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Remote personal assistant is not a job for everyone. Internet profession: personal assistant to an entrepreneur Become a personal assistant

) is an indispensable employee for a manager. He performs so many functions and has such great powers that in fact he becomes the second person in the company. It is almost impossible to fully formulate his job responsibilities. Finding a personal assistant for a specific manager is a “mission impossible” task, so it becomes super difficult.

My experience working in a recruitment agency has formed a special view of this amazing profession.

SHORTAGE OF QUALIFIED PERSONAL ASSISTANTS ON THE PERSONNEL MARKET

A personal assistant is a separate subspecies in the hierarchy of administrative specialties.

As a rule, job search sites post vacancies with a standard set of requirements - document management and organizational work. Such vacancies as twins are similar to each other, with the exception of the size of the company and the field of business. But in fact, there are a huge number of unspoken and specific requirements for the position. They are not included in the job description on websites, but it is these requirements that are decisive in the selection of candidates.

During a personal meeting with the employer and a substantive discussion of such vacancies, “marginal notes” appear - a long list of requirements not published in the vacancy, which determine the strategy for finding a candidate for the RA vacancy. Here are examples of exotic requirements: speed of counting banknotes manually; presence of a sports category; ability to count in your head; experience in managing investment projects; knowledge of the legislative framework; excellent knowledge of all premium brands; contact database for owners of elite restaurants. Habitual requirements: pitch (timbre) of voice, height, weight, clothing size, knowledge of languages, etc.

The manager also puts forward an additional list of requirements for the personal qualities of the assistant, which is perhaps the most extensive. At the same time, official requirements for professional skills and experience do not become less important.

So it turns out that there are only a few ideal candidates on the market and it is very difficult to select an RA for a manager.

But for each employer, the ideal of an assistant is different, but there is a constant - everyone needs a reliable, devoted and responsible assistant, capable of taking on all organizational and information tasks, freeing the manager from wasting time and skillfully solving standard and non-standard problems.

DIFFERENCES PERSONAL ASSISTANT FROM OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONALS

Before we outline the differences, let’s define the types of administrative positions. It is important to understand what kind of administrative professional we are talking about and what functions are assigned to him.

Business assistant (BA) (personal assistant (PA), personal assistant)- necessary for the manager or owner of large companies (both Russian and international). Submits only to his leader.

A person “close to the emperor,” right hand, confidant, “deputy boss.” Plans a work plan and schedule, a business calendar, a “link” with the outside world. Can be a guide, translator, nanny, home manager, weather forecast, search engine, travel agent, often does part of the work for the manager (the boss appropriates the result of the work), has special knowledge/education in the field of business and the activities of the manager, can make decisions independently .

Secretary- necessary for managers of any companies. Reports to all top managers. The functionality is simple: document flow, meeting guests, tea/coffee, office life support, telephone conversations, processing correspondence, carrying out simple instructions from management.

Requirements: age - about 23-30 years, secondary specialized or higher education (depending on the level of the company), lack of work experience is acceptable, computer skills, experience with office equipment, high typing speed, knowledge of business etiquette are required, if necessary - knowledge of a foreign language . Personal qualities: responsibility, diligence, goodwill, ability to perform monotonous work.

Assistant Secretary- necessary for a manager with a company staff of up to 50 people. Submits to the leader. Combining the functions of a secretary with partial functions of an assistant manager. Carry out simple instructions from the manager.

Requirements: higher or incomplete higher education, age - about 25-32 years, high typing speed, ability to use office equipment, similar work experience of at least one year. Personal qualities: diligence, responsibility, discipline, ability to perform monotonous work.

Office Manager- necessary for medium-sized companies with a staff of 30 people or more. Reports to both the director and top managers. Responsible for the logistics of the office, maintains primary documentation, and can perform the functions of a secretary (meeting guests, making calls, document flow).

Requirements: higher education, age - 25-35 years, experience in similar work, organizational skills. Personal qualities: sociability, friendliness.

Reception secretary- necessary for companies with a staff of 50 people or more, with a large number of visitors. Reports to the administrative director, assistant manager, office manager, management team. Performs technical tasks: meeting guests, tea/coffee, calls, interaction with couriers/drivers.

Requirements: good external characteristics, age - 22-27 years, lack of work experience is acceptable, ability to use office equipment, mini-PBX. Personal qualities: friendliness, sociability, stress resistance, smiling.

In the description of administrative positions, despite the similarity of responsibilities, there is a main difference: the main task of the secretary is to manage the information flow, and the main task of the personal assistant is to manage the productivity of the manager.

There are a number of distinguishing factors that will help you understand the classification of these positions:

Our advice

During the interview, always clarify the range of duties performed, the availability and scope of personal assignments, schedule and salary level, because some employers do not see any difference between the positions of “secretary” and “personal assistant”.

WHAT SHOULD A PERSONAL ASSISTANT BE ABLE TO KNOW?

In order to best correspond to a high level of leadership, PAs must have certain skills, qualities and abilities, a type of character and, perhaps most importantly, a special personality type. So what should a “one-man orchestra”, this “universal soldier” and “multifunctional gadget” be able to do?

Professional skills:

  • maintaining documentation;
  • time management;
  • organization of work events;
  • work as a deputy (second person functions);
  • financial literacy;
  • secretariat management;
  • maintaining business contacts;
  • travel support;
  • work as a translator;
  • management of personal affairs of the manager (personal support)

Let's take a closer look at them.

Maintaining documentation:

  • working with documents is the competent preparation from all points of view of business letters, papers, statements, contracts, orders, various reports, etc.;
  • if necessary, editing letters and papers drawn up by the boss, issuing orders, preparing presentations and draft documents;
  • working with mail: sorting the boss's mail by importance and urgency, knowing where to forward letters, who should answer what, who to ask gracefully from and who to strictly demand.

Time management:

  • drawing up and planning a schedule, prioritizing tasks, tracking schedules;
  • recording tasks and reminding the manager about them, informing about deadlines, meetings, trips and other business events;
  • optimal organization of the manager’s working day;
  • planning your own working time.

Organization of work events:

  • preparation of meetings, negotiations, conferences, presentations requiring the participation of the manager;
  • keeping minutes, sending notifications and invitation letters to event participants, providing information about the results of meetings;
  • organization of business trips.

Work as a deputy (second person functions):

  • have perfect knowledge not only of basic professional knowledge and skills, but also have certain knowledge in various fields;
  • ability to manage: organize employees (including top officials of the company), influence department heads and monitor the implementation of tasks;
  • oversee individual business projects;
  • independently resolve some business issues (for example, about holding certain meetings);
  • be a representative of the manager at business events, express his position and answer questions;
  • act on behalf of the boss, be able to negotiate and bargain correctly;
  • act decisively, do not be afraid to take responsibility.

Secretariat management:

  • setting tasks for drivers and couriers, making purchases for events, combining the functions of an office manager;
  • drawing up agreements with suppliers, contacting the necessary authority to promptly resolve issues with technical support for the work process;
  • life support for the manager's office and reception area.

Maintaining business contacts:

  • be able to manage information flows (know who and when can be connected/passed to the boss, who can be switched to another responsible person, and almost always make these decisions independently);
  • keep abreast of all events in the company;
  • protect the manager from unnecessary contacts without damaging the image of the boss and the company;
  • resolve any issues in the shortest possible time - and always with a positive result;
  • Congratulate the company's clients and maintain contact with them.

Travel support:

  • organizing business and travel for executives (visas, booking railway and air tickets, transfers, hotels);
  • organization of the most complex logistics of flights and charters in both directions;
  • personal acquaintance with airline executives;
  • travel arrangements: from purchasing tickets, ordering transfers, dinners to choosing gifts. Each trip is accompanied by a specific program, writing a “script” for the trip - from meetings and events to the exact time of dinner in a restaurant according to a specific menu;
  • control of contractors and services in other countries;
  • careful monitoring of prices for renting luxury cars, yachts, business jets, the ability to negotiate discounts.

Work as a translator:

  • translation at business meetings;
  • written translation of documents;
  • conducting business correspondence in a foreign language.

Management of personal affairs of the manager (personal support). A personal assistant is called “personal” for a reason: its functionality includes solving not only work tasks, but also personal assignments of the manager:

  • you need to navigate different luxury service areas - from restaurants to gifts;
  • if the manager has children, monitor the work of nannies/teachers/tutors, monitor attendance at clubs/sections/classes;
  • organization of recreation - from recommendations of countries and places to daily control of food and movement (including organization of trips on airplanes, business jets, yachts, ships);
  • organizing the maintenance of country houses, interaction with service personnel;
  • organization of medical events (registration for preventive examinations, organization of operations, research, treatment, monitoring the timely taking of prescribed medications);
  • excellent knowledge of luxury brands and brands of clothing/shoes/accessories - haute couture, ready-to-wear, interaction with famous fashion designers and foreign fashion houses, working with personal measurements;
  • knowledge of the best Russian sculptors, artists, antique dealers, since you often have to buy their works as a gift;
  • organizing the boss’s sports hobbies: custom-made equipment according to personal measurements, purchasing the latest collections of accessories;
  • monitor the opening of new restaurants, golf courses, sports car races, racetrack schedules, and key landmark events;
  • organizing similar support for the boss’s relatives, his parents, friends, partners, etc.

And here’s how modest a typical vacancy looks, which involves all of the above functions:

Responsibilities:

  • administrative and organizational support for the activities of the manager;
  • direct participation in negotiations, business meetings, receptions, meetings, projects;
  • conducting business correspondence (including in English), oral and written translation;
  • organizing/providing business and personal trips for the manager;
  • record keeping, document flow and correspondence;
  • collection and preparation of analytical, information, reference and other materials for the manager;
  • communicating instructions, instructions, instructions from the manager to the heads of departments, monitoring their execution exactly on time;
  • carrying out personal assignments of the manager;
  • business trips (accompanying the manager during meetings and trips)

In fact, the functionality and number of tasks cannot be described and listed during an interview. Be prepared that unexpected tasks will “catch up” with you already in the process of work and fall down like sand.

And the manager will expect a prompt and professional solution from you.

Therefore, the willingness to work in an irregular mode, with an endless flow of information and with a lot of instructions, while remaining the “shadow” of the boss, showing respect to him

maximum devotion and loyalty is a combination of qualities of a special type of people. There are few of them, so they are highly valued, and deep immersion in the performance of duties, often to the detriment of personal interests, is usually compensated by a decent salary.

A task catalog system will help you avoid chaos and confusion. It is based on the rule of priorities:

1) instructions related to business;

2) personal orders from the boss;

3) various current affairs;

4) long-term plans.

If you receive several tasks in an hour that are absolutely impossible to complete at the same time, you need to inform your manager about the current situation and ask him to set priorities.

REQUIREMENTS FOR A PERSONAL ASSISTANT

Requirements for a PA are formed from the tasks and scope of functional competencies that are determined by the manager: the assistant can be fully involved in the business, or can be hired solely to organize the manager’s personal space. For some, it is not important to have a specialized higher education, others require, first of all, knowledge of languages, for some it is important what kind of coffee the assistant brews or what he looks like.

But, despite the range and specificity of tasks in different companies, the key requirements always remain the same.

Requirements:

  • higher education (full-time graduates with honors from the top five universities are always given preference);
  • At least two years of experience in a similar position (experience working with senior officials is always desirable);
  • fluent knowledge of the required language (often a native speaker level is required);
  • Willingness to travel and work irregular hours;
  • age (not specified in vacancies, but is the most important requirement);
  • personal qualities (each employer has his own wishes, the main ones: diligence, analytical mind, communication skills, high efficiency, competent speech)

Competent speech. Practice shows that the most successful PAs are graduates of linguistic universities. Financial and legal education is also in demand, but it is important that the assistant is fluent in a foreign language and has an excellent knowledge of Russian, has developed speech and a rich vocabulary.

High cultural level. A high cultural level is the most sought-after quality of a personal assistant. You can quickly master the functionality and acquire the necessary skills, but culture is acquired from childhood and is formed over the years. For example, Moscow employers rarely choose candidates from other cities. They have a prejudice that the behavior of visiting girls, even with a good education, has a touch of provincialism, their speech is characterized by a special dialect, accent, irregular accents, and representative functions for an assistant are extremely important, although there are many exceptions here.

How to combine an irregular work schedule with family and children is unclear. But if you have a successful practice of such a combination, then having a family is an advantage. Children must be over three years old.

Age. There is a lot of subjectivity in the age requirements for a personal assistant. Some managers are based on aesthetic standards and give preference to youth. But most often we work with companies whose managers consciously make choices in favor of older women.

Serious corporations are always associated with large financial transactions and great legal liability. In addition, customers are pleased with the image of the company's stability. In this sense, the long-legged beauty is noticeably inferior to a respectable business woman who has experience working in complex and responsible situations and knows how to professionally “take a punch.”

“Feel” the boss. Perhaps the most important factor. For successful work, complete psychological compatibility with the manager is necessary. To do this, the assistant must at least have certain qualities.

“SHOULD WE DO A SURVEY?”

The main requirements for a personal assistant are loyalty and devotion. First of all - to the manager, then to the company as a whole.

The assistant is as close as possible to the leader and his family, which means that he must be as reliable as a rock, as persistent as a scout during an interrogation, and caring like a mother.

In order to find out what is most important for a manager in the personality of an RA, we conducted a survey. It involved 100 large companies, where the interviewees were 70% owners and 30% hired CEOs. We asked to answer the questions: “What qualities should a personal assistant have? What should an effective assistant look like for you? The same questions were asked to personal assistants to take into account the opinions of both sides.

Here's what we got:

Absolute devotion - 22%. The most important quality for leaders was loyalty. Loyalty, working for an idea, not for money, the ability to read the thoughts of a first person, determine the boss’s bad mood over the phone, not pay attention to dissatisfaction addressed to you when accumulated irritation spills out due to the irresponsibility of subordinates, dishonesty of partners, problems with relatives, unsuitable weather, etc.

A distinctive feature of a loyal assistant is a sincere and constant willingness to help, even if the solution to a given problem is not specified in the contract.

Therefore, managers, moving horizontally or vertically along their career path, often take with them a personal assistant, with whom they have a special working relationship.

Efficiency - 20%. Responsibility, punctuality. What is important here is precise execution of the task without initiative, initiative or personal opinion. Difficulty: there is only one attempt to hear and understand the task and a minimum of time to do it clearly; no one will repeat it twice.

Intelligence - 19%. This is a proactive position and the ability to keep your finger on the pulse, maintain a conversation with partners about the current political and economic situation in the country and the world, the ability to understand how this or that technical innovation works, the ability to multitask, resourcefulness, quick reaction in atypical situations, ingenuity, intelligence, analytical mind.

Ability to store information - 13%. The degree of trust in a personal assistant is, as a rule, very high: he is entrusted with payment cards and PIN codes, various confidential information, assistants participate in solving problems in the personal life of the manager. The key to trust is maintaining subordination, listening skills, and maintaining confidentiality.

Contacts - 11%. Connections, database of the right people/organizations. Personal acquaintances with the managers of restaurants, yacht centers and airlines, hotels, foundations, VIP clubs are important - this makes it possible to quickly and effectively solve the boss’s problems.

Communication skills - 8%. Mobility, efficiency, adaptability, the ability to find a common language with people completely different in status. A personal assistant is rightly considered a communication genius.

He can win the favor of almost any person, put a rude person in his place, resolve any conflict and at the same time remain a charming and respected person.

Workaholism - 5%. Ability to work actively in irregular hours.

Initiative - 2%. Initiative is a stable personality trait with a conscious and decisive desire to implement or transform something. Managers noted that the assistant’s initiative interferes with the management process and brings discomfort to the boss, because if an assistant can organize his boss, defend his position in communication with him, be convincing and constructive, then it is not clear who the boss is.

The assistant’s task is not the desire to become a successful business unit with ideas, but the desire to help the manager by accurately executing orders and implementing his initiatives.

Appearance. For most managers, appearance is not important - rather, on the contrary: they try to avoid bright, “decorative” assistants who will look comical in a serious business with respectable clients. Mentions of “presentable” appearance are found in one ad out of ten. Most often, such vacancies come from small companies. In vacancies for personal assistants to owners in large companies, there is no mention of appearance.

We analyze the results of the survey on both sides.

Portrait of an assistant according to managers- a dedicated, intelligent performer, moderately sociable, not talkative, efficient.

Portrait of an assistant according to assistants- an initiative leader, with a bright appearance, a genius for communication and ideas.

The table shows that the answers of assistants are fundamentally different from the vision of managers. This is the main problem of candidates (and already working assistants) misunderstanding what the manager really wants from his assistant.

Taking as a basis the answers and wishes of managers from the survey and supporting this with our practice of working with requirements for vacancies, we are convinced that professional skills alone are not enough to work as a personal assistant. This position values ​​high intelligence, education, life experience, the ability to quickly navigate in extreme situations, erudition, a sharp mind, a sense of humor, devotion, and with excellent communication skills and possession of extensive information - the ability to keep one's mouth shut.

Personal qualities of an assistant:

  • the ability to obey, feel the mood;
  • the ability to predict the leader’s reaction;
  • communication skills;
  • organizational skills;
  • multitasking;
  • resourcefulness, quick reaction;
  • stress resistance;
  • ability to store information;
  • erudition, knowledge of various fields;
  • high performance;
  • friendliness, smiling;
  • desire to develop (self-development);
  • diplomacy;
  • accuracy;
  • knowledge of etiquette

HOW TO PASS AN INTERVIEW WITH RECRUITMENT AGENCIES?

When viewing vacancies, you need to consider not only job search sites, but also contact recruitment agencies, since not all vacancies are posted on the Internet.

Almost all large and medium-sized companies known on the market try not to advertise the search for an assistant, especially if the owner of the holding needs an assistant. If the reason for the vacancy is the replacement of an existing employee,

then the position generally becomes strictly confidential, and it is impossible to find out about its existence. In such cases, the agency itself will contact you if your resume is in its database.

Interaction with a recruitment agency for a vacancy has a number of advantages:

  • you will be told in detail about the company, the specifics of the business, the personality of the manager, and some additional requirements;
  • will provide free advice on how to behave during an interview with an employer;
  • will help you edit and format your resume correctly;
  • They will give you a number of recommendations on how to look at a meeting.

When starting contacts with a recruitment agency, remember that from the first minute of interaction you are already being assessed and you are already undergoing “secret” testing. When communicating with you by email, the agency consultant makes the first conclusions about the correspondence and style of presentation of information. This also applies to telephone communication - voice timbre, diction, friendliness, businesslike manner, and speed of reaction are important. Before the first meeting, you take a test for punctuality and composure.

It is necessary to be prepared for the competition and remember that a colossal number of candidates are being considered for these vacancies who meet the formal requirements: professional experience, education, age, marital status, appearance, performance, resistance to stress, knowledge of foreign languages, etc.

Then the candidate is tested using various methods (tests, questionnaires, graphology, physiognomy, sign language). This is done in order to determine the personal qualities and type of temperament of the candidate, to identify qualities that are absolutely incompatible with this job and with this manager, and to understand whether they can find a common language.

As a result, out of hundreds of applicants, we manage to select a few, but, despite the length and bias of selection at the agency, you will have a series of equally biased meetings with the employer.

As a rule, by assigning a vacancy to a personal assistant, the employer relieves himself of all the complex and painstaking work of screening out candidates based on professional competencies, and reserves for himself an important, final function - selection based on their psycho-emotional compatibility with the manager.

Even if you already have extensive job search experience, remember that you need to prepare in advance for each new interview:

  • you need to study all available information about the company and the leader, read interviews, speeches, articles of the future boss and draw conclusions for yourself;
  • prepare a short story about yourself (a story about your family and the activities/occupations of your parents should also be prepared - this is an indicator of a person’s life values);
  • success depends on self-presentation skills.

Promote yourself with all the trappings of marketing advertising. There is no need to describe your strengths and list your functions (all this is already in the resume). Talk about how you can benefit your manager, talk about victories at your previous place of work, what high-profile people you interacted with, what large-scale events you organized - confirm your professionalism and achievements with facts;

  • It is necessary to briefly formulate the reasons for leaving your previous job. You will also need an explanation of why you want to become an assistant to this particular manager;
  • They will definitely conduct an interview based on competencies, i.e. you will be asked to describe real cases from your practice in which you showed your qualities and miracles of intelligence. You need to remember all the difficult situations in advance, remember a few good examples. Prepare honest examples of failures. They may also be asked about them, and here it is important to show that you corrected the mistake yourself;
  • there is an absolute probability that they will conduct a situational interview with you (based on cases). You will be offered and described a situation similar to those that may arise in practice; accordingly, you will need to find the right way out and solution. Here are examples of cases:

Task 1. Your boss is on his way to the airport, time is limited, and suddenly he discovers that he has lost his mobile phone. There had been a number of meetings before this, and he doesn’t know exactly where he left it, and theft is possible. The boss calls you from the car, from his driver’s phone, and says that he expects important calls within the next 30 minutes, but there is no phone. What are your actions?

Task 2. It is necessary to rent a Porsche to travel around Italy. How can you save money?

Task 3. On instructions from your boss, you are driving your car to an urgent meeting with an important partner and in your haste you break traffic rules. The traffic police stops you, takes away your license and calls the traffic police. There is minimal time left before the meeting. What are your actions?

Target: test for reaction speed (how quickly the personal assistant is able to switch to the next step), methods for solving a problem (independently, asking for help on a personal level, involving other people, etc.).

At the moment of solving this problem, a model of behavior in a difficult situation appears - the priority of actions is determined (either solving your problem, or getting to a meeting on time), the degree of conflict (I will demand, I will make a scandal, I will prove), the tendency to redirect responsibility (I will call my boss/partner and explain situation, I will say that I can’t do anything), creativity, non-standardity of the proposed solutions, the number of alternative solutions (versionary thinking), the presence of the necessary skills and experience in solving such situations.

Task 4. You are traveling on instructions from your boss to a partner you don’t know to give him a gift (which the boss himself brought to the office in a large, beautiful box). You have the company's address, the phone number of the partner for whom the gift is intended, the designated time for delivery of the box, and the boss's approval that the partner is there and waiting.

When you arrive, you find out that your partner has just left for an urgent meeting and it is unknown when he will return.

You don't have much time and you can't wait. The following options are available to choose from:

  • leave with a gift for the next task;
  • call your boss and get instructions on what to do next;
  • give the gift to the secretary with a request to transfer it to the partner immediately upon his return;
  • offer your solutions.

Target: determining the maximum desired model of behavior within the proposed vacancy. Qualities are revealed that are absolutely unacceptable for a future boss.

Provocation 1. At the end of the interview, the candidate is asked: “Rate me as an interviewer on a scale of 1 to 10.”

Target: Such a proposal most often causes confusion. After all, it’s one thing to evaluate the consultation of a service operator of some company over the phone, and quite another to look a person in the eye and tell him that he didn’t do a good job. Thus, a personal assistant is tested for courage and loyalty.

Provocation 2. What is 17% of 258,450? Response time - 3 seconds.

Target: testing stress resistance, erudition, ingenuity, monitoring the actions of a personal assistant. Under stress, interviews and limited time, personal assistants become confused (“Why should I count? I’m not an accountant!”) and immediately give up (“I won’t be able to count that quickly”).

  • you need to think about the form of clothing, because... the assistant must have an impeccable sense of style. It is necessary to look well-groomed and neat, because the assistant is the face of the company, the link between the manager and business partners, clients and employees.

Career success is only 30% dependent on professional skills. The decisive 70% is the ability to communicate with people, kindly and constructively.

The internal decision to hire an employee is made in the first 40 seconds of communication (the forty second rule). This is the very first impression that everyone is warned about. And you don’t need to think that the first impression is a beautiful hairdo, neat manicure and a stylish knee-length skirt. All this, of course, is important. But an experienced recruiter will only need two seconds to see you from your shoes to the roots of your hair. There are 38 important moments left that you need to make the most of and that will determine your success.

“HOW DO I KNOW IF I’M SUITABLE FOR THIS POSITION?”

Whether or not to send your resume to a tempting vacancy is up to everyone to decide for themselves.

But if you partially “do not meet” the stated requirements, it is advisable to send your resume and waste time only if you meet the key requirements for the position.

Let us highlight the most important points of “compliance”, to which the employer is unlikely to turn a blind eye.

Experience. In most cases, having some experience is critical. By indicating in the requirements the duration of work in a similar position, the employer is counting on a certain level of qualifications acquired by the candidate. An assistant working for two years will not have enough experience to perform the required tasks well.

There is a high probability of interest in your resume if the work experience is less than required, but obtained in larger companies. It is also worth especially emphasizing your achievements and the quality of completing assigned tasks in complex projects.

Sphere. Knowledge of certain business specifics can be a strict requirement if a personal assistant is expected to participate in various company projects. When clarifying the functionality, it will be clear whether this is just a wish based on the idea of ​​an ideal candidate. Candidates from similar structures may be considered, but experience in a similar field will be an undeniable advantage.

Company size. Organizational structure, the number of management levels, interaction with departments, areas, divisions, the presence of merger and diversification processes of the company, the level of suppliers, clients and the market of competitors, areas of presence, turnover, profit, company staff - these are the factors that determine the quality and experience of communications of a personal assistant , his understanding of business processes, level of involvement in the company’s activities. This determines the professionalism of the assistant.

Therefore, as a rule, large companies are looking for an assistant from an equally large business, otherwise the employee will not be effective.

Knowledge of languages. In cases where the position involves working in an international company or a lot of communication with foreign colleagues or partners, English for an assistant is the main tool of work. If your knowledge of the language does not reach a fluent level, there is no point in trying; the first test will immediately confirm the fact of wasted time.

Age. The moment is sensitive and delicate. As is known, employers were prohibited from indicating the age of candidates in job descriptions (clause 6 of Article 25 of the Law of the Russian Federation of April 19, 1991 No. 1032-1 “On Employment in the Russian Federation”; as amended on December 29, 2015). Despite the legal prohibition, this requirement is key and decisive, and if the manager is determined to hire a young attractive girl,

then it is unlikely that he will agree to accept a woman of pre-retirement age. Unfortunately, age is the most common unofficial reason for refusal. How do you know if you are the right age? First of all, you need to be more careful: it is often clear from the text and hint words in the vacancy what age group it is intended for.

There is a pattern: a young manager chooses a young assistant. A mature boss with a wife and children chooses a mature assistant. For a mature leader without a wife, as a rule, the age of the assistant is not important. Study the company’s corporate website: most often there is information there that will help you roughly understand the age preferences of managers. On the contrary, your resume should indicate your date of birth and include a photograph in a strict business style.

DEMAND. SALARY. PROSPECTS

The need for a personal assistant may arise:

  • when two or more levels of subordination appear in the company;
  • if the manager has a need to maintain a large number of contacts outside the company.

But the realities of the market are such that no manager can do without a personal assistant. And the more serious the business and the larger the company’s tasks, the greater the need for a personal assistant (businessmen are well aware of the importance of this person both for the manager and for the entire corporation).

Depending on the level of requirements and variety of tasks, assistants are paid different amounts of money:

  • $1500-2000 - standard duties of a secretary and combining the functions of an office manager;
  • $2000-3000 - in addition to the above: travel support, administrative support, execution of individual personal assignments;
  • $3000-5000 - in addition to the above: management of business projects, implementation of changes, management of the boss’s personal affairs in full, management and control of the affairs of all partners;
  • $5000-6000 or more - in addition to the above: professional sports training skills, a level in martial arts and shooting, personal accompaniment of the boss at all meetings.

There is no career growth for the position of personal assistant. This is truly the highest rung of the administrative ladder. And the manager won’t let you go anywhere - the boss values ​​a smart personal assistant more than top managers. But there is an interesting way if there is a desire to develop within this position - by maximizing your professional competencies and skills, expanding your range of responsibilities (appearing in the ratings of the best personal assistants), you will know and be able to do more, and accordingly, your income and status will be higher.

Communication skills with top officials of various companies, organizational skills, experience with business documentation and the ability to analyze the situation will be useful for a personal assistant in the field of marketing. HR and lawyer are a couple more career options, but additional education, specialized courses and a hard parting with the boss will be required, because the manager will not let go of his valuable assistant.

The most ambitious ones improve their management skills (if they have the ability) and plan for their further development the position of deputy manager, but these are isolated cases when the boss allows his assistant to officially occupy this top position.

Answers

Task 1. Immediately make a forwarding to yourself, then, when important calls are made, block the boss’s number and get a new SIM card, but at the same time search for the lost phone.

Task 2. Renting a Porsche for trips around Italy for a day costs €2,500, but the same Porsche can be rented for the same money in Germany for a week. The boss's driver goes to Germany, picks up a car there and delivers it to the boss in Italy. In Italy, the boss drives for a week, then leaves the car, and the driver takes off and drives it back. The result is colossal savings.

Task 3. Several possible solutions.

Task 4. Choosing the first option: in fact, the task was not completed, and this choice characterizes the inability to act in unexpected circumstances.

Choosing the second option: there is a desire to complete the assigned task under any circumstances, but there is a lack of intelligence and ingenuity. There is also a tendency to redirect responsibility.

Choosing the third option: there is a desire to fulfill the order, but the consequences are not calculated, because the gift is intended specifically for the partner, not to mention possible confidentiality.

Provocation 1. The answer (flattery, compliments, slight criticism, honesty) will determine how well the assistant will work with a particular boss, taking into account his psychological type and management style, because often even slight criticism of the boss is unacceptable.

Provocation 2. The main thing when answering such questions is not to refuse to give an immediate answer, not to remain silent, calculating in your head and suffering for several minutes. Can:

  • take a piece of paper and calculate the percentage;
  • take a mobile phone and calculate on a calculator;
  • start thinking out loud that 50% is approximately 130,000, 25% is approximately 65,000, and 17% is approximately 50,000. Nobody needs an exact answer, what is important is your reaction, your train of thought and resourcefulness in any situation.

2017 | 11 | 09 4850

What should a personal assistant to an executive be able to do?

A personal assistant is a profession with fairly broad responsibilities. Many people are interested in the question: is such an employee really a necessity for every busy person, or is it still an employee without whom it is also possible to cope with tasks productively? Let's figure it out by understanding what exactly the responsibilities of such an assistant are and what is usually expected of him.

Personal assistant functions

Responsibilities can be quite varied: they may consist of, or may consist of assisting the supervisor with work.

Responsibilities, as a rule, include the full range of organizational and information support for the employer.

  • meeting planning
  • buying tickets
  • hotel reservations
  • searching for places or people
  • correspondence and calls at the request of the manager, etc.
  • search, systematization of all necessary information and operational report.

The personal assistant should serve as a diary and calendar for the manager, reminding him of all upcoming events or any changes. Such a specialist also performs various personal assignments for the employer. Such an employee can manage everyday matters and even manage the manager’s household staff.

The assistant usually accompanies the manager at events and meetings, and he must be available for communication 24/7. Therefore, such a person must be prepared for long working hours, intensive work, and, in addition, frequent business trips.

Personal assistant: requirements for the candidate

The requirements for such an employee are usually quite high. This includes experience, knowledge, and certain personal qualities. In particular, in this position they usually want to see a person with a higher education, with work experience of at least 2 years, with an active life position, good communication and organizational skills, as well as a high level of stress resistance. Such a specialist is also expected to have a high level of composure and the ability to smooth out conflicts.

In addition, the candidate must have competent oral and written communication, high-level knowledge of English, knowledge of business etiquette, as well as knowledge of computer programs and the ability to make effective presentations. Also, such an employee is often expected to have a well-groomed appearance.

The average salary of such a specialist is 800 euros, but this is an approximate figure that depends on experience, knowledge, and the number and complexity of tasks that a person in this position will perform.

In general, today the format of the profession has changed a little thanks to technology, so such workers can work remotely, only sometimes coming to the employer. There are also freelance assistants who work for several employers at the same time.

About some pitfalls of being a personal assistant

A personal assistant is a person who, in fact, lives for a stranger, satisfying his needs. According to the personal assistant of one wealthy Londoner, his job is to constantly take care of the employer's life, helping him, not himself. That's why ego in such a profession can become a hindrance.

In general, in such an assistant-employer relationship, the main thing is trust, since such an employee owns a lot of confidential information, in particular about the personal life and work aspects of the employer. That is why he cannot talk about his work with his friends and even with his family.

Another thing to be aware of is that a personal assistant is often expected to avoid small children and other factors that may require a large amount of the employee's time.

Best personal assistant resume example

Experience

Personal assistant to the head of the family

Responsibilities:

  • Organizing trips for the family and the manager: ordering tickets, booking hotels, searching for excursions;
  • Purchasing tickets for various events: cinema, theater, concerts, etc.;
  • Selection of tutors for the employer’s children;
  • Selection of domestic staff and conducting an initial interview;
  • Payment of bills;
  • Collection of documents;
  • Purchasing food and household products, as well as purchasing clothes and various items in online stores;
  • Searching for specialists to carry out renovation work in the house, to repair air conditioning systems, etc.;
  • Transporting the employer's children to kindergarten/school;
  • Making an appointment with doctors.

About myself:

  • Competent speech, knowledge of English at the upper-intermediate level;
  • Driving license category B,B1 and driving experience of more than 7 years;
  • Ability to multitask, diligence, discipline.

Thus, a personal assistant can truly become an indispensable person in the life of an employer, performing many functions. Managers who have had such employees can no longer imagine their lives without such an employee. There are quite a lot of offers for this profession, but you need to describe your experience and skills in as much detail as possible in your resume in order to get a position that is suitable for you.

Below you will find tips for filling out the registration form.

Personal assistant is a frequently mentioned and favorite “vacancy” among distributors of RD2 training.

In one of her videos, Svetlana Kirilyuk famously talks about the salary of a personal assistant of $2,000.

Is there such a salary for personal assistants? What do you need to know and be able to do?

In the article, I reviewed the introduction to the book from RD2 - “7 professions for making quick money on the Internet.”

Today I’ll talk about her first chapter - her first profession - personal assistant.

What is a personal assistant really?

Reading the introduction about personal assistant professions, You involuntarily imagine yourself in the place of the deputy director.

You are up to date with the business, always on hand, your right hand!

But let's try to think logically. The book from RD2 is called “7 professions for making quick money on the Internet,” which means it implies a lack of experience (or minimal experience) in this area.

Which successful businessman will let you delve into the essence of his business, which he has been creating for years? Moreover, to a remote employee whom he has not seen in person (and therefore is not confident in his honesty and professionalism), and who has no work experience (and therefore knows practically nothing)?

Naturally, no one!

Moreover, I will say, looking ahead a little, that this profession as such does not exist in freelancing .

There are very few vacancies and offers on the Internet, and often very many of them with a seemingly acceptable income - nothing more than network marketing.

But where did RD2 get this “profession” from then?

In fact, RD2 is already at this stage prepares its reader for work in the information business .

Reading reviews (of which there are thousands on the Internet) from those individuals who have completed the training, you can often come across the following lines: “I completed the training, earned N - the number of dollars, I have N - the number of employers, I work as a personal assistant” .

You start a dialogue with such people, but for some reason they carefully hide their “employer”.

But if you work in a large company, and even as a personal assistant, this should be your pride!? Isn't it?

In fact, it turns out that such individuals work either for RD2 and have income from sales of training, or for small (or not very small) information businessmen, doing the same work.

Is this your dream job?

To be fair, I note that there are indeed vacancies for personal assistants.

But to work in these positions, what is required is far from what RD2 writes in his book, and the wages there are much lower.

I will discuss such vacancies below.

How much does a personal assistant to an entrepreneur actually earn?

Didn’t it seem strange to you that after such an optimistic introductory word about the profession of a personal assistant, you are immediately offered information about income in this area, and not what such an employee should do and know?

Even here, RD2 encourages you with the amount for such seemingly uncomplicated work, so that you read further on a positive note.

But that's not what we're talking about now. We are interested in the question How much does a personal assistant actually earn??

To do this, we go to websites and try to find personal assistant vacancies with the search filter “remote work”.

http://www.rabot a.ru/ - did not give us a single result for this request. But there are vacancies for personal assistants. And they are all offline (that is, in the office). For clarity, the salaries of such personal assistants in MSK and St. Petersburg are 25,000 - 60,000 rubles (300-800 USD).

And this is with a full work schedule (but this option doesn’t seem to suit us).

http://www.work. ua/ — we were given 5 vacancies for this request. The salary of a remote personal assistant ranges from 1500 to 4500 hryvnia (50-150 USD).

https://www.fl.r u/ - we were given 4 vacancies for the submitted request with a salary of 5,000-7,000 rubles (60-100 USD)

https://freelanc ehunt.com/ - there are no such vacancies

http://work-zill a.com/ - there are two vacancies with pay up to 15,000 rubles (200 USD).

Pay special attention to employment And requirements(very useful for analyzing further lies from RD2).

Personal assistant - screenshots of vacancies





As you noticed, there can be no talk of any hourly payment. Always just a salary.

Sometimes there may be another +% of sales.

If you work as a personal assistant, then be prepared to devote all your time to the boss's project.

But what about a salary of 300-1500 USD, you ask?

And here the RD2 adherents will assure you that they will teach you techniques that will allow you to find such an employer.

In fact, this technique will be “magic letters”, that is, you will write letters to well-known information businessmen with information about how much you want to work with them and how much you want to make their business wider.

At the same time, at first you will even be ready to work for free.

What skills do you actually need to become a personal assistant?

Let’s say you are satisfied with an income of 50-200 USD. per month.

Maybe as a goal you want to open the same business later and you really need to find out how it all works?

Then this section is for you!

RD2 writes to us in his book about the necessary skills of a personal assistant.

Above, I provided real screenshots of remote personal assistant vacancies. Let's look at the basic real skills needed.

In order not to analyze each vacancy separately, I will present a sort of collective image.

Personal assistant is a person under 30 years of age, fluent in computer skills, able to quickly search for any information on the Internet, sell a product and/or find clients, always online and able to be in touch at any time, carry out various small tasks such as registering for various resources, sending letters, calling clients, finding clients, and so on.

Desirable skills will be knowledge of English (or another) language, knowledge of copywriting, working in Photoshop, the basics of understanding SEO (website promotion), and so on.

At the same time, work at least 8 hours a day on the project and all this for a maximum salary of 200 USD.

What programs must be installed on your computer in order to work as a personal assistant?

RD2 in his “book” assures us that in order to become a personal assistant, you don’t need any special programs or knowledge (although this list may seem long to some).

In fact, of course, the more you know, the more likely it is that you will be chosen for the position.

But if you know more, does it make sense to get a full-time remote job for 50-200 USD? This is a completely different question!

What prospects does working as a personal assistant offer?

Yes, indeed, you will see the kitchen of an Internet business from the inside (especially if you are a personal assistant to an info-businessman).

And yes, indeed, in the future it will be possible to create the same product (which we can verify by looking at the 100,500 copies of the RD2 training already available on the network from those who worked as a personal assistant at the RD2 company).

But believe me, from my experience and the experience of other people, in order to make a worthy product, you will need to work for pennies for more than one year, hatching the idea of ​​a truly high-quality product.

Do you need a clone of what you already have, which will take up almost all of your free time?

It's up to you to decide, of course.

Conclusion

Internet profession “Personal assistant” cannot be classified as a profession for making quick money on the Internet.

Moreover, this profession is generally difficult to classify as a profession for earning money.

If your goal is simply to occupy your free time with something or to dedicate your life to almost volunteer work for another company (development of an information product), then you can choose this direction.

But believe me, you will take away the absolute minimum of useful practical skills from this area.

From the author: Hello friends! Today we will talk about another interesting Internet profession and how to become a personal assistant to an information businessman. Any novice businessman at first does all the work himself, but sooner or later he comes to the conclusion that he needs an assistant. And this is where specially trained people come into play and help the manager manage his time and business. By the way, over time, many personal assistants, having gained experience, open their own, quite successful Internet projects.

Who is an information businessman?

Recently, more and more experts (consultants, psychologists, copywriters, fitness instructors, marketers, makeup artists, teachers, stylists, bloggers, etc.) are conducting online consultations and classes, that is, creating an information product.

The Russian information business is developing at a rapid pace. There have been a lot of new coaches and speakers recently, each of whom is trying to convey to a wide audience the value and importance of their product. Information businessmen, of course, are not born - they become them, and gradually.

At first, a businessman performs all the actions independently, and then his business begins to expand, and he certainly needs personal assistants, onto whose shoulders he can shift part of his responsibilities and powers. So this is a very popular Internet profession today!

Job prospects

By becoming a personal assistant to an information businessman, you will be able to carefully study the entire business from the inside and prepare yourself for your own project, which you will be able to successfully manage thanks to the knowledge and experience gained. You will already know how to plan your work, delegate responsibilities and supervise subordinates. All you have to do is realize your creative potential and draw up a business development strategy.

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Working as a personal assistant to an information businessman, you will be able to realize many of your talents, because you will have to perform many different functions: organizational, financial, journalistic, marketing, managerial, etc. You will have the opportunity to establish interesting contacts, develop and demonstrate your leadership, organizational, and communication skills skills, take a closer look at various areas of activity within the business, determine your interests and strengths.

All this will ensure a successful start to your own career as a businessman in the future. Regardless of whether you are going to start your own business in the future or want to develop someone else’s, your dedication and responsibility will definitely be rewarded.

Psychological portrait of a personal assistant

To begin with, it is worth noting that most often it is girls who work as personal assistants to information businessmen. And all because representatives of the fair sex have natural qualities that are necessary for the profession in question. What are these qualities:

intuition, which can serve well in many situations;

caring, orientation towards human relationships;

ability to anticipate many details and quickly switch between tasks.

All of these qualities can serve an executive assistant well. Is it possible for a man to become a personal assistant to an information businessman? Of course, no one, dear men, limits you in your choice of profession. I just described the psychological portrait of a typical employee.

The requirements for an assistant may depend on many factors. The responsibilities of this employee range from immediate decisions to trivial office matters. In any case, this person should become the “right hand” of the information businessman, a guarantor of completing certain tasks in a given time, the most important link on the path to the success of a specific project. In addition to monetary remuneration, the purpose of his work should be to improve the well-being and competitiveness of the business as a whole.

Responsibilities of an information business assistant

In general, the terms of reference might look like this:

search for necessary information, images, performers, customers;

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communication with clients;

quickly solving problems and problems;

work with various sites, services, programs;

data processing (systematization, analysis, reporting);

solving small routine problems.

Responsibilities will naturally depend on the direction of your manager. Having become a personal assistant to an information businessman, you may have to look for clients and partners, work with social networks, format texts, etc. During the interview, do not hesitate to immediately clarify the full range of tasks, scope and work schedule. It’s better to ask all this right away than to realize after a week that you can’t cope.

How to find a job?

The algorithm of actions is something like this:

Create your portfolio with examples of your work. These could be texts, websites, reports, tables, design samples, etc. Place in your portfolio everything that may be useful to the customer.

Find projects that suit your requirements. Carefully read the list of responsibilities in a project or vacancy and think about whether you can handle this job? Will you have enough time? Will your personal life be greatly affected?

Write a balanced response to the vacancy to the customer. You will need to somehow stand out from the crowd of performers applying for this position, but not overdo it. Describe your merits, work experience, aspirations. Don't submit the same blank for every project. Customers feel it. Write what concerns this particular work.

Of course, the vast majority of customers want to get an employee with work experience and certain skills, so that he does not have to be trained from scratch. Although there are those who are ready to teach beginner personal assistants wisdom, the main thing is that the person is good.

If you like a vacancy, but you don’t have enough skills for it, then think about where and how quickly you can get them. Perhaps, in order to become a personal assistant to an information businessman, you will have to go through certain steps or independently search for information on the Internet on each incomprehensible point.

So, in this article we looked at how you can become a personal assistant to an information businessman. If you want to add or ask something, please leave feedback on the article. Subscribe to our blog and immerse yourself in the interesting and profitable world of freelancing. See you again on the pages of this blog!

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Hello, dear readers and guests of the blog!

Personal assistant for business, who is this? Let's find out about this together.
How nice and calm it is when you have someone to rely on completely or at least delegate some of your tasks, simple responsibilities, correspondence, and so on. Time is immediately freed up for some more important issues, business meetings, and business development.

Personal assistant for remote work

Therefore, every leader or entrepreneur is looking for someone who understands and.

It is worth noting that this is not a secretary who is constantly in the office, answers phone calls and is the “face of the company.” Quite the contrary, a personal assistant is the right hand of an entrepreneur or manager.

It makes not only the boss's job easier, but also his life. You could even say that the professionalism and competence of a personal assistant brings some peace of mind to the hectic pace of life. The assistant carries out various tasks for the boss, and at the same time learns the basics of running a business.

The main responsibility of a personal assistant is to take on some of the boss’s responsibilities and make his life as easy as possible. I’m exaggerating a little, but this is exactly the meaning of the profession.

There is a big advantage when choosing a job as a personal assistant - you do not need to undergo special training in any courses. First you need to have a desire to work and organizer skills.

Responsibilities of a personal assistant


Regardless of the field of activity of the organization or entrepreneur, the responsibilities of a personal assistant will include various tasks that can be performed remotely using the Internet.

For example:

  • Drawing up a work schedule for the manager and reminding him about current affairs. Of course, there is a secretary for such purposes, but the personal assistant, the right hand, reminds about some important meetings or situations.
  • Processing of all incoming and outgoing documentation. The assistant must be aware of all the events of the company in order, if necessary, to quickly and clearly indicate to the manager at some specific point.
  • If necessary to perform certain work.
  • Independently solving minor issues and assigned tasks. To do this, you need to understand the topic, not be afraid to make decisions and be prepared to answer for the consequences.
  • Accurate and high-quality execution of all orders.

A personal assistant has few responsibilities, but they require a professional approach and responsibility. This is the only way to become an indispensable employee whom the boss will completely trust.

However, any mistake or incompetence, the slightest oversight, can undo everything that has been achieved.

Basic skills of a personal assistant


This profession is suitable for everyone, regardless of age, gender and geography. However, everyone without exception will need certain skills:

  • Be able to work with means of communication via the Internet: Skype, email.
  • Be able to create text documents and spreadsheets using remote access or programs on your computer.
  • It is easy to keep reports in the same tables or forms that the manager will provide.
  • Bring the work started to its logical conclusion and independently make decisions on certain tasks.
  • Be able to work with your leader, namely: write down everything he says, carry out all his instructions, keep all your promises.

In this profession, it is very important to show yourself as a competent specialist and, if necessary, independently master new programs. This will help you become the right hand of a leader who will count on you in any matter.

Additional personal assistant skills

Most specialized skills can be learned on the job. But in some cases, to perform their duties efficiently, a personal assistant needs additional skills:

  • Be able to work with people, since it is necessary not only to receive instructions from the manager, but to solve them, involve specialists or hire freelancers.
  • Be punctual and have planning skills.
  • Have stress resistance. After all, in any work, especially with people, differences of opinion are possible. You must calmly accept criticism and be able to defend your opinion.
  • This list can be continued, but the main conclusion is this - you must become an indispensable assistant, working remotely, but quickly and efficiently solving all assignments. A sort of “gray eminence”.

How much does a personal assistant earn?

The most interesting thing is that you do not need special education to start in this profession. But at the very beginning of work, do not expect a huge income.

You will carry out small tasks, people will look closely at you. And little by little you will move up the career ladder, the manager’s opinion will begin to change. And only then will your income begin to grow.

As a rule, the initial salary can be from $300 and above, depending on your professionalism and the requirements of the manager. Subsequently, income can reach $1,500.

If you become an indispensable assistant, you can receive an income significantly exceeding $2,000. It all depends on you, your competence and desire to work and develop.

The main clients of a remote worker

I won’t say that finding clients is easy enough. Almost all businessmen working via the Internet and beyond need personal assistants. But they approach the selection of candidates with special care.

Therefore, it is necessary to draw up your portfolio in advance, in which you indicate your strengths, professional qualities, main character traits, hobbies and hobbies.

Show that you are a living person, with your own shortcomings and strengths. This will help you find a manager with whom cooperation will be interesting, useful and profitable.

The most important thing is that the portfolio inspires confidence, because the most important thing that an employer is looking for in a personal assistant is professionalism and the ability to be trusted with various assignments.

Once you've built your portfolio, choose a few entrepreneurs you'd like to work with.

Write to them your suggestions and ideas for improving their activities, tell them why you want to work with them and attach your portfolio. As a rule, one out of ten entrepreneurs will definitely respond.

Career growth for a remote worker


Working as a personal assistant, you will... Even if you don't want it, you will still cook in this kitchen.

You can study related professions, learn and adopt the experience of your manager in running a business and working with partners and clients.

If you have a desire, you can open your own business or branch, hire staff and select a personal assistant for yourself.

If there is no such desire, everything will suit you, then remember that a personal assistant climbs the career ladder faster than other employees.

You will work directly with the boss, so prove yourself as an indispensable assistant. You will definitely be rewarded and achieve your goals.

If you enjoy creative work, feel like you can handle small tasks and get them done on time, then why not try yourself as a personal assistant?

My dear readers, I will be glad to hear and see your comments on this topic!

Sincerely, Alexander Gavrin.