How to hire a personal assistant: Skills to look for, plus a 5-step hiring guide

Personal assistants help keep you on schedule, remind you of important matters, and arrange travel arrangements and accommodation. No matter how much or how little you delegate, they save you valuable time that you can use for other priorities.

A good personal assistant is a great communicator and has strong cognitive ability, which helps them solve problems and offer solutions. 

In this article, we explain how to hire personal assistants, what core skills they should possess, and how to measure them. You’ll also learn how to find a personal assistant, how much they cost, and where to look for them.

What is a personal assistant?

A personal assistant (PA) helps and carries out duties for an individual, usually an entrepreneur or executive of a large company, who has a busy schedule and needs help with more menial, time-consuming tasks. The main role of the PA is to free up time for their employer so they can focus on more important assignments.

What are the types of personal assistants?

There are several types of PAs, and you should know how to hire a personal assistant who can best serve your needs and interests.

• Private assistant: The private assistant can help with daily tasks, like walking the dogs or grabbing lunch. They can also take appointments, answer calls, and manage meetings and general correspondence. 

• Administrative assistant: An administrative assistant generally helps out a team rather than one individual. They file documents, schedule appointments, and keep everyone on track with their duties. 

• Executive assistant: The executive assistant supports an executive’s business life more than their personal life. They can also manage finances and communicate with other employees, keeping them in line instead of the executive.

• Chief of staff or senior executive assistant: The highest level of a PA is the chief of staff or senior executive assistant. This person typically works directly with business owners and can act as a guide or an advisor, manage your business, and stand in during important executive meetings. Because senior executive assistants have high skill requirements, they are the most expensive type of PA.

Ideally, your assistant has the skills to be both a normal PA and an executive assistant. However, don’t hire a private assistant who’s skilled in managing your household and expect them to perform the duties of a chief of staff, like managing your finances. 

First, you should determine if you even need a personal assistant.

Why hire a personal assistant?

Some entrepreneurs may find it unnecessary to hire a personal assistant. However, if you need to accomplish executive-level tasks like creating policies and strategies for your company each day instead of organizing and filing documents, hiring an assistant can give you valuable free time.

Here are the main reasons to hire a personal assistant:

• Keep yourself on schedule

• Balance work and personal life

• Delegate smaller tasks to stay focused on what matters

• Have a second-in-command who helps connect with your staff

• Grow your business and your online presence

To add to this last point, a personal assistant can add time to your schedule, enabling you to focus on the part of your work that brings the most value to your business.

7 fundamental skills to look for in an excellent personal assistant

To find out how to get a personal assistant, you must first understand what to look for in your personal assistant recruitment search.

Personal assistant hard skills

Those in a personal assistant position need to have a solid aptitude in certain technical skills to succeed, including things like email etiquette, data entry, administrative tasks, and brand management.

Personal assistant soft skills

According to research by Harvard Business Review, soft and social skills, including communication and problem-solving, are more important for executives than hard skills. It stands to reason that they are equally important for the personal assistants who support these senior leaders.

Other skills and traits to consider 

Apart from the skills above, you want to look for traits such as adaptability, organizational skills, project management skills, and discretion during your personal assistant recruitment process. 

You’re bound to share sensitive information with your PA, so make sure they are trustworthy and discreet. With that in mind, don’t forget to have them sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) before you employ them. 

5 steps on how to hire a personal assistant

We saw the combination of skills your personal assistant needs. Now, let’s discover how to find the best one for your needs.

1. Consider your needs when you hire a personal assistant: Freelance vs. full-time

Choosing the right personal assistant can be done by understanding your personal needs.

Are you simply looking for some help with groceries and keeping on time for meetings, or do you need a more skilled specialist who can take care of your business while you’re on holiday for six months of the year?

In the first case, you’re better off with a part-time personal assistant who can fit your needs among their existing gigs.

However, in the second case, you can benefit from a full-time employee who can learn the ins and outs of your business and fill in for you.

If you’re still unsure what kind of PA you need, a good way to start your personal assistant hiring process is with good introspection – outline the exact tasks you’d like your ideal candidate to take off your plate, and an estimate of how much time they take.

Keep in mind that freelancers usually cost less than full-time employees because you don’t have to pay for their benefits or insurance. 

So, if you’re an entrepreneur trying to get your startup off the ground, a full-time personal assistant may not be an investment you can comfortably make.

2. Write a personal assistant job description

Writing a good job description with clearly defined responsibilities lands you a great personal assistant.

You want your job description to be clear and concise. Don’t beat around the bush by hiding the salary or being unclear about duties.

Personal assistant job description template

When hiring a personal assistant, you want your job description to have the following elements:

• Job title: Personal assistant

• Job overview: I’m seeking an outgoing and positive personal assistant who can help me with my daily tasks. If you are organized, can run daily errands, and are willing to ensure my schedule runs smoothly, this job is for you.

• Responsibilities: The personal assistant is responsible for organizing my daily schedule, including:

  • Managing my calendar

  • Scheduling appointments

  • Answering phone calls and emails

  • Running errands

  • Coordinating travel arrangements

  • Organizing events

  • Assisting with any other tasks that come up in my day-to-day operations

• Experience: 

  • Between one and three years of experience; overall, less important than skills and cultural add potential

• Qualifications: 

  • Degrees, diplomas, and certifications in English, Communications, or Business are beneficial but not necessary

  • Intermediate secretary or personal assistant technical skills plus essential soft skills like communication, time management, and attention to detail are necessary

• Salary: $34,000

You can change the job posting according to your specific needs. The above template gives you an idea of what to include. 

3. Use talent assessments to hire the best personal assistant

You might think that most would-be personal assistants can learn on the job and that being an assistant doesn’t have many prerequisites.

But this is not the case – to be most effective, assistants need a strong foundation of organizational and problem-solving skills, along with certain key technical skills. 

Pre-employment skills testing is the best way to find top talent. Not only does skills testing improve the quality of your hires, it saves you time and resources and reduces your turnover. 

You also avoid biased hiring and receive an objective, data-supported portrait of your candidates. People can write what they want on their resumes, but skills testing shows you their true potential. So, assess the skills of your candidates during your personal assistant recruitment process to avoid bad hires.

TestGorilla can help you with a series of talent assessments that assess your candidate’s most valuable skills for the job. Let’s take a look at them next. 

These tests are useful if you need specialized skills in your next personal assistant. An example is Estrin Legal Staffing, which uses our tests to find the best personal assistants for its legal offices.

How to assess administrative assistant skills

The Administrative Assistant test assesses the job seeker’s ability to support your business, increase efficiency, and organize your team and paperwork. This test immediately tells you if your candidate has the ability to manage the admin side of your business.

If you’re interested in more sample questions, check out the Administrative Assistant test preview.

How to assess computer literacy

You can test your candidate’s computer literacy skills with our Excel skills test…

… And our Microsoft Word test to assess their ability to deal with documents and input data.

These two tests inform you whether the candidates’ declared proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite matches their actual skills.

How to assess social media management skills

Our Social Media Community Management test evaluates your applicant’s ability to use social strategies and improve your branding presence and loyalty. Managing your social media channels can improve your business reputation and attract more clients.

How to assess communication skills

Our Communication test evaluates your candidates’ ability to understand and interpret written text, use proper language, and clarify and summarize messages, which is crucial for their ability to convey messages clearly on your behalf. 

How to assess time management skills

The Time Management test assesses candidates’ ability to manage their time in a professional environment and prioritize, execute, and plan. Assessing this skill ensures you land a candidate who can take on your extra tasks without being overwhelmed.

How to assess attention to detail skills

TestGorilla offers an Attention to Detail test that evaluates the candidates’ abilities to match information and images, compare statements, filter information, and find discrepancies. You can trust candidates with strong attention to detail with more intricate tasks, like identifying and fixing accounting entry mistakes. 

How to assess problem-solving skills

Our Problem Solving test assesses your applicant’s ability to analyze information, identify problems, break them down into manageable parts, and develop strategies to solve them.

When you identify innovative candidates who think outside the box, you can depend on them to work independently as personal assistants. You can customize these tests in any way you like to find a personal assistant with the exact skills you need. 

Hire the best personal assistant with TestGorilla

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4. Ask the right interview questions when hiring a personal assistant

Once you’ve gone through the preselection process, it’s time to invite your candidates for interviews.

Make sure you use a structured interview and ask relevant questions that can give you an objective view of the person who is going to work for you. 

This way, you avoid hiring someone solely because you like them and instead hire the most qualified candidate – someone who performs well and whom you can talk to and feel at ease with sharing sensitive information.

Here’s a list of questions to ask during your interview:

1. Why do you want to work as a personal assistant?

2. Can you tell me more about your previous position as a personal assistant?

3. Can you give me an example in which you had to make a quick decision in a difficult situation? 

4. How can you make my day more efficient? 

5. What would you do if you received conflicting instructions? 

These questions help you understand your candidate’s motivation, their problem-solving skills, how quickly they can think on their feet, and how they plan to make your life easier. 

More importantly, you discover how they approach tasks, including what they do if you give them a task they’re unwilling to do. They need to be flexible to accommodate your needs as well as able to think independently and make the best possible decision. 

You don’t want a sycophant or someone who constantly challenges you. The best personal assistant is someone who does what you ask of them but also questions you if you give conflicting instructions. 

When deciding how to hire a personal assistant, you can elaborate on the above questions and ask more or fewer, depending on the circumstances. 

However, be sure to ask the same questions to all your applicants because this prevents biases from interfering with your hiring decision.

5. Know where to find personal assistants 

You have several options when it comes to finding a personal assistant, whether you’re looking for an in-person helper or you need to hire a remote personal assistant.

Online job boards and freelance websites 

You can post job listings on online job boards like LinkedIn and Glassdoor.

You can also use freelance websites like Fiverr, Freelancer, and Upwork to search for a freelance personal assistant.

In addition, personal referrals from trusted sources such as friends, family members, or business associates can be a great way to find the right candidate.

Top two job boards and freelance websites: 

• LinkedIn: Best for professionals

• Upwork: Best for freelancers

Staffing agencies 

You can work with a staffing agency that specializes in placing personal assistants. They usually pre-screen applicants to give you the most qualified candidates.

Companies like Colonial Agency, Household Staffing International, and The Grapevine Agency let you use their expertise to hire a personal assistant who’s best for your needs.

Top two executive search firms and staffing agencies: 

• Colonial Agency: Best for different skill sets

• The Grapevine Agency: Best boutique staffing agency

Social media channels

It can be a bit trickier to find a PA when you’re not advertising it on your website, but nowadays, you can even post on personal social media channels like Facebook and Instagram.

You can also hire a virtual personal assistant from companies like Aristo Sourcing, which can match you with a person with the right skills.

Top two social media channels: 

• Aristo Sourcing: Best for virtual assistants

• Facebook: Best for volume

How much does it cost to hire a personal assistant?

The average salary of a personal assistant in the US per year is $33,150, which makes their average hourly salary $15.94. However, you should tailor your offer based on how much responsibility you plan to assign to your candidate.

These numbers vary according to factors like location or level of expertise: Urban areas are more expensive than rural ones, for example, while senior executive assistants typically command more than an entry-level private assistant. 

Hire the best personal assistant with TestGorilla

Now that you know how to hire a personal assistant, you can find a stellar helper who can maximize your personal efficiency. A personal assistant saves you valuable time by handling your daily errands, being flexible, and thinking on their feet.

A great personal assistant is an excellent communicator and problem solver with strong attention to detail. 

The best way to find such individuals is by pre-screening them. TestGorilla offers skills tests that can evaluate someone’s skills before they make it to the interview. You can rest assured you only have the top applicants to choose from. 

Try out our demo to discover how our assessments can help.

Take a product tour to get an overview of everything you can assess when hiring a personal assistant.

Or, if you’d rather try our product for yourself, go ahead and register for a free forever plan to see what we offer commitment-free. 

How to hire a personal assistant FAQs

Let’s finish this dive into how to find a personal assistant who’s the best fit for you with some commonly asked questions.

Do I need to hire a personal assistant?

Whether you need to hire a personal assistant depends on your situation and workload. Nevertheless, hiring a personal assistant is a great idea if you value your time and need someone to delegate to. You can also use a personal assistant to help grow your business while they organize and schedule things for you.

What are the duties of a personal assistant?

• Scheduling meetings and managing your calendar

• Running errands and planning travel

• Answering emails and phones and taking messages

• Taking notes during meetings

• Helping with time management

• Basic bookkeeping and managing expenses

Keep these general duties in mind, but focus on your own needs when figuring out how to hire an assistant.

Who makes a good personal assistant?

If you’re wondering how to hire a personal assistant, look for a person who can adapt easily, is patient and organized, and has great communication skills. In addition, if they are trustworthy and reliable and know how to prioritize tasks, they can become excellent personal assistants.

How do I find a PA?

1. Use job boards

2. Hire a staffing agency

3. Post your job on social media channels

4. Go to freelance websites

Then, use talent assessments and a structured interview to see if they have the right skills and are a good cultural add.

How do I choose a personal assistant?

To learn how to hire a PA, first decide what you need them for. Then, write a job description that clearly outlines all their tasks and responsibilities. Next, post your job on a job board, freelance website, or social media channel. You can also use staffing agencies. Finally, use talent assessments for personal assistants to pick the ones with the best skills to interview, hire, and onboard.

What is the difference between a personal assistant and a private assistant?

Private assistants focus more on household functions than administrative ones. These include things like meal preparation, errands, grocery shopping, pet care, housekeeping, and children pick-up duties.

Personal assistants have more administrative functions, like scheduling appointments, dealing with emails and phone calls, handling calendar management, and doing research.

These two types of assistants are sometimes used interchangeably but keep in mind the distinction when you’re looking to hire a personal assistant.