What Does a Personal Assistant Do?
Personal assistants are responsible for administering and coordinating the activities of an individual or party, such as a CEO or a small group of executives. These individuals manage schedules, organize meetings and events, make travel arrangements, and handle correspondence for their employers. Strong organizational and communication skills, attention to detail, the capability to work well under pressure, and the ability to multitask effectively are all essential.
They may also perform personal tasks, such as running errands and making appointments, on top of their administrative duties. In order to effectively communicate with clients, vendors, and other stakeholders, personal assistants must also be able to maintain confidentiality and discretion.
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National Average Salary
Personal assistant salaries vary by experience, industry, organization size, and geography. To explore salary ranges by local market, please visit our sister site zengig.com.
The average U.S. salary for a Personal Assistant is:
$34,200
Personal Assistant Job Descriptions
When it comes to recruiting a personal assistant, having the right job description can make a big difference. Here are some real world job descriptions you can use as templates for your next opening.
Example 1
A promising candidate for our personal assistant position can carry out the basics of administrative work on behalf of the managers and executives of our company. Ideally, you like to keep everyone on their toes as you work within the company’s schedule and remind people of their important events and meetings. You need to have the ability to communicate professionally since you will most likely be the first point of contact for our customers and business partners. It is also important to have the necessary technical skills to manage specific databases and filing systems to keep the company’s information secure and organized. Most importantly, we want someone who is passionate about their job and is willing to work with others to create a positive, yet efficient working environment.
Typical duties and responsibilities
- Schedules meetings and various events while managing a company calendar
- Answers phone calls and emails and takes messages for other employees
- Runs various types of errands when asked
- Makes sure the manager or executive is on task and managing their time well
- Plans travel, including booking flights, taking care of other accommodations, and ground transportation
- Pay close attention in meetings in order to take accurate and useful notes for the future
- Files, copies, and organizes important documents
- Prepare and coordinate upcoming events
- Orders office supplies and keeps track of the mail
Education and experience
- High school diploma or GED
- One to two years of experience working in an administrative environment
Required skills and qualifications
- Exceptional organization and time-management skills
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills
- Active listener to understand people’s needs
- Ability to multitask
- Good with adaptability and flexibility
- Willing to take a proactive approach to solving problems
- Advanced typing and note-taking skills
- A high level of trust
Preferred qualifications
- Experience as a personal assistant or similar role
- Experience in the certain industry you’re working in i.e. business, healthcare, public relations
- Previous experience with shadowing administrative personnel
- Proficient in Microsoft Office, Photoshop, and web editing
- An associate or bachelor’s degree in communications or business administration
Example 2
Responsibilities
- Managing calendar, communications, correspondence, bills, and calls
- Administrative management, including office management, monthly bills, problem solving, etc.
- Implementing and maintaining procedures/administrative systems. Managing databases and filing systems.
- Liaising with staff, suppliers, and clients
- Collaborate tasks with team members. Assist with team projects and events as needed
- Booking and arranging travel, transport, and accommodation
- Event planning (team events, offsites, support with external meetings, etc.)
- Management of customer service inquiries, shipment challenges, fulfillment, and finalization of case management
- Order and shipping fulfillment when needed
- Assist in Inventory Management
- Assist with running personal errands on behalf of the Founder
Key skills
- Perform job duties with attention to detail, speed and efficiency
- Discretion and trustworthiness
- High flexibility and adaptability
- Tact and diplomacy. Great with people
- Excellent verbal and written English communication skills
- Organizational skills and the ability to multitask
- The ability to be proactive and take the initiative. Ability to independently solve problems within the scope of authority
- Responsive and able to work flexibly across multiple time zones
- Knowledge of Shopify, Excel, Microsoft Word, Google Docs/Sheets/Forms, social media platforms and the ability to learn new software if required
- Tech savvy
Requirements
- Experience as Personal and Executive Assistant
- Flexibility to travel, run errands, answer calls, and manage customer service from multiple locations
- Familiar with retail customs and practices
- Can-do attitude
Example 3
Responsibilities
Potential candidates must support all administrative and personal duties including but not limited to:
- Track all incoming and outgoing shipments and packages
- Create and manage an organizational system for all products that are received and help ensure that gifted product is organically shared on social media
- Support with the coordination of photoshoots including, but not limited to, scheduling hair and makeup appointments with stylists, clothing pulls/returns
- Assist with video/photo production setup and clean-up
- Manage Founder & Creative Director’s calendar
- Schedule and organize meetings, travels, and photoshoots
- Support with administrative tasks and work closely with Brand Manager, photographers, and video editors to execute campaigns
- Organize briefs and content
- Prepare product for photoshoots and video shoots
- Organize and create editorial and social calendars for both sponsored and organic content
- Manage and organize both professional and personal correspondence inbox
- Capture organic content when needed such as video/photo phone footage
- Run errands and organize sample returns
- Organize and clean sample closets
Requirements
- BS/BA degree or equivalent combination of education and/or 2-3 years of experience sufficient to successfully perform essential functions of the job
- Ability to work autonomously and complete multiple projects within time constraints and with strong attention to detail
- Strong communication skills both written and verbally expressed
- Highly organized
- Detail-oriented and able to multitask within a team setting
- Proactive self-starter
- Strong sense of urgency
- Calm demeanor who takes command, control, ownership, and follow-through
- Possess a strong work ethic and ability to prioritize a diverse workload
- Knowledge of short form video editing is a huge plus
- Must have a flexible schedule and be willing to work on weekends or evenings, along with the ability to commute to Brooklyn and/or Manhattan for work-related events
- Must be able to problem-solve in last-minute situations
- Positive, go-getter attitude; passion for content, storytelling, and Internet culture is a plus
Example 4
Duties
- Complete, verify, and submit applications/forms containing highly confidential information
- Work with outside companies and agencies as needed in support of business activities and other related administrative activities
- Implement and maintain systems to organize project based paperwork
- Ad hoc projects relating to customers, suppliers or transactions
- General administrative support
- Booking flights, hotels, cars
- Calendar management
- Expense Management
- Assistant duties, such as run errands, schedule appointments, purchasing customer gifts, etc.
Required skills
- Applicants must have a wide range of administrative and communication skills
- Excellent communication skills in person, on the phone, and in writing
- High level of competency with Microsoft Suite/Word/Excel/processing
- Must be technically savvy with the ability to quickly learn new systems with limited or no training
- Ability to organize, monitor, and track numerous ongoing and one-time activities
- Ability to logically solve problems with little supervision
- Strong attention to detail
- Extremely high level of integrity and discretion in handling and communicating highly sensitive information. Ability to maintain strict confidentiality in all matters
- Ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment
- Willingness to work under timelines in a dynamic environment
- A positive attitude and willingness to do whatever it takes to get the job done
- Ability to manage a diverse work load
- Ability to work independently
Candidate Certifications to Look For
- Certified Administrative Professional (CAP). The International Association of Administrative Professionals’ Certified Administrative Professional certification is designed for any future administrative professionals who are looking to go into their jobs with extra knowledge and skills. The program covers six topics, including organizational communications, business writing and document production, technology and information distribution, office and records management, event and project management, and operational functions.
- Personal Assistant Certificate. The Personal Assistant Certificate offered by the International Association of Professions Career College is a useful certificate to earn since it will guide candidates step-by-step on how to become a proficient personal assistant. The course begins by teaching the candidates how to prepare for a career as a personal assistant, including how to become a good communicator, an effective problem-solver, and an overall organized person. The course also teaches and prepares the candidates to perform specific tasks that will be asked of them on the job and how to find job openings.
- Microsoft 365 Certified: Fundamentals. This Microsoft 365 Certified: Fundamentals course offered by Microsoft is valuable to most any professional. Personal assistants need to understand the basics of the Microsoft 365 services, including Word, Powerpoint, and Excel to succeed in their position. This course helps candidates learn the basic services and concepts that Microsoft 365 has to offer.
Sample Interview Questions
- Do you have experience managing schedules, coordinating meetings, and handling correspondence for executives?
- How do you prioritize tasks and manage competing deadlines when supporting multiple people or teams?
- What are the best ways to ensure effective communication among executives, team members, and other stakeholders, and how do you adjust your communication style depending on the audience?
- How do you ensure accurate and cost-effective travel arrangements, and how do you manage expenses?
- What strategies do you use to communicate changes to relevant stakeholders when schedules or tasks change unexpectedly?
- How do you maintain discretion when handling sensitive information or managing personal tasks?
- Describe your experience with project management and how you’ve used it to support executives or other individuals.
- How do you remain professional and positive during challenging or stressful situations, such as last-minute changes or competing priorities?