How to hire a personal assistant

How to hire a personal assistant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step personal assistant hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a personal assistant job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new personal assistant
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a personal assistant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The personal assistant hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A personal assistant's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, personal assistants from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of personal assistants.

   Type of Personal Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Personal Assistant	Personal Assistants provide administrative support through undertaking a wide range of clerical and managerial tasks. They meet and greet visitors and manage phone calls, inquiries, and requests.	$12-28
   Companion	A companion is responsible for assisting sick and recovered patients, as well as the elderly. Companions perform housekeeping duties, ensuring that a facility is well-maintained and safe for the use of the patients... Show more	$10-18
   Concierge	Specializing in customer service, a concierge is responsible for assisting clients at establishments in the hospitality industry. Most of the tasks revolve around greeting clients and responding to inquiries, arranging appointments and making reservations, answering calls, and coordinating with the necessary personnel in the joint effort to secure customer satisfaction... Show more	$12-20

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • RUN Errands
   • Companionship
   • Scheduling Appointments
   • Meal Prep
   • Household Chores
   • Travel Arrangements
   • Payroll
   • Telephone Calls
   • CPR
   • Vital Signs
   • Child Care
   • Medication Reminders
   • ADL
   • Event Planning

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage all errands including dry cleaning, pharmacy, and personal shopping for groceries, clothing, and gifts.
   • Manage daily operations of the gallery including budgeting, small payroll and reconciling business accounts, eliminating off-site accounting fees.
   • Maintain company books including A/R, A/P, bank statements and other reports.
   • Handle payroll, phones, A/R, A/P, and general accounting procedures.
   • Book appointments, confirm travel accommodations, complete payroll using QuickBooks, maintain business licenses and insurance
   • Wash windows, walls, and woodwork.

   More personal assistant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your personal assistant job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A personal assistant salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, personal assistants' average salary in tennessee is 52% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level personal assistants earn 57% less than senior-level personal assistants.
   • Certifications. A personal assistant with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a personal assistant's salary.

   Average personal assistant salary

   $40,026yearly

   $19.24 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level personal assistant salary

   $26,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 21, 2025

   Average personal assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$67,982	$33
   2	Massachusetts	$54,043	$26
   3	Washington	$50,760	$24
   4	California	$49,386	$24
   5	Rhode Island	$49,132	$24
   6	Michigan	$46,978	$23
   7	Colorado	$46,524	$22
   8	District of Columbia	$44,788	$22
   9	Minnesota	$42,858	$21
   10	Utah	$42,421	$20
   11	New Jersey	$42,148	$20
   12	Maryland	$41,946	$20
   13	Illinois	$40,306	$19
   14	Texas	$39,619	$19
   15	Florida	$38,305	$18
   16	Wisconsin	$36,208	$17
   17	Georgia	$36,030	$17
   18	Arizona	$35,898	$17
   19	North Carolina	$35,215	$17
   20	Nebraska	$34,304	$16

   Average personal assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	AbbVie	$105,970	$50.95
   2	General Atlantic	$104,776	$50.37
   3	Barclays	$99,457	$47.82
   4	RE/MAX Northwest	$86,712	$41.69
   5	SITA	$67,615	$32.51
   6	Deutsche Bank	$66,945	$32.19
   7	UBS	$64,686	$31.10
   8	Loyola Marymount University	$64,121	$30.83
   9	Keller Williams Realty	$63,131	$30.35	1
   10	Missouri State University	$61,063	$29.36	1
   11	IPC Systems	$60,676	$29.17
   12	EDG	$59,789	$28.74
   13	Colorado	$59,032	$28.38
   14	Catholic Health East	$58,875	$28.31	1
   15	Egen	$58,026	$27.90
   16	Beacon Hill Staffing Group	$56,102	$26.97
   17	Grinnell College	$55,741	$26.80
   18	Los Angeles Unified School District	$55,529	$26.70
   19	Go! Retail Group	$55,273	$26.57	3
   20	CARE	$54,325	$26.12	1

4. Writing a personal assistant job description

   A personal assistant job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a personal assistant job description:

   Personal assistant job description example

   Seeking a Personal Assistant at the beginning of the year is really a herculean task for me. We received your response to our new Job offer for the position of General errand/Personal Assistance Services. My name is Greg Philip , 54 years old from California. I’m a General Building Contractor and tend to operate a high cost of operation and want to cut down my expenses by employing an Administrative/Personal Assistant. I travel a lot and get my hands occupied because I work with other companies in and out of the country, so it is imperative for me to have a worthy Personal Assistant who can monitor and keep me up to date with my activities.

   
   

   This position is flexible and you can be in any location, working with me is basically about instructions and following them. I need your services because I am constantly out of town and presently in Launceston Australia. I will return to States within 3-5 weeks time so this process will be on going till then. If you don't mind, I will meet up with you when I return and then we can discuss the possibility of making this long term.

   
   

   If you are Approved for this job position you will be in charge of my Mails, Payment of bills on my behalf and Perform other related duties as assigned (To make Provisions/Purchases for the Less Privilege Children which I do every 2 months).Please note that this job DOES NOT require any financial obligations of any kind from you as I would be providing all expenses to handle all tasks.

   
   

   Available Position: Administrative/Personal Assistant

   
   

   Type: Part-Time

   
   

   Weekly Pay: $600

   Available shifts and compensation: We have available shifts all days of the week. Compensation is $25.00 - $50.00/hour.

   
   

   By applying to this job, you agree to receive periodic text messages from this employer and Homebase about your pending job application. Opt out anytime. Msg & data rates may apply.
   
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5. Post your job

   To find the right personal assistant for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with personal assistants they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit personal assistants who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your personal assistant job on Zippia to find and recruit personal assistant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with personal assistant candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new personal assistant

   Once you have selected a candidate for the personal assistant position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new personal assistant first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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