Creating a Comprehensive Job Description for Your Personal Assistant
A Guide to Finding Your Ideal Personal Assistant
Creating a job description for a personal assistant can be daunting so we created our Client Questionnaire to guide you through crucial information needed in order to shape your role. The key is to take a little extra time up front and respond in as much detail as possible so that expectations are clear. Mismatched expectations between clients and candidates can lead to the working relationship, well, not working.
Why a Detailed Job Description is Important When Hiring a Personal Assistant
We work as a “matchmaker” connecting clients in NYC and LA with the perfect personal assistants for them, but to do this we must know your specific needs. This is where a clear and detailed job description helps us help you! Let’s say you tell us that you need personal support like running errands and making doctor’s appointments, but what you don’t mention is that you also have a side project of organizing your home’s catch-all closet. We won’t know how to filter for candidates who excel at home organization. Then ultimately, when it comes time to tackle that project, you’ll be disappointed when your hire isn’t able to complete the task to your satisfaction
One of the biggest make or breaks for a PA candidate’s interest in a position is understanding how much of the role is in-person and how much is remote work. It’s a delicate balance to determine the appropriate amount of each type of support you expect, but try to think clearly up front about how much actually needs to be done from your home. Finding plumbers or contractors, though related to your home, is research that does not actually need to be completed while physically at your home. Most of the time, one day a week in person is sufficient for our client’s needs, but whatever amount you expect, be clear on the anticipated breakdown of remote work and in-person support so that candidates can assess accordingly. If you expect a role to be 5 days per week in person, and it ends up being 1 or 2, you may miss out on candidates who are not available for 5 days/wk. Or if you expect to need in person support once every other week or once a month, and it ends up being multiple times per week, your candidate may not be able to accommodate. Don’t worry though, we’ll walk you through breaking down these needs in our Client Questionnaire!
How To Identify Your Personal Assistant Needs
Assessing your daily tasks and workflow
Maybe you already have a backed-up to-do list that you can easily pass off to a personal assistant, and that’s a great start! But if many tasks live in the weight on your shoulders- we mean, head- then preparation is crucial to setting you and your personal assistant up for success.
Identifying the key areas where a personal assistant can add value (e.g., scheduling, travel coordination, errands, administrative tasks)
It’s a lot easier to identify tasks that you could either pass off entirely or use support with as they come up in your day to day life, so we suggest keeping a running list for a week or more and keeping a running list. What are you doing that is just not getting done, period (home organization projects, getting together a holiday gift list and purchasing items, etc.), what are you doing that is taking up too much of your time and could easily be passed off to someone else (scheduling, routine data entry, returning packages), and/or where a personal assistant could add value (travel coordination, online research, streamlining systems)? We guarantee that if you keep this list going for even a few days, you’ll realize how much can be offloaded from your plate.
Differentiating between needs for in-person and virtual assistants
You’ll want to differentiate between which tasks must be done in person (like running errands), and which tasks could be handled virtually or remote. For the in-person tasks that you highlight, how often are those tasks happening? For example, home organization may just be a once-off project, but grocery shopping and returns happen consistently once a week. Clearly breaking down which needs are in-person and which are remote will help you easily outline what the job looks like on a weekly basis.
Identify how much time you would need help from a PA each week
Then, zoom out. Look at the entire list you’ve compiled and determine how much time each week you would need help from a personal assistant. Can the tasks be done on the PA’s own time (in a timely manner of course!), or must they be completed at a set time each week.
Key Details to Include in a Personal Assistant Job Description
We’ll walk you through these key details in our Client Questionnaire.
-
Select whether your role is 100% in-person, virtual/remote, or hybrid. Most clients are looking for a hybrid personal assistant so we’ll prompt you to let us know how often you expect to need your personal assistant to appear in person.
-
Be specific (things like, managing calendar, handling emails/phone calls, event planning, etc.). We’ve created a simple checklist of common duties, but additional insight into specific aspects will help us match you up with your perfect personal assistant. For example, if you select “Event Organization”, is this because you host dinner parties a few times a year or because you have an event planning business and are looking for professional administrative support? We’ll then be able to assess candidates’ relative experience appropriately.
-
Highlight must-have skills (eg, organizational skills, tech proficiency, artistic), and share with us how those skills will be applied. Are you looking for someone to help you organize your home, or organize your digital files? Are you highly proficient with technical systems and need someone who is familiar with the same programs as you regularly use? Are you looking for support with presentations or aesthetic aspects of marketing (newsletters, selecting photography, etc.)
-
Specify expectations for availability (how many part-time hours you’d need and how flexible they’d need to be with those hours; if you ever need to meet with them during the week or whether tasks can be completed asynchronously).Item description
-
We include an additional open answer section for you to describe anything we may not have covered, or any additional insight you’d like to share.
Must-Have Personal Traits for Your Ideal Personal Assistant
It’s our job to screen for the personal traits and soft skills that we believe make an ideal candidate. Feel free to share any specifics you know about yourself (“I prefer to work efficiently and am not looking to chat”, or, “I’m happy to mentor a candidate and help them grow”). Our interview process is designed to let you meet face to face via Zoom so you can assess your interpersonal dynamic, how your communication compliments each other (or not!), and if you feel comfortable with each candidate.
Final Thoughts on Writing an Effective Job Description for Your Personal Assistant
We do our best to make it easy for you to distill your needs into a comprehensive job description, but thoughtful preparation goes a long way in successfully setting expectations for your role. We are committed to matching clients with personal assistants who align perfecting with their needs and expectations, but though we have strong pool of qualified candidates, we won’t know how best to match you without your personal insight. We appreciate you taking the time to consider your needs carefully- we’ll handle the rest!
