Why Hire a Personal Assistant

What is an Executive Assistant?

Understanding the executive assistant role is the first step to answering the question of ‘Why hire an executive assistant?’. An executive assistant (EA) is employed by an individual or business to provide day-to-day support. While this will look different depending on the needs of the employer, some form of administrative support will almost always be involved.

Some of the most common responsibilities of an EA include diary management, travel coordination, inbox and call management, document creation, meeting coordination and event planning.

Private assistants can be employed to support a single individual in an organization such as a CEO, or to support a team within a business. A team EA will generally carry out the same tasks, but for multiple people, often acting as the first point of contact for the team.

If you are considering hiring an executive assistant and looking for guidance, our EA job description template can be a great place to start. Alternatively, you can make a hire request and one of our specialist consultants will reach out to you.

Administrative Duties

Most EA roles will include administrative duties such as answering phones, managing inboxes, coordinating meetings, arranging travel, taking meeting minutes, collating documents, creating presentations, and managing diaries. Other common responsibilities include managing purchase orders, writing contracts, fixing technical issues, coordinating with third-party contractors or agencies, and getting quotes for products and services.

Project Management Duties

The role of executive assistant is industry agnostic, meaning an EA can be hired in any type of business. However, a common responsibility includes project management. In a boutique business, an EA may manage operations projects such as introducing new policies and creating manuals and handbooks. By contrast, an EA in the finance sector could be responsible for introducing and maintaining a new CRM system.

C-Suite EAs

Executive assistants and senior executive assistants support high-level executives such as CEOs or MDs. The key difference at this level is that an executive assistant will start to act more as a business assistant/partner, generally holding a high level of responsibility over multiple projects and teams. This could mean hiring and managing the rest of a company’s business support team or representing their employer’s interests in business negotiations.

Why You Need an Executive Assistant

There is a myriad of reasons why you may need an executive assistant. For entrepreneurs, executives and busy teams, an EA can prove an invaluable team member. Below we have outlined just a few of the biggest advantages of recruiting an exceptional EA. If you have been wondering ‘why hire an executive assistant’, here are just some of the reasons top executives make this decision.

Free Up Your Time

If you’re deciding whether you need an executive assistant, take some time to consider what tasks you complete in a week, and which of these could realistically be done by somebody else. That somebody may need some specialized knowledge or be incredibly trustworthy, but that’s what EAs are for; meeting your highly specific needs.

A reliable EA will free up time in your calendar by taking on tasks, big or small, that allow you to focus on the bigger decisions.

Increase Your Productivity

Administrative tasks can be highly interruptive – ever answered an email or accepted a calendar invite while in a meeting? Research shows that multitasking like this can be costly to productivity. While managing your inbox and calendar provides valuable control and oversight, it’s also taking your attention away from your most important work.

Entrusting an exceptional EA with these types of tasks will allow you to re-focus your mind, improving your productivity and, in turn, the quality of your decisions.

Reduce Stress

It’s incredibly important to take steps to support one’s mental health, particularly for top executives and high-performing teams. Hiring a great EA is an excellent step towards reducing stress in your job.

Utilize Skills and Expertise

Many executive assistants have spent years honing highly specialized skills that can prove invaluable to your business. Those working with high-profile employers may excel in social media management and online branding. An EA who has worked for a long time in the legal sector may excel at preparing legal documents. Whatever the nature of your business needs, we can help you find an EA with aligned expertise.

To get started on recruiting an executive assistant, get in touch with us today. A consultant will reach out to discuss your requirements and get you started on the path to finding a perfect EA.

Maintain an Organized Routine

As an entrepreneur or executive, you probably find that each day feels exceptionally hectic, with information and potential opportunities coming from all directions. There are executive assistants there who have mastered the art of turning chaos into order. These EAs can help you create some routine in your working days and keep your calendar as organized as possible. This not only helps streamline your work processes but can ensure that you’re reliably carving out time for your wellbeing.

Support When You Need It

Executive assistant roles are created to match the needs of employers. This means that if you work unusual hours or travel a lot, you can hire an EA who will match your schedule. This adaptability is one of the main reasons why employers hire an executive assistant.

The hiring of EAs can also be done on an as-needed basis for specific projects or particularly busy times of the year. This is where a strong relationship with temporary EA recruitment agencies can prove invaluable.

Tiger’s temporary business support team specializes in placing EAs in contract or last-minute roles as needed by employers. If your business could benefit from a partnership where all payroll and temporary recruitment admin is taken care of for you, get in touch today.

Ready To Hire an Executive Assistant?

If we’ve answered your questions about why to hire an executive assistant, we’d love to hear from you. Still not sure? Our consultants can provide further guidance on whether hiring an executive assistant is the right decision for your business.

Read our ultimate guide to hiring a PA and get in touch to start the hiring process.

Author Jess Krisburg Tiger Recruitment Team