constant where you are continuously overloaded with more to do than you can possibly handle. If you find you are canceling dinner dates with friends and missing out on your children’s school and social activities or other enjoyable activities you like doing, you need a Personal Assistant.

#4. You spend much of your time taking care of administrative-type tasks.

Whether you are responding to emails, paying bills online, or making phone calls, if you are spending most of your day doing these tasks, other tasks are not getting done and are piling up. When you hire a Personal Assistant, you can have them take care of all of your administrative-type tasks, freeing you to do other things that need to be done.

#5. Your “To-Do” list never gets shorter, only longer.

If you find you are adding more items to your “To-Do” list than you get completed each day, this is a sign you will benefit from a Personal Assistant. Imagine what you could do if there were two of you working on the tasks on your list.

#6. You need specific skills that you lack.

You may have tasks you want to accomplish but lack the skills to get them done, so they keep getting put off. For example, you envision how you want to renovate your bathroom or kitchen but are not sure where to start or how to find the right contractor to do the work.

The solution would be to hire a personal assistant with experience in managing and overseeing home improvement and renovation projects.

#7. You are constantly running late.

Does it seem like you show up late to social events or gatherings? You might be late picking up your children from school. When you have a Personal Assistant, they will help remind you when you have social events and gatherings. They can also ensure your children are picked up on time from school.

What Skills Should a Personal Assistant Have?

The specific skill sets and services a Personal Assistant can offer will depend on your needs. However, in general, all Personal Assistants should possess the following skills:

Good Communication

Your Personal Assistant will communicate effectively with you and other people to ensure they can accomplish their tasks to your satisfaction.

Problem-Solving

Your Personal Assistant will possess problem-solving skills. They will listen to your problems and come up with viable solutions.

Well Organized

Organizational skills are essential to assist you with getting your tasks caught up, on track, and more manageable.

Technology

Personal Assistants are familiar with and know how to use different types of technologies, including smartphones, tablets, computers, social media, cloud-based apps, scheduling software, word processing, spreadsheets, and other applications.

Time Management

A Personal Assistant with excellent time management skills is essential. They will help keep you on time while also managing their time to accomplish their assigned tasks.

In addition to these essential skills, your Personal Assistant should match your dynamics and values.

How to Hire a Personal Assistant

When you want to hire a Personal Assistant, you have a few different options. Your first option is to post the job listing yourself online. Next, you will need to review job applications and resumes of prospective candidates.

Additionally, you will have to schedule interviews, conduct background checks on the candidates you are considering, and write the offer letter and job contract. You will also be responsible for payroll processes, including deducting taxes and ensuring they are paid to the appropriate agencies.

Your second option is to use a professional staffing agency, like Staffing at Tiffanie’s, to hire a Personal Assistant. Using a staffing agency is more efficient than attempting to find a Personal Assistant yourself and offers these other added benefits:

1. Role Customization – We work with you to define the role, the duties, and the responsibilities needed from your Personal Assistant.
2. Prescreened Candidates – We have already conducted initial interviews with our candidates to ensure which ones will be a perfect match for you.
3. Background Screenings – We perform all relevant background screenings on our candidates so you do not have to worry about this costly, time-consuming process.
4. Interview Schedule – We take care of scheduling in-person or virtual interviews with the candidates you choose to interview.
5. Employment Packages – We offer different types of employment packages, such as offer letters, employment contracts, performance reviews, tax and payroll assistance, and more.
6. Support and Guidance – We provide the support and guidance you need to find the perfect Personal Assistant and continue to offer this service throughout your employee’s employment. 
7. Complete Confidentiality – We protect our clients from public exposure using our unique process to find highly qualified Personal Assistants that can also uphold your privacy and confidentiality.

When you notice one or more of these signs, you need a Personal Assistant in your life. Using our staffing agency is the most effective and efficient way to hire a Personal Assistant. For further information or to start the hiring process, please feel free to contact us at 866-484-5550 today.