How To Become A Personal Assistant/Office Assistant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a personal assistant/office assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a personal assistant/office assistant. For example, did you know that they make an average of $25.94 an hour? That's $53,954 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -8% and produce -286,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScorePersonal Assistant/Office AssistantUS Average

Salary

4.2

Avg. Salary $53,954

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.0

Growth rate -8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.73%

Asian 3.85%

Black or African American 9.37%

Hispanic or Latino 16.40%

Unknown 3.88%

White 65.77%

Gender

female 85.73%

male 14.27%

Age - 52

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 52

Stress level

6.0

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.4

Complexity level is basic

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.6

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a personal assistant/office assistant

Explore personal assistant/office assistant education requirements

Most common personal assistant/office assistant degrees

Bachelor's

43.6 %

Associate

24.7 %

High School Diploma

17.1 %

Start to develop specific personal assistant/office assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	16.48%
Travel Arrangements	6.96%
Financial Statements	6.09%
Appointment Scheduling	5.21%
Front Desk	4.48%

Complete relevant personal assistant/office assistant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New personal assistants/office assistants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a personal assistant/office assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real personal assistant/office assistant resumes.

Gain additional personal assistant/office assistant certifications

Personal assistant/office assistant certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific personal assistant/office assistant certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for personal assistants/office assistants include Medical Assistant and Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA).

More About Certifications

Research personal assistant/office assistant duties and responsibilities

Manage accounting operations, accounting close, account reporting and reconciliations.
Set up and attend conference calls between SEO companies to help promote.
Develop onsite body content, meta descriptions and page titles in support of SEO strategies.
Organize a brand new practice by creating all department forms such as patient registration and HIPAA law information.

Prepare your personal assistant/office assistant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your personal assistant/office assistant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a personal assistant/office assistant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable personal assistant/office assistant resume templates

Build a professional personal assistant/office assistant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your personal assistant/office assistant resume.