Your Personal Assistant

Are you searching or thinking of employing a personal assistant? Choosing your personal assistant is a highly personal and sometimes stressful process. The first thing you should do is write down why you need an assistant. What tasks do you need them to perform? What will their job responsibilities be? What hours will they be expected to work? How much will they be paid? These are all things you should know before you begin your search. You might need an assistant who lives with you or one who works specified hours. It all depends on your particular lifestyle and your needs.

You might want to begin searching on the Internet. You can research various personal assistant agencies and freelance assistants online. Going through an agency is often a good bet because the assistants who are placed by the agency are trained and screened. If you go for a freelance assistant who is not affiliated with such an agency you may need to check work history, references and even perform a criminal and background check which is always a good idea. Once you've got a list of potential candidates, it's time to begin the interview process.

The interview process is very important when it comes to choosing the right candidate. At this time you will get a first impression of each potential assistant. First impressions can be very important and you should trust your gut. From there you will get to converse with the candidate, get an idea of their work history, explain your requirements, let them ask any questions they may have and let them explain why they feel they are the best candidate for the job. After several interviews you may have a few standouts or you may have made your choice.

When you are ready to hire your personal assistant you should have legally binding contracts drawn up by an attorney. These contracts should protect both you and your employee and state all requirements and expectations of both parties. Before starting work your assistant will need to sign the contracts and submit any tax documents necessary like W-4 forms or W-9 forms depending on whether they are your employee an independent contractor. Depending on which option you go for, you will either be responsible for subtracting taxes from your assistant's pay or they will be responsible for paying their own taxes as a self employed contractor.

Personal Assistant News:

Recession sparks boom in personal-assistant business
The good news for those of us who aren't Brad or Angelina is that the recession -- the one that has basically eliminated the middle class -- has created an ever-more eager pool of personal assistants, many of whom were recently laid off ...


Albemarle Neighbor: Work with seniors is a gold medal experience
Flashes of gold, silver and bronze symbolize their superior achievements. It is not the Winter Olympics, but the 26th Annual Albemarle Senior Games that will produce winners that capture a victorious vision through the click of a camera, a bold brushstroke, or the eloquence of words...


Action against Bord na M na settled
The personal assistant to the former managing director of Bord na Mona has settled her High Court action in which she alleged the company tried to get rid of her because her ex-boss had sued it...


NMSU: Personal Info Appeared On Unauthorized Computer (KFOX 14 El Paso)
New Mexico State University has warned some 300 people who were in a spring 2006 course that some personal information appeared on an unauthorized computer not affiliated with the school...


Blog :: Siri - Your Virtual Personal Assistant
Siri is your virtual personal assistant that helps you get things done while you're on the go. Dinner reservations, movie tickets, and more!..


Panoramic 'Vision' Back From Tour of Spain
Joaquin Sorolla, the Spanish painter, sketched costumed villagers and arid roads around his homeland in the 1910s...


After criticism, LAPD pulls RFK clothing from homicide exhibit - CNN
(CNN) -- After scathing criticism from the son of slain Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, police in Los Angeles, California, have apologized for including the clothes the senator was wearing when killed in an exhibit of high-profile homicide cases. The ...


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