Why I Hired A Personal Assistant

Photo by hyperscholar

I’ve been struggling with this for a long time.  The truth is – I’m terrible at delegation.  Like many of you – I’m a perfectionist.  I have trouble letting go of control over my work.  I want to know my clients are getting a consistent experience – with my own special trademark touch.  But the truth is – once again I find that I am overwhelmed – both in my work and in my life.  There are two many balls in the air – and too many balls that are about to be dropped.

So tonight after careful soul-searching I decided it was time to hire a personal assistant to help keep me on track.

When looking for a personal assistant it’s important to know the exact skillset that will be most beneficial to you and your business.  In my case, I needed someone who:

• Has Great Communication Skills
• Is Well Versed In Social Media
• Is Details Oriented
• Is Able to Multi-task
• Is Good at Research (especially web-based)
• Can Handle Basic Data Entry and Administrative Tasks (without complaining)
• Can Be Trusted With My Passwords (and my clients passwords) To Multiple Social Media Sites
• Can Be Trusted With My Clients
• Has An Optimistic & Passionate Attitude Towards Life

Is A Virtual Assistant Right For Me?

My next question was did I want to use a Virtual Assistant service like Ask Sunday or Tasks Everyday – or did I want to hire someone I could meet with face-to-face on occasion.  After visiting the Ask Sunday site and chatting live with one of their representatives I decided that type of service was not right for me for 2 reasons.

1. Hours not used in a given month did not rollover to the next month.  Since I’m just now starting out – I’m not sure how many hours I will definitely use from week to week – and I don’t want to waste money paying for unused time.
2. While they were very professional and thorough – I decided that their service was not the right fit for my current clients.  I’d much rather hire someone who can meet with my clients from time to time on my behalf.

Both of the services I mentioned above are terrific – and might be perfect for your needs.  They just weren’t right for me.

Do I Already Know The Perfect Candidate?

So then I started thinking about the skillset I was looking for in the right assistant.  I was just about to post an ad on Craigslist when I decided to check with my former intern Wilbert Chinchilla first, to see if he was available.  I knew Wilbert would be the perfect choice for me for a few reasons.

1. He interned with me last summer and he knows how chaotic my daily schedule can be.  He’s very good at Embracing the Chaos.
2. He’s currently the Editor of his College Newspaper – and therefore very good at communication.  I knew that he would be able to respond to my clients emails in a professional manner.
3. He’s understands Social Media and actively posts to his own blog, twitter, and facebook accounts.  I knew that he would be able to handle these tasks for my clients.
4. He’s passionate and curious about Social Media and Writing.  Don’t ever underestimate the importance of Curiosity and Passion when hiring a new employee.
5. He had the availability that I needed during the week – and was willing to wake up early for me on Monday’s to help me start the week off right.  Monday’s are typically my busiest day of the week.
6. He works very well under pressure, takes good notes, and is very good at reminding me of tasks that I might otherwise forget.  Which means less balls dropped!

What does this mean for you and for my clients?

First and foremost it means more frequent communications on behalf of Peanut Butter Media and ReinventingErica.  We have plans to send out a monthly newsletter (which is something I’ve always wanted to do – but never had the time for).  If you’re a current client, it means that you should start receiving daily check-in emails from Wilbert and that your emails will be answered in a much more timely manner.  I currently receive about 500 – 800 emails each day (and that is not including Spam) – so sometimes (especially on Mondays and during Holidays) things get lost in the shuffle.

I’ll also have more time to work on several of my personal projects that have been put on hold these last few months.  Including: The Great Twitter Experiment, ReinventingErica.com 90 Day Challenge, and The Bliss Ring.

This was a very big step for me – and I’m excited to finally be taking the plunge.  I’ve given Wil the title of “Chief Executive Assistant” so that I can just call him “Chief” for short.  Afterall – his real job is to guard me against any waste of time – in that respect he’s really my Boss

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Erica OGrady is the CXO of Peanut Butter Media. She is currently HOMELESS while working on a project called Twilight & Tea. Erica is a Writer, Adventurer, Explorer who Still Believes in Santa and Following Your Bliss -- For more information Text ERICAOGRADY to 50500