Hiring first personal business assistant is an exciting time for new business owners. It means that business is doing well enough that business owner can no longer keep up effectively with demands of new business. Sales are exploding, and time becomes of utmost importance. Scheduling of business chores and personal chores can become very demanding and complex. This is time new business owners often find themselves considering a personal business assistant.A personal business assistant differs from a clerical worker or secretary, as duties are more diverse for a personal assistant. A personal assistant will do whatever is needed to make business run smoothly and will do whatever is necessary to make business owner's life run smoothly also. Although a personal assistant usually also performs clerical and secretarial duties, a personal assistant is more a "jack of all trades" than any other type of employee and duties may include personal chores done on behalf of employer.
The choice of a personal assistant therefore should be given utmost of consideration. Here is a list of possible qualities to look for when choosing a personal assistant:
1. Flexibility of Schedule: hours a personal assistant works can be very varied, depending upon needs of business owner. These hours can include some nights and weekends when social activities and business meetings may occur.
2. Flexibility of Personality: a good personal assistant needs a flexible, easy going personality, as demands of job can be quite stressful, as well as diverse.
3. Ability to Multi-Task: since tasks are diverse, multi-tasking abilities are an absolute necessity.
4. Ability to Bond and Work Well with Others: personal assistant will be exposed to everyone involved in many ways within business, as well as business owner and clients. An ability to establish relationships easily with others is mandatory.
5. Ability to Learn Quickly and Effectively: a personal assistant will need to come into a business and learn every duty quite quickly and effectively. There may be a large learning curve, depending upon business and needs of business owner.
6. Knowledge of Office Procedures and Other Procedures Associated with Business: without some prior knowledge of office procedures and routine procedures that are unique to business hiring assistant, problems usually occur.
7. A Good Work History: having a personal assistant that reports to work sporadically or is frequently late, with many absences, will only cause frustration overall for business owner and create more work, not diminish workload.