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 especially many 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 determination 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 customers;

quickly solving problems and problems;

work with various sites, services, programs;

data processing (systematization, analysis, reporting);

solving small routine tasks.

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 can 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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Still from the movie "The Devil Wears Prada"

Futurologists and developers of new technologies love to predict the future. According to them, technological progress is moving across the planet at such a speed that soon many professions will simply die out. They like to cite the example of the notorious specialty of typists - they say that their ability to quickly type with the advent of computers simply lost demand. Meanwhile, the typists themselves did not sit idly by for long, and simply relearned how to type quickly on modern keyboards, reserving their place in recruiting agencies for decades to come.

Now, it seems, the same predictions are attacking a profession that seems to involve such a personal approach that no computer can replace it. But here, too, there are still daredevils who initiate the confrontation between people and machines year after year. Their automated personal assistants (PAs) have humanized, almost childlike names (Siri, Charlie). One of them, Amy Ingram, is so “alive” that some don’t even realize that they are chatting not with an ordinary person, but with artificial intelligence. Amy, like any girl, knows how to flirt, knows the basics of modern digital language and charms her interlocutors on the other side of the screen so much that they even send her flowers and gifts.

And we could again begin to sing the praises of the capabilities of Big Data, if not for one “but”: PA bots have existed for many years, but during this time the profession of living personal assistants has evolved so much that it has left its artificial rivals far behind. It turned out that simply being able to synchronize your calendar and make appointments is no longer enough. Now, in order to stay afloat and at the same time earn a decent living, a personal assistant must become his boss’s second self. What does this mean in practice, comments Marina Egorova, CEO of the recruitment company PA Smart & Talented.

Between care and anticipation

Promotional photo for the series "Force Majeure"

“Sometimes we laugh with our assistants, calling our work “the second mother of our boss,” jokes Marina Egorova. What is important here is not so much the ability to quickly carry out orders, but the ability to be insightful to such an extent that the boss does not even need to voice the order. In other words, in the personal assistant profession, reactivity must be replaced with proactivity.

“For example, if a boss is flying to a new city for him,” the expert continues, “you need to look at the airport map in advance and plan where he will get off at the airport so that he can be met. In the same city, check the weather and put an umbrella in his briefcase in case of rainy weather. Or prepare the necessary files for his meeting, which he did not ask for, but you know that he will definitely need them.”

“You don’t need to wait for instructions from your boss to do this, you need to figure it out yourself.”

The success of a personal assistant directly depends on the extent to which his boss or boss is freed from monotonous work that does not require the demonstration of business acumen. Applying for a visa, organizing a meeting, translation, planning an itinerary, monitoring real estate - all this must be done autonomously, unnoticed by the boss and, of course, competently.

There are also more personal functions: sending flowers to your wife on March 8, buying gifts for children for the successful completion of the school year (remember the main character of “The Devil Wears Prada”, who rushed around publishing houses in search of an unpublished book about Harry Potter) or selecting service personnel for Houses. “Sometimes you even need to buy a bridge for a dog from the shore to the yacht,” laughs Marina Egorova. As a result, the personal assistant begins to understand the boss’s character and preferences more deeply than his family members, although it is very important not to cross the line here. Some PAs even have a rule whereby they do not allow themselves to stay with the boss's family for dinner, and as soon as the work day is over, they run home.

On the other hand, this rule is not 100% correct, because when hiring a personal assistant, you have to be prepared to work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

There will be no banal 8-hour presence in the office, but work “at the desk” will still be of great importance, if only because a competent PA is not only one who knows how to sense a person’s mood and needs, but also one who knows , how to keep minutes or handle document flow. Aerobatics - if you have an idea of ​​​​the intricacies of the business that your boss is involved in. In this case, your responsibilities will include preparing presentations, holding meetings on behalf of your boss, distributing instructions to employees in lower positions - accordingly, the salary and loyalty of your superiors to you will only increase. In the UK, for example, a couple of years ago a separate survey was even conducted in which about 16% of respondents admitted that their bosses regularly listen to their advice when making strategic business decisions.

Difficulties in selection

The position of personal assistant today has inherited a minimal percentage of responsibilities from its secretarial ancestor. Now she combines the skills of a manager, psychologist, organizer, recruiter, businessman and even financier. The last point implies the ability to effectively manage assets. In this case, a personal assistant (as a rule, a separate person is hired to perform these functions, although there are exceptions when one assistant does everything) works in the so-called Family Office. “The concept of FO came to us from the States. Rich families organized such offices in order to preserve their capital, explains Marina Egorova. Previously, financiers sat in it, but now they began to hire assistants there too.”

Of course, when occupying such a position, the degree of confidentiality begins to increase, because sooner or later the personal assistant begins to reveal family secrets, bank accounts, corporate information, medical data, PIN codes from cards - in a word, everything that, under the wrong circumstances, may be used against the client.

“In large companies, top managers first try to find an assistant among their employees,” says the expert, “but, as a rule, a good employee is good at one thing and bad at another. There are situations when several months of searching pass and there are zero results, then HRDs like to turn to us, a highly specialized agency.”

Profile

As a rule, the general public associates personal assistants with young, inexperienced girls. And this is a very big misconception, because, in fact, the position of PA is mainly received by people over 30 years old. Most often - women, but there are exceptions - for example, in the same Family Office there is a place for men.

The company of Marina Egorova, for example, is mostly approached by those who are looking for an assistant between 32 and 35 years old. “This is due to the fact that managers want a stable assistant for several years, and it is at this age that candidates, as a rule, come with an established family life,” explains the general director.

Moreover, family people have well-developed multitasking and stress tolerance. As the expert testifies, big bosses are very impatient people, so you should always be able to keep your own emotions and fatigue under control. In this regard, it will be important for any employer or recruiter to see that a person knows how to work in one place for a long time, is disciplined, restrained and aware of the intricacies of a particular entrepreneurial project.

Prospects

Returning to the same British survey, at that time only a third of respondents admitted that they had always wanted to become a personal assistant, and about the same number said that they did not want to change their specialty, but planned to develop further and grow, for example, to an executive assistant

“Believe me, you can work as an assistant for the rest of your life,” the expert convinces, “for example, Berezovsky’s assistant. I worked with him for decades until his death.”

On the other hand, it is possible to make a qualitatively new leap from this position. Marina herself, for example, went from an assistant to the owner of her own business. As a rule, the position of project manager can become an intermediate step. The prospect extends all the way to the post of CEO. Management is the most common area of ​​growth, as this is where a personal assistant gains the most experience.

5 reasons to hire your own assistant:

The schedule is under control. Where Siri fails, a PA will come to the rescue, who will certainly not send you to the same meeting twice.

Delegation of powers. Instead of running around visa centers or signing unnecessary papers, focus on big ideas.

Give yourself time for your personal life. Hire an assistant so you can spend your evenings with your loved ones, not with reports.

Invest in yourself. An assistant's salary is not a useless expense. You can spend the freed time on self-development.

Your second self. You no longer have to explain what you need every time. A competent assistant will organize everything the same way you would do it.

By the way: The Business Aviation Club is holding a competition for the title of the best personal assistant Super PA. Follow the link to read what you need to take part and receive the main prize - a luxury trip for two.

Marina Egorova, founder of Smart&Talented. Personal assistants, which specializes in the selection, training and coaching of assistants, secretaries and personal assistants. Company website - www.smart-and-talented.ru

Photo: GettyImages, press service archives

Business on the Internet can have no less scope than business in real life. Therefore, a successful Internet businessman often needs a personal assistant, a right hand. And this is not a secretary from the “bring-and-give” series, but often a future business partner of his boss or a competitor if the personal assistant understands all the nuances of running an Internet business and opens his own business.

Internet profession - personal assistant to an entrepreneur

What business qualities and skills should a personal assistant to an entrepreneur have?

• You must be able to process information and work with documentation.
• It is important to be able to organize current affairs.
• You need to be flexible and enterprising, easily adapt to circumstances and perform non-standard tasks.
• You must be prepared for the fact that the amount of work will be variable, sometimes you will need a creative approach and the ability to solve issues outside the scope of your daily duties.

Do I need to study to become a personal assistant to an entrepreneur?

There is no need for any special training to become an assistant to a businessman.

However, you must have the following knowledge and skills:

• Be able to work with a computer and other computer equipment.
• Good knowledge of the mechanisms of Internet technologies, you can work with e-mail, create documents, keep reports, draw up schedules, plans, process information, select freelancers, etc.
• Being able to independently resolve small issues and matters, in fact, is the main skill of a personal assistant.
• Be able to accurately fulfill your boss’s requests, remind him of important matters and tasks.

How to find a job as an entrepreneur's assistant?

If remote work is quite easy to find elsewhere, then you need to look for a position as an entrepreneur’s assistant. And this is not because there is no demand for assistants. The demand for them is quite high. There are not enough candidates who can competently present themselves and interest a potential employer in themselves. After all, business compatibility and the ability to be useful to a particular businessman are often determined during work.

How much does an entrepreneur's assistant earn?

At the beginning of a career, a personal assistant usually performs small tasks, so the initial salary will not be high. Gradually, having demonstrated all his business qualities, the assistant can become an indispensable employee, and the salary level will undoubtedly increase.

Typically, assistants are paid on an hourly basis. Therefore, income will depend on the number of hours spent on work.

On average, monthly earnings can range from $300 to $1,500. Plus, you can receive additional bonuses and bonuses.

What personality traits should an assistant entrepreneur have?

The required qualities are diligence, commitment, enterprise, punctuality, stress tolerance and willingness to work hard, even on weekends.

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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 company events so that, if necessary, he can 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 not only 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.

Select a celebrity type.

• Actors and rock stars aren't the only ones who need personal assistants. You can become an assistant to a professional athlete, a politician, a director, a best-selling author, a wealthy family, a motivational speaker, internet millionaires... basically anyone with enough money can hire a personal assistant. It's probably better to work for someone in a field that interests you, because the more you know, the more you have to offer. Potential employers will find you more attractive as a new employee.

Develop your skills

Get training

• There is no formal long-term educational program to become a personal assistant yet, but you can develop many of the necessary skills in related programs such as computer courses, housekeeping courses (for butlers and governesses), and even event management courses offered by public institutions. colleges. Find good sources online that provide free guides, resources and useful links for executive personal assistants - search for personal assistant tips and tricks. Beware of “consultants” who claim to have experience as a personal assistant. Make sure by browsing their website to find proof that they are who they say they are.

Gain experience

• One great way to learn the skills of being a celebrity's personal assistant is to first work as a non-celebrity's personal assistant. You may even find that being a non-celebrity personal assistant suits your pace better if you really enjoy organizing but don't like the intensity of the celebrity lifestyle.

Find a job

• Knowing people is an important first step: let everyone know that you are a worker looking for work. Think about all the people you know, family members as well as friends. Is there anyone in this huge network who is closer to a celebrity than you? You can also meet celebrities through community service, working as an on-set assistant director and through job postings.

Contact a celebrity

• While you may not be talking to the celebrity themselves, you can usually contact their publisher, agent, or even their actual personal assistant. Even if they're not looking for a new assistant right now, they may have an opening in the future or know someone who is. There are many books and websites available that provide addresses and contact details of celebrities.

Avoid common mistakes

• It would be great if you could just strike up a conversation with someone like an agent and get an immediate referral to a celebrity. However, most people who start out have a hard time finding the right words without thinking about it. This is a case where a prepared text can be of great help. This script is simply a summary of what you want to say. To appear professional, avoid revealing too much personal information about yourself, appearing eager, or mentioning that you hope to launch your own show business career. Instead, focus on what you can offer the celebrity.

Join the agency

• Most LPZs agree that this is a great entry into the industry. Once you find one (there are more than a dozen agencies listed in the how-to-become-an-AP guide on FabJob), send a short email asking who you should contact to apply for an AP for one of their clients. Sign contracts with as many agencies as possible. According to Brian Daniel, owner of www.findcelebrityjobs.com, there's only so much an agency can do to help you. You have a better chance of getting a job on your own because employers don't like to pay the huge placement fees that agencies charge.

Successfully pass the interview

• According to Jonathan Holiffe, a former personal assistant to several celebrities, "Assuming you have the skills and character, it really comes down to a personality match." You'll likely have to go through a lot of interviews before you find the right celebrity. Don't sweat it; just be honest and direct with everyone you meet. And when will you meet your celebrity? Don't rush things. Focus on professionalism and establishing an immediate rapport with her.

Join professional organizations

• There are professional organizations that assist personal assistants in their professional development. Once you start working as a PLP, you can join such organizations and they will be an invaluable source of support and information.