Independent Business With Virtual Assistant Services & Office Administration Services
A Virtual Assistants Company India typically will perform services for independent professionals, sole proprietors, and home or small businesses that do not need or have a budget for a full-time secretary. Virtual Assistants are highly skilled and make their services available to clients on an as-needed basis or retainer basis. In all over the world Virtual Assistant is a personal assistant that works from a remote location. Virtual Assistant Services can offer generalized services or specialized services like Information Processing, Personal Assistance Services, Web Site Services, Desktop Publishing and Bookkeeping Services.
A Virtual Assistant Services can take on the tasks prevent you from focusing on growing your business, advancing your work. Virtual Assistance Services utilizes the latest technology to provide professional, efficient support with fast turnaround. Virtual Assistant is sought after by business owners and professionals such as real estate agents, executives, coaches, attorneys, authors etc.
You will save time by allowing your Personal Assistance Services & Live Receptionist to take care of time-consuming tasks such as, proofreading documents, managing contact databases, data-entry, sorting through emails, writing letters and other important administrative tasks. You will also save energy by allowing your Virtual Assistance Services to handle the details such making sure your calendar is up to date, internet research is done, and phone calls have been returned.You will reduce stress and stay focused because you'll be confident that all of your minor and major chores are being taken care of by your Virtual Assistant.
To know more you can visit our site http://virtual-assistants.outsourcing-services-india.com to have better idea about us.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/independent-business-with-virtual-assistant-services-office-administration-services-667788.html
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Hiring Your First Business Personal Assistant: Some Guidelines for Successful Hiring
Hiring the first personal business assistant is an exciting time for new business owners. It means that the business is doing well enough that the business owner can no longer keep up effectively with the demands of the new business. Sales are exploding, and time becomes of the utmost importance. Scheduling of business chores and personal chores can become very demanding and complex. This is the time new business owners often find themselves considering a personal business assistant.
A personal business assistant differs from a clerical worker or secretary, as the duties are more diverse for a personal assistant. A personal assistant will do whatever is needed to make the business run smoothly and will do whatever is necessary to make the 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 the duties may include personal chores done on behalf of the employer.
The choice of a personal assistant therefore should be given the utmost of consideration. Here is a list of possible qualities to look for when choosing a personal assistant:
- Flexibility of Schedule: the hours a personal assistant works can be very varied, depending upon the needs of the business owner. These hours can include some nights and weekends when social activities and business meetings may occur.
- Flexibility of Personality: a good personal assistant needs a flexible, easy going personality, as the demands of the job can be quite stressful, as well as diverse.
- Ability to Multi-Task: since the tasks are diverse, multi-tasking abilities are an absolute necessity.
- Ability to Bond and Work Well with Others: the personal assistant will be exposed to everyone involved in many ways within the business, as well as the business owner and clients. An ability to establish relationships easily with others is mandatory.
- 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 the business and the needs of the business owner.
- Knowledge of Office Procedures and Other Procedures Associated with the Business: without some prior knowledge of office procedures and routine procedures that are unique to the business hiring the assistant, problems usually occur.
- 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 the business owner and create more work, not diminish the workload.
- The Ability to Use Judgment and Work with Little Supervision: a good personal assistant will need to be self-motivated, making many of their own judgment calls concerning the business.
- Leadership Qualities: there will be duties required and chores given the personal assistant which will require taking charge of others at times, and accomplishing goals.
- Organizational Skills: with the amount of chores and diversity of chores required of a personal assistant, a good one will have high end organizational skills, will be able to prioritize effectively, and will not suffer from "analysis paralysis", but will be able to make decisions quickly and efficiently.
- Self Confidence: a good personal assistant will need to be aware of their own needs and the needs of others, and will have to stand by decisions without backing down, therefore confidence in themselves and their decisions is necessary.
- Customer Service Skills: many of the chores that a personal assistant performs will bring the assistant into direct contact with clients, therefore great customer service skills are also mandatory.
A business owner seeking to hire a personal assistant should look for the qualities above and also use their own intuition about an individual applying for this position. The business owner should also seek to hire someone whose personality and goals meshes with their own, as the personal assistant and the business owner will spend many hours each day together, and will need to be of the "same mind" about major issues.
It is also important when hiring a personal assistant to determine how much the business can afford to pay a personal assistant, and also to be realistic about the costs of a "quality personal assistant". Many personal assistants will work for reasonable rates, depending upon the country in which the business owner and assistant reside. This usually doesn't translate into "minimum wage requirements", however, as the diversity of the job itself would require a higher pay scale in order to attract more talented applicants for the position. A good rule of thumb, is to pay as "high as possible" while still staying within the budget of the business.
After all, in a situation such as the search for a qualified, reliable, energetic personal assistant, "cheap is not always better".
Article Source:http://www.articles321.com
Vishal P. Rao is the owner of http://www.home-based-business-opportunities.com - One of Internet's leading website dedicated to starting, managing and marketing a home based business.
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Why a Personal Assistant May Be Right for You
If you are busy professional that never seems to have enough hours in a day, hiring a Personal Assistant (PA) can be a step in the right direction. With a PA you can be more productive, reduce your stress level, and most of all spend your time on what matters.
Celebrities and famous people have learned to leverage their assistants to get more done in a day. If your disposable income does not allow for a full time employee you could hire an assistant by the hour from a concierge and errand service company. In the last few years these companies are flourishing in every major metropolitan area. Check the International Concierge and Errand association at www.iceaweb.org for a provider in your area.
When it comes to the tasks that you need to delegate, the important questions to ask yourself are
- Do I have the time to do it myself?
- Do I want to complete the task?
- Am I going to complete the task on time?
If your answer is “no” to any of these questions than you should consider delegating the task. Before hiring the assistant decide what tasks you would like to delegate and your budget.
Take the following sample list of tasks that a PA can perform and think how much time you can save by having a PA complete them.
Travel arrangements;
Buying gifts for special occasion;
Car maintenance;
Caring for pets;
Dry cleaning pick up;
Grocery shopping;
Maintaining household, business, and social calendar;
Scheduling all appointments;
Organizing special events;
Handling all email and written correspondence;
Managing bill-paying;
Maintaining all personal and business files;
Maintaining address book;
Writing personal thank-you notes, invitations and greeting cards;
Completing all personal errands;
A good Personal Assistant makes an enormous contribution to the employer's effectiveness and posses numerous professional skills. Once you hire a Personal Assistant you will realize that it is well worth the investment.
Check out http://www.errandmanager.com for more information. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Louisa_Kamau |
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How Much a Personal Assistant Could Cost You
For some people, having a personal assistant can be considered a perk. Why? This is because they can be spared from all the tasks they need to do on a day-to-day basis. But having a personal assistant could cost you much. This is the reason why many people think that they could not afford hiring one. Although it could cost you money, it can help you save more effort and time to do other things.
If you really need one, you can hire a personal assistant that doesn’t have a high salary and lots of benefits. But of course, that would also depend on the type of work that he or she will be doing for you. Before decide on hiring a personal assistant, it is best to conduct a research first so you would know the acceptable rates for their services. Then, list down the tasks he or she will be taking care of, that way you can find an efficient personal assistant fit for your needs.
Most of the personal assistants for the high ranking people and public figures such as politicians, lawyers, celebrities and businessmen earn from $40,000 to $120,000 in a year. And this sum of money even goes with added benefits and perks like free use of vehicle, mobile phone with line, gifts, and free vacations. But, there are also those that don’t need this salary, benefits, and perks. They are called "indispensable assistants" who can provide you with the services depending on your requirement.
The average rate of indispensable assistant who can provide personal assistance ranks up to $350 per month. This type of personal assistant is ideal for employers who don’t need to change tasks monthly. This is very practical because you will have to pay for the same set of tasks that the personal assistant needs to do.
For people who have busy schedule due to one or more businesses and travels most of the time, the executive personal assistant is ideal. Salary ranges $800 to $1000 monthly or $20 to $30 hourly, which covers the basic support for you and your family. You can ask this type of assistant to do even menial jobs at the house such as watering the plants, buying groceries, take care of your pet, takes care of the things that you need before and after your trip. They can even send thank you notes and gifts to your family members or friends on special occasions that you cannot attend to.
If you prefer hourly or daily services, you can ask for personal assistants that can provide errands services. For just $25 to $30 an hour, you can ask somebody to buy the materials for your child's project, bring a set of documents to office, and other menial jobs you don’t have time to attend to.
If you need somebody to assist you in managing your schedule, prepare travel documents, make specific arrangements, do data entries, sort out files and things that you need for the office or business, you can pay an administrative assistant, $22-$30 per hour. This type of assistant is only for business tasks, you cannot ask them run some errands for you nor do your calendar.
For people who need somebody to help out in office or managing your business, hire an executive assistant which would cost you $25 to $35 an hour. This personal assistant can help you in answering and returning phone calls, managing your calendar, travel schedule and prepare things that you need for your travel, do presentation as well as preparing budget and expenses records.
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How to Become a Celebrity Personal Assistant
A celebrity personal assistant earns almost double than the average personal assistant. Perhaps one of the perks is talking with this person and meeting other celebrities in the process. But how do you become a celebrity personal assistant?
One thing you should know is that celebrities rarely put an ad in the paper saying they are looking for a personal assistant. If you want to get your food in the door, you have to network with people who are in the entertainment industry so your name will come up if there is an opening.
If you want to keep your job as a celebrity personal assistant, you have to know everything. This means you have to be internet savvy and competent with the new technologies around because the person you may be working for does not know how to transfer files from the cellphone to the computer, send an email or keep track of their finances.
You may even need to go shopping sometimes for them if they don’t have the time to pick it up from the store.
One of the most important qualities of a celebrity personal assistant is to be trust worthy because there are things you know that must never get out into the public. Remember, there is an image to protect and part of your job is to keep it that way.
Before you decide to go to an interview with a certain celebrity, see to it that you like the person you are working for. Do some research because if you don’t think you are able to work with this person, you are just wasting your time when there is probably someone there that you would prefer to work for.
If someone refers you to a celebrity, come to the interview, be calm and explain what you can do for them. You may not meet the celebrity during the initial interview since this will be handled by their current assistant or a production company representative but if things go well, he or she will be the next person you will talk to.
But if you don’t get the job as a celebrity personal assistant, don’t give up and try working as a non-celebrity personal assistant first. Perhaps you need to develop some experience before trying again.
Should networking not get you anywhere, you can try talking to a celebrity to see if they have an opening. You can do this by calling up their publicist and even if they have no opening now, it wouldn’t hurt to leave your contact number or resume because there could be an opening in the future.
You may also join an agency that handles the personal assistant needs of celebrities. To increase your chances of landing a job, send your resume to as many agencies as possible.
Working as a celebrity personal assistant will be very hectic. Whenever they want something, you have to get it for them at once even if it is late at night or early in the morning. If the celebrity you happen to work for is a singer and goes on tour, you will also have to travel with them so if you can handle things like that, then you are in the right business.
One perk of being a celebrity personal assistant is meeting other celebrities and attending special events. If the celebrity you work for can’t make it, chances are you will so the ticket does not go to waste.
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Buying a Personal Digital Assistant
If there were one great invention in the field of modern gadgets, that would be the Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). This is because it helps people to do the things that they need to practically everywhere and anywhere they go without worrying about the size of the gadget.
PDAs are handheld computers which can enable you to do computer works in mobility. It has been invented to ensure that people who are in different fields can always have something to rely on in terms of organizing schedules, preparing activities or a calendar, a wide storage for contact details, and an access to the Internet everywhere and anywhere possible.
Useful tips
For starters, here are some of the tips that you can actually use in buying that perfect PDA for you. Make sure that you have done your research first so you won't be lost once you started your PDA shopping.
But since it is a compact computer, "Palms" or "Palm Pilots" can be quite expensive. If you really need one, it is best to conduct a research first about PDAs—what are the good models, what is the price range, features suitable for your need, and where you can you find the reliable sellers. The research can be done by spending some time browsing the Internet and visiting sites that offer information on PDAs. Here, you can get dose of PDAs history, its current trends, and even some tips in buying the model worth of your money.
You can also ask some of your friends or people that you know who have PDAs on what they think is ideal for you. Of course, this will depend primarily on your need and nature of your work. By asking people who have PDAs, you can get first hand information on the dos and don'ts in buying and using PDAs. They can even recommend brands that have the features that you need. And if you are lucky enough, they can even recommend you to the seller whom they got their PDAs where you can get some discounts or additional PDA accessories.
Once you have done your research, it is now time to have a list of what you really need the PDA for. This is very important because you might get overwhelmed with the models that you have seen during your research and not pay attention to what you really need. The nature of your work will greatly influence your buying options. Make sure that once you have chosen a unit to buy, you can maximize its use so you will get your money's worth.
The next consideration would be is your budget. Make sure that you have allotted a budget for your PDA and don’t go beyond what you cannot really buy. If possible, in setting the budget, make an allowance of about ten percent. This will help you get the best options without really going overboard. There are so many units in the market that are quite expensive because of its features. If you think that you don’t need those features, stick to those models within the range of your budget and of your needs.
You must also know the basics of PDA. Knowing the features is very important because this will help you decide which type of PDA that will suit your needs. Features of PDA include the size of the gadget itself, color, weight, stylus for character recognition, pre-installed programs including calculator, address book, date book, and note/memo pad.
It has synchronization, connectivity options as well as memory options for you to choose from. Also, determining the PDAs processor speed is quite crucial because it will greatly determine the efficient operation of your PDA. Knowing the right type of processor chip as well it's the memory size can help you perform the tasks needed in faster and accurate manner.
To ensure that you will get what you really need at your money's worth, other important things to take note of when buying a personal digital assistant is the memory, the software, and the operating system or OS.
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What is A Virtual Personal Assistant
The personal assistant is there everyday doing the tasks that you tell them to do. Examples of these are answering the phone, checking the mail, filing your paper and so forth. A virtual personal assistant can do the same thing using various methods of communication such as the web, telephone and fax. The only thing it can’t do is make your morning coffee.
Another difference with the virtual personal assistant is the he or she is not a temporary or full time employee. This person is hired on a contractor basis so you only call upon them when they are needed. This enables you to save money when you can do certain things on your own.
These individuals are paid on an hourly fee which could be from $15 to $40 depending on their geographic location.
Just to give you an idea, someone who is based in Los Angeles, California will charge a much higher hourly fee compared to someone who works in Austin, Texas. One way you can save money is to agree to pay a certain amount of hours per week.
Should you always get a virtual personal assistant from out of town? The answer is no because sometimes you need them to be familiar with the places where you are residing.
The best place to find a personal virtual assistant is online because these people do their business using the web. You can of course put an ad in the newspaper or bulletin board and specify there what are the duties and responsibilities that they will be doing.
In the next few days, you should screen the applicants just like how you will do it when you are hiring someone for a job.
But what should be the criteria when you hire a virtual personal assistant? Naturally, this should be based on their work experience. But you should look deeper into the personality of the person so you know how their work attitude. The best one to get should not always be the most experienced but the one who takes interest in your line of business and will do their best to help it grow.
To see how well they will perform, give them a small project to do and see how well they perform. If they do a good job, then this person is worth hiring. If not, check out the other applicants.
You have to maintain a good relationship with your virtual personal assistant by keeping the lines of communication open so you will know a little bit about them.
You should also provide them some feedback so they can improve if there are a few mistakes. But don’t forget to give praise when they did a superb job.
The internet has made the world a smaller place because you can talk to anyone regardless of where they are in the world. The personal virtual assistant could be from somewhere in the United States, Europe or in Asia. The most important thing is that the person is able to perform his or her task just like regular personal assistant.
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Benefits of Having a Personal Assistant
But, aside from having somebody who can do all the errands, there is more to having a personal assistant. This is having the peace of mind that everything that you need to do and everything that should be done is taken cared of without you doing a single thing except giving out specific instructions.
What do you get from a personal assistant?
Depending on the description of their job, a personal assistant can be considered as the most reliable person around an employer or a boss. This is because he or she does everything in order to make the employer feel less stressed and can concentrate more on the task ahead. The personal assistant does this by ensuring that everything—from office works and other menial tasks—are properly taken cared of.
A personal assistant (PA) is expected to maintain the business, the household, and the social calendar of his or her employer. The PA is expected to do all the scheduling in all appointments for the boss be it in the business or personal life. He or she is also in-charge in making all travel arrangements in local and international destinations while handling all the events and functions of the employer. Since the personal assistant is one of the closest people in the boss's circle, he or she takes charge in various social planning and meetings.
Aside from overseeing personal, office, home and business affairs, the personal assistant is also expected to do public relations and media works for the employer. He or she is also handles all mail matters, writes the correspondences to different people, does the money-matter affairs such as paying the bills, bookkeeping, and maintaining the account, as well as maintaining personal or business files.
The personal assistant also handles the maintenance of private contact database and does the coordination for various business conferences and meetings. She or he also takes charge of menial jobs such as monitoring computer and office supplies, and writing personal invitations, greeting cards and even thank-you notes.
For a personal assistant to become effective, he or she must have at least two to three years of experience as a personal PA either in a home or office set up. The PA must also have at least a Bachelor's Degree, knowledge in computers especially in running basic programs in the computer such as Microsoft Office, Word, Excel, and others, and should possess a strong communication skills, have keen organization skills and displays people skills.
Extra requirements especially for those who will be working with prominent business people is extensive knowledge in the etiquette when it comes to social, business, and personal aspects, have a strong professional attitude and moral outlook, must have professional bearing and should be fit to travel in case the boss needs to send him or her to a certain destination.
Other benefit of having a personal assistant is that you can rely on somebody on the things that need to be done. And if you are nice enough to the PA, you might have a personal companion and a friend who you can trust in times of need.
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How Do You Become a Personal Assistant
First of all, you don’t have to take a course in college to become a personal assistant because there aren’t any. You may have an advantage over others who apply if you have a business or accounting degree since some employers need someone who can do some budgeting.
In fact, anyone can become a personal assistant as long as they are willing to work long hours, be able to do multi-tasking, handle the pressure that goes with the job, internet savvy and very comfortable using modern technology.
You should also have people skills since you will relate to people both internally and externally in the organization. Some employers want their personal assistants to learn a second language so if they have to travel, he or she can act as a translator.
Given that you are working in the inner circle, certain information that is classified as confidential should remain that way. You should be able to keep this under lock and key. If people ask, don’t make the mistake of revealing what you know since this will cost you your job.
The first step in becoming a personal assistant is to apply for the position and hope you get it. This will give you the opportunity to learn how things work in a company because even if there are differences in various working environments, there are a few activities there that are very common.
During the interview, remain calm and highlight your assets. It will be a great if you can tell the interviewer your previous work experience if you had the chance of working as a personal assistant in the past.
However, if you just graduated, highlight other things like you are conversant in foreign language, you can type X number of words per minute, you are internet savvy and very familiar with the latest high tech gadgets in the market.
If you are not able to get a job yet because the employer wants someone who is experienced, try to become a personal assistant through an apprentice program or offer your services for free.
There are also some agencies that help applicants look for a job so you can also consider sending your resume to them.
It is also possible to get the job by working first for a non-profit organization and building your network so when there is an opening, your name will be on top of the list.
Some people don’t sign up to become a personal assistant first. They enter the organization working in one position and then when there is an opening, they decide to apply for it since most employers are likely to hire within the company before putting an ad in the newspaper.
There are many ways to become a personal assistant. You can apply for the job directly or making your way to that position. Whatever happens, expect to work longer hours because your job does not end at 5PM. There will be times you will have to travel and stay up late longer than usual so don’t expect to have a social life.
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How to Hire a Personal Assistant
First, you have to create a job description for the personal assistant. It must have the duties and responsibilities that you will require for someone in that position.
When you are finished with that, it is time to post your ad. Some people do this the old fashioned way by putting this in the newspaper. If the company has a website and it has a section on careers, it can also be posted there. Another way to attract applicants is to use a job site where you can post this by simply creating an account.
Applicants outside the company should be required to pass a letter of intent and their resume to a P.O. Box or forwards this to the company email.
If you don’t want to hire from the outside yet, put this in the office bulletin board so anyone who wants to shift from their present positions may do so by simply informing the human resource department.
After you have collected a list of candidates, it is time to consider which applicants to interview. This should be based on their work experience but it wouldn’t hurt to also interview some fresh grads, college students and retirees. Graduates or those studying are very enthusiastic while those who want to join the workforce once again bring with them the maturity for the role.
The next step is to give each candidate a call and tell them they are scheduled for an interview and exam. Those who pass the initial screening will then move on to the next stage until there are about 5 to 10 candidates left to choose from which you will interview yourself.
During the interview, try to get a feel of this person. Can you see yourself working well with this person? If the answer is yes, you can discuss other things in more detail like how much they will be paid, what are the work hours and what benefits they will be getting.
If they are really interested, give them one last exam preferably one that will evaluate their computer skills. Naturally the ideal candidate should know how to use a computer because there will be instances wherein you need them to type a report or work on a special project and have this given to you in a short period of time.
Should this satisfy you, then its time to say, “You’re hired.” During the first three months, think of this as a trial period and evaluate well their performance. If they do well, then there shouldn’t be any problems.
If things are not working out, you better look for a replacement already without letting go of your current assistant. That way, this person will be able to turn over everything you make the announcement that you are letting him or her go.
Hiring a personal assistant is easy but it just takes time to find the right person for the job. If you are patient, it won’t be long before someone qualifies come along that could be within the company or from the outside.
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How to Start a Home Based Personal Assistant Business
The first thing you have to know is figure out what your home based personal assistant business should focus on. Studies show that a lot of people miss out on paying their bills on time, meetings, appointments, birthdays, anniversaries and errands.
So they don’t miss out on it again, your business is designed to remind them about it or be the one to do the legwork. For this to work, there are a few things you need namely your business setup, pricing and marketing.
When you setup a business, naturally you must have an office, a computer, phone and mobile. You probably have this already in your house. The only thing you need to do is convert a small room. You also might want to invest in a fax machine so you can send or receive a quote. A filing cabinet may come later when you are already handling many clients.
Pricing can be done on an hourly or monthly rate. If you are starting out, it will be crazy to charge a monthly rate since people don’t know you yet so don’t be too greedy. The quality of your services will speak for itself and soon after, these clients of yours will even refer you to others.
The third is marketing your business. If you quit your old job to open this business, ask your friends and family members for help.
If you don’t have the budget to pay for a billboard but you can make posters and put this in community bulletin boards. You can also coordinate with your alma mater and post this in the alumni magazine or in other publications. Don’t forget to advertise on the web because a lot of people use it to access information.
When you are able to get more clients and you are not able to handle everything by yourself, this is the time that you hire people to work for you. It will be a good idea to provide them disability and insurance since you never know what could happen while you are on the job.
One of the things you should not forget to do is be bonded and insured. This will protect you if something happens to be damaged or missing when you are working with a client.
Credibility is important in any business and the same goes for your home based personal assistant business. To make this happen, you should get a bank reference and join a small business association, be part of the Better Business Bureau or the local Chamber of Commerce.
If business has been good for the past few months, use the names of your clients as references since a new client will probably ask about how well you worked for them in the past.
When you work for a client, remember that this is not a temporary or full time job but rather it is a contractual one. They don’t need you to be there everyday but you better be ready to respond whenever they give you a call.
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Starting Your Own Personal Assistant Service Business
But what does a personal assistant service actually do? Someone from their office will deliver or pick up personal items, wait for contractors, deliveries or installations in your home, shop for gifts, groceries and other items, take your car for repair or cleaning, take your pet to the vet, arrange business or personal travel, simply your way of paying bills and organize your home or office space.
Since you don’t need the personal assistant service all the time, you can simply call them up and only pay them for the number of hours rendered. Some companies have a flat rate for an hour or two which is more than enough to get a simple task done when you are busy doing something else.
You can find a personal assistant service online or through the phone directory and be happy to know that most of these are bonded and insured.
Given that the idea of a personal assistant service is not hard to do, you can make one yourself if there are not that many yet where you live. In fact, you can start by doing this at home and then when you take the call, you do the work or have some other people do it for you.
The skills you need to have to get into the personal assistant service business are not that difficult. You and your team should be internet savvy, knowledgeable about the latest gadgets, be able to do some basic financing and be well organized.
You then advertise to your neighbors and friends about your business and hopefully get referrals whenever it is needed.
The amount you charge depends on the kind of service you are providing. The best way is to aim for an annual salary so if you are able to finish the job in a much shorter time than expected, what you earn stays the same.
But if you are just establishing your presence in the market, it is best to charge hourly. You can charge extra when your services extend beyond the agreed upon time. Be sure to put everything written in a contract and have them sign it. You should be paid for your services the minute that the job is done. When things pick up, you can demand that clients should pay for this a month in advance.
Don’t forget to be bonded and insured so you will never be accused of theft if something is missing. You should also apply for disability and insurance to protect yourself and the people you send over.
To make yourself credible, you should have a bank reference and belong to the small business association, better business bureau or the chamber of commerce. After working with a few clients, use them as your reference since the client will probably do a background check and feel safe knowing you are a legitimate business.
Having a personal assistant service business is great since you don’t have to work everyday. You get a job whenever the phone rings while the rest of the time, you get to relax and enjoy doing some other activities.
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The Four Main Duties of a Personal Assistant
Looks complicated? Well, that is really how the work environment for a PA looks like. The tasks will vary depending on the kind of industry they are in. If you ever fancy about this profession, you must be apt and alert all the time. You are your boss’ second hand. You don’t want the big guy to find himself missing an arm.
The Duties
You may think that what you’ve seen on TV shows or movies are exaggerated interpretation of what it’s really like, you will be amazed that they are greatly similar to the real thing. Here are the basic duties of a PA.
1. Administrative support. As a PA, you will provide assistance to the management with regards to their daily tasks. The accomplishments of such tasks will depend on how you and your boss coordinate. The latter cannot miss a meeting and cannot leave the office with an important document unsigned. It is your responsibility to see over their schedule and plans so that you can aid them in sorting those out to do what needs to be done according to their priorities.
2. Secretarial tasks. It is also part of your job description to take calls or screen the calls coming in for your boss. You will take care of the correspondence like writing letters and emails. You will have to look after the visitors. You are also tasked to arrange meetings for your boss and do the necessary cancellations whenever needed. At meetings, your boss may ask you to take the minutes and diction and sum it up for them.
3. Other tasks. These include going on events when your boss is not available. You may also be asked to research on certain topics depending on the need of your immediate superior. You may also have to look upon the overall budget of certain promos and events. If your employer needs certain supplies, you can also be asked to purchase the needed products. So you must take note of the important contact number such as the suppliers of office equipments or what your boss often require. This way, you can easily give the materials whenever your boss needs them.
4. Personal assistance. You must also be ready to accept duties like ordering flowers for your boss’ wife or date. You may also be asked to buy personal gifts that your superior needs for other personal purposes. Your boss may ask you to reserve tickets for concerts and other events or reservations at restaurants. This may be already beyond your job description, but doing the tasks without qualms will put your working relationship with your boss at a good light.
Your success as a personal assistant will greatly vary on the type of boss who will ask you to carry out your tasks and the industry where you choose to be of service. So make sure that you know a lot about the people you’ll be working with and the type of business they are in before you even submit your CV.
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The Four Must Have Traits of Personal Assistants
You may be used to celebrities having their own PA’s. If you have been exposed to the corporate world, you should know that all the executives on such setup have their own PA’s. The duties of the assistants will greatly differ on the tasks of their bosses.
They may differ on the industry where they thrive. The salary may also be different depending on the business and their employers. The tasks, of course, also vary. But a personal assistant must have the following skills to be able to cope with the challenges that their job poses each working day.
1. Brilliant communication skill. As a personal assistant, you would have to interact with the people whom your boss is transacting business with. You would have to set up meetings with them. It is your duty to accommodate them when they arrive at certain locations where your boss will be conducting meetings with them. You have to relay to these people important messages in ways that you will be clearly understood. This way, you will be helping your boss carry out the tasks that they could no longer bear by themselves. And that is also their main reason why they would hire an assistant.
2. Pleasing personality. You should appear bright, attentive and at the same time, pleasant. It cannot be helped that sometimes, certain guests will arrive at the office at times when your superior doesn’t want to be disturbed. You have to tell the guests in the manner that they will not be offended about the situation. You need to stay calm amidst all turmoil. Your composure will help your boss a lot in times when they feel that business is tough and everything seems so incontrollable.
3. Good with problem solving. There are times when you have to decide things on your own. There are simpler situations and problems that your boss does no longer need to be concerned about. And it is your duty as their assistant to judge the situation accordingly and do the necessary action. Also, your superior may ask you for your advices at times, especially when they deem you as expert in such situation. You should be able to assess the problem and give out the right words and suggestions to help alleviate the problem in your own little way.
4. Hardworking. As a personal assistant, it cannot be helped that your services will still be needed beyond work hours or even on your rest days. This usually happens when the boss thrives in a business where transactions happen almost every day and they have to deal with a lot of situations and people all at once. You are your boss’ shadow. They will be able to work better with your aid. For this reason, you must be ready to extend your patience and service way beyond the agreed hours and days of work.
All the abovementioned skills are must haves for personal assistants. You must value your job and you must really love it in order to last. The payoff will surely be good once you’ve gotten used to how things work in such environment.
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The Right Attitudes for a Person to Carry Out Personal Assistant Services
Finding the Right One
If you are a business owner or a very busy executive and you want to lessen the pressure and tasks off your shoulders, this is the ideal set up that you can opt for. But finding the right PA whom you could trust confidential business matters to is not a piece of cake. To start with, you should look for the following qualities for the right candidate.
1. The right PA must be open to sudden schedule adjustments. It cannot be helped, especially in the corporate world, to extend work hours beyond the usual 9-5. So you must first ask applicants if they are up for the challenge and are willing to take that extra route at times. You need to find someone who will be there for you, to aid you at crucial business moments and to be there for you whether at good or bad times.
2. You must also look for one who is sociable. There are times when your PA has to meet important people whom you are transacting business with. Your assistant sometimes has to take them to places, to take a look around the area or be entertained while on the waiting process. This can also be possible when you are doing business with these people and they would like to have a break or experience the nearby view for a while.
3. A good PA is someone who is flexible and easy going. Such person must be able to relate with others with ease and confidence. They must not be irritable because that will not do you any good as a boss. They must set good example to other employees. They must keep them composed at times when you seem fed up with work.
4. Choose someone who can handle pressure well. Whatever business you are dealing with, it cannot be helped that there will be times when the going gets tough. Your PA must be able to relate with you and keep up with their job even if pressure is already getting into you.
5. Your PA must be able to multi task. It will be very helpful for you to have an assistant who is adept on different tasks. Select the person who is a master on different programs on the computer. They must also know how to work using the Internet and other office equipments like the fax and phone lines.
6. It will also do you good if you will choose a person who has a good background. This applies not only on their personal lives but more so, on their work history. Opt for the person who has good time management as well as organizational skills.
All these skills and attitudes will make up the overall characteristics of a person to be able to perform different personal assistant services at the top of their game. So make sure that you check this list twice before hiring a person for the task.
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The Duties of a Personal Assistant
But with the modern and complex office and business setting today, the roles and duties of personal assistants have been also redefined. Before, personal assistants—Girl or Boy Friday—only attend to very specific tasks. But now, their job description can be compared to what the secretary does, or even more. This is because the personal assistant has to be there always no matter where the boss or the employer goes. He or she has to be there to attend to all the things that the employer needs to make the workplace and the job easier and more efficient.
All in all, a personal assistant is person who is trusted by the high-ranking person in the corporate world. He or she is a junior employee who—with the directive and instructions of the boss—assumes the duties and role of the chief-of-staff in any executive office or of any executive personnel.
Preparing for the PA's duties
The major qualification for becoming a personal assistant is reliability. Since a high-ranking person will rely on almost everything when it comes to work on the personal assistant, he or she must be skilled enough to do the tasks ahead.
If you want to be a personal assistant, the first thing that you should do is to determine which type of working environment you would want to be. With the complex work setting now, everyone—at least those that have high ranking positions and popular figures in the society such politicians, celebrities, communications executives, entertainment moguls, business tycoons, and the like—needs a personal assistant.
If you want to be effective in becoming a personal assistant, it is a must that you know before hand whom would you want to and what type of tasks would you want to perform. Consider this, if you are a personal assistant for a politician, you will be involved in various political affairs such as dealing with people from all walks of life.
If you will become a personal assistant for a celebrity, you will be living a glamorous life by attending various functions or social events and even dealing with the fans. In a corporate or business world, you will be involved in everything that has to do with the business or the company of your employer.
After finally deciding whom would you want to work for, it is now time for you to do a research on the duties of a personal assistant so you would have an idea what it is like to be in their shoes.
Before finally deciding if you are fit for the position, you must know that a personal assistant is: good in appointment and schedule keeping; fast in running errands; reliable in scheduling for travels locally and internationally; knowledgeable in book keeping and managing accounts; computer literate for correspondence through email, scheduling tasks, typing documents, and preparing presentations; a master of language skills; excellent in managing a small office or even the household; and keen in planning and organizing meetings and other events such parties.
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The Qualities of a Personal Assistant
First, that person should be a jack of all trades. This means he or she is used to multi-tasking. The successful candidate must have a flexible work schedule that goes beyond the nine to five job. You can call them up at anytime, be able to work on weekends, holidays or even overnight if necessary. If this person is not able to do that, then you better hire someone else.
The personal assistant should be internet savvy and computer literate so certain projects can be typed up, research can be done and a presentation can be made. If you are using some programs that the personal assistant is not familiar with, then this person has to learn it quickly in order to adapt to your needs.
When you hire a personal assistant, it is best to get someone with experience so more or less they know what to do in the position. You just have to brief them on how things are done where you work.
The candidate has to be very dependable especially when you are not around because he or she represents you. If a judgment calls needs to be made, the personal assistant has to step up and do what needs to be done. Having such a quality shows this person is self-confident and has the leadership potential to handle more responsibility in the future.
They should show that they are trust worthy so everything you say that is concerned with the business does not leak out of the office.
What does a personal assistant want in return for what you expect from them? Simply put, fair pay because no one is going to work beyond 8 hours everyday and only get paid minimum wage. If you have to travel and you need this person, be prepared to shell out their travel and living expenses.
From time to time, give them tickets to a party or a show if you are not around. As you can see, money is not the only thing that a personal assistant looks for when looking for a job.
How do you look for a personal assistant? By putting down on paper what is their job description and then posting an advertisement saying that you are in need of one. If your company is quite big, you can announce for an opening first within the organization before opening this for outsiders.
Once you have a list of potential candidates, you can now go through the screening process. Those who pass the initial interview and exam can be scheduled to meet you. To help you decide which candidate you think is best, have someone from the company interview this person with you.
If you want to see them in action, let them do something and if you are happy, keep them on a probationary basis first before you decide to regularize them.
At the end of the day, the personal assistant is another employee. If this person does not perform as you expect, they can easily be replaced.
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What You Need to Know About a Personal Digital Assistant
Today, more and more manufacturers come up with newer models that have modern and updated features. These changes come in sizes, colors, and audio capabilities of the PDA. In fact, in the market today, most of the models have colored touch screens, higher definition of and audio components, and lighter, slimmer appearance.
Majority of which can also be double as a mobile phone, a portable media player with high storage capacity, and can even serve as a web browser because they can have access to the Internet through built-in intranets and extranets, through wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), and through Wireless Wide-Area Networks (WWANs).
PDA 101
Although there are so many guides in using PDA, it greatly helps a lot if the user finds time to know its history and the movement of its progression. Did you know that the very first PDA was released 21 years ago? In May 1983, the CASIO PF-3000 released by GO Corp. penetrated the market and made the breakthrough. But, its fame did not materialize until John Sculley, the Chief Executive Officer of Apple used the term "PDA" at the Consumer Electronics Show which was held in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1992, referring to the "Apple Newton."
What makes that PDA a hit is that its touch screen means of entering any data, the large capacity of data storage through the memory card, and wireless connectivity such Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and IrDA. One unique feature about PDAs is that its software enables it to have a customized calendar for appointments and scheduled activities, an organized "to-do-list", an easy to use address book that has large capacity of memory for saving names and other details of contacts as well as a program that lets you take down some notes.
But, what makes it truly a hit for many people is its touch screen feature. Even the first batches of palms have touch screens for user interaction. This feature only has a few numbers of buttons that serve as shortcuts for specific programs. Although touch screen phones can operate using the bare hands, manufacturers came up with a "stylus" to make the touch screen feature more effective. Here, interaction is made easier and faster by just tapping the screen itself for the menu choices to appear. And just by tapping the screen, the stylus can easily activate the buttons you need for any program to work.
Aside from the touch screen feature, PDAs also have stroke recognition wherein there are a predetermined number of strokes which corresponds to the characters needed to be used. Other PDAs—especially those that are being used purely for business purposes—offer thumb or scroll wheels as well as full keyboards to make entering the data and navigation easier and more accurate.
For the personal digital assistant to work, it needs an operating system or OS. This is predetermined depending on the maker of the PDA.
Common PDA operating systems include the PalmSource's "Palm OS", Microsoft's "Windows Mobile Professional" and "Classic" for Pocket PCs, Apple Inc.'s "iPhone OS", and Research In Motion's "BlackBerry OS" among others.
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