How to hire a personal assistant/office assistant

How to hire a personal assistant/office assistant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step personal assistant/office 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/office assistant job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new personal assistant/office assistant
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a personal assistant/office assistant, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect personal assistant/office assistant also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of personal assistant/office assistant salaries for various roles:

   Type of Personal Assistant/Office Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Personal Assistant/Office Assistant	Secretaries and administrative assistants perform clerical and administrative duties. They organize files, prepare documents, schedule appointments, and support other staff.	$17-37
   Administrative Professional	An administrative professional specializes in performing administrative support and clerical tasks in a company or office, ensuring accuracy and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities typically revolve around managing schedules, arranging appointments and meetings, producing progress reports and presentations, delegating tasks, and attending meetings on behalf of executives or staff... Show more	$11-31
   Office Administrator	Office administrators are employees who ensure that the office is running in tip-top shape. They manage the administrative needs of the office... Show more	$13-23

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Travel Arrangements
   • Financial Statements
   • Appointment Scheduling
   • Front Desk
   • QuickBooks
   • Office Operations
   • Office Equipment
   • Real Estate
   • Human Resources
   • RUN Errands
   • Bank Deposits
   • Telephone Calls
   • Office Management

   Check all skills

   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.
   • Help implement practice's quality assurance and control program, efforts ensure compliance with HIPAA, CLIA and OSHA regulations.
   • Perform payroll procedures and used QuickBooks to record daily accounting activities.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your personal assistant/office assistant job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A personal assistant/office assistant can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, personal assistants/office assistants' average salary in oklahoma is 50% less than in connecticut.
   • Seniority. Entry-level personal assistants/office assistants 52% less than senior-level personal assistants/office assistants.
   • Certifications. A personal assistant/office assistant with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a personal assistant/office assistant's salary.

   Average personal assistant/office assistant salary

   $53,954yearly

   $25.94 hourly rate

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   Entry-level personal assistant/office assistant salary

   $37,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

4. Writing a personal assistant/office assistant job description

   A job description for a personal assistant/office assistant role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a personal assistant/office assistant job description:

   Personal assistant/office assistant job description example

   Our company has been serving the San Antonio area's HVAC needs for over 20 years. Our skilled and capable staff confidently assists customers with their heating, ventilation, and air conditioning installation, service, and repair needs. We work hard to maintain our reputation as the most professional and punctual HVAC team in town. We have strong ties in our community and reach out to volunteer with many organizations including Haven for Hope, The Battered Women's Shelter of San Antonio, Meals on Wheels, and Camp Discovery.

   We know our success is due in large part to our top-notch, trustworthy employees who strive for industry excellence. That is why we invest heavily in employee training and promoting professional growth .

   
   

   PERSONAL OFFICE ASSISTANT REQUIREMENTS

   As a Personal Office Assistant, you perform whatever tasks are necessary to make the Vice President's job easier. Some of your daily responsibilities include scheduling meetings, managing calendars, answering calls, responding to emails and letters, taking notes at meetings, coordinating events and speaking engagements, and running errands. Your incredible ability to focus and manage time throughout the workday allows you to accomplish everything you need to.

   Managing travel plans is a unique and fun aspect of your job! You effectively coordinate flights, accommodations, and ground transportation as needed. You play a huge part in freeing up the Vice President's time and contributing to the success of the company.

   • Able to work in a fast-paced environment
   • Previous personal assistant or office administration experience
   • Excellent organizational skills

   Do you work well under pressure? Are you excited about the opportunity to work on a part-time basis? Do you like to multi-task? If yes, give us the chance to review your information.

   
   

   ARE YOU READY?

   If you are excited about this part-time assistant opportunity, don't delay. Apply today !

   
   

   Location: 78233

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right personal assistant/office 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/office assistants they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit personal assistants/office 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/office assistant job on Zippia to find and recruit personal assistant/office 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/office 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.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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/office assistant

   Once you have selected a candidate for the personal assistant/office 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 important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new personal assistant/office 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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