It’s no secret that having an amazing executive assistant can make all the difference when it comes to your efficiency and productivity. The right assistant allows you to focus on high-value items, while they take care of all the nuts and bolts that keep things moving smoothly. Whether you are looking for an assistant for the first time, recently lost someone you’d hoped would stay forever, or have cycled through executive assistants who were perfect on paper but just didn’t fit, you know that finding the right assistant is essential.
A great executive assistant possesses a special mixture of experiences, skills, and personality traits. You need someone with top-notch communication skills who knows how to multitask. An executive assistant must have leadership and decision-making capabilities and experience. In comparison, while a personal assistant needs to be flexible and eager to help however they can, they don’t necessarily need leadership capabilities. An administrative assistant usually has fewer years of experience and needs to be organized, pleasant, and have good computer skills, but again doesn’t need the leadership capabilities
Of course, each unique position requires its own set of qualifications, but on top of that, you need someone who is right for your role. If you are hiring for a personal assistant, executive assistant, or administrative assistant, one of the best things you can do is partner with a respected staffing agency. A staffing company focusing on executive assistant staffing will save you money and time, while matching you with an assistant who will excel in the role.
What Can a Staffing Agency Do for You?
You might be surprised by all of the roles a recruitment agency can fill during the hiring process. If you haven’t hired for an executive assistant position before, how the length and complexity of the process may come as a shock. A staffing agency will save you an enormous amount of time and their advice can save you from many false starts with the wrong candidates and profile. From crafting the perfect job description to screening candidates, some of the many tasks your staffing agency can manage include:
- Writing the job description
- Benchmarking compensation
- Posting on relevant job search sites
- Reaching out to professional network and alumnae groups
- Combing through hundreds of resumes and selecting applicants to contact
- Performing initial screening phone calls
- Scheduling interviews
- Interviewing candidates multiple times
- Calling references
- Performing background checks
- Assisting with offer letter and negotiations
- Working with company post-hire to ensure successful employee onboarding
The extent of a recruitment agency’s involvement in each step of your candidate search is up to you. An experienced personal assistant staffing and administrative assistant staffing expert is prepared to handle important responsibilities at all stages during the process.
Finding the Perfect Fit
Sure, you could find an assistant on your own. But you don’t just want anyone — you want the right person for the role. Hiring and training are long and expensive processes, and you don’t want to have to do it again right away because either you or your new hire end up unhappy.
Not every personal, administrative, and executive assistant position is exactly the same, but many job descriptions make it seem like they are! An experienced recruitment agency like C-Suite Assistants begins the staffing process by finding out exactly what qualities you are looking for in an assistant. A staffing expert will work closely with you to discover the experience, skills, and personality traits that you need in an ideal candidate and craft the job description to reflect those needs. They will also interview you to make sure all of the important jobs responsibilities are included. THere is nothing worse than making a hire and then finding out certain responsibilities not included in the description are not suitable for a candidate.
Of course, the job description is just the first step! Working with a staffing agency means that you have access to a deep pool of both active and passive candidates from the very start of the search. The best assistants are in high demand and often are not actively searching for a new employer. A recruitment agency will scour their network of passive candidates to ensure you don’t miss out on the ideal employee just because they never knew the job existed.
By accessing an extensive pool of active and passive job seekers, a staffing agency will also be able to find a great match for your company culture (or that of your home, for personal assistants). The most qualified candidate on paper can be the worst match if your personalities don’t mesh, and having a large network to choose from makes selecting someone with the right characteristics much easier.
Allowing You to Focus on High-Value Tasks
Chances are, if you need an assistant, you are pretty busy. Hiring a staffing agency allows you to focus on the high-value tasks that only you can do. You can focus on keeping your business or life running full steam ahead, while your recruiter handles the administration of the hiring process.
Another benefit of working with a professional staffing agency is that the process will occur much more quickly. If you are trying to squeeze in time to peruse resumes here and there, or call references between meetings, the hiring process can stretch out for weeks or even months longer than it needs to. And in the meantime, you’re trying to work without an assistant.
Your time is valuable, and you cannot afford to spend it doing the things that your staffing agency, and very soon, your assistant, could be doing for you.
C-Suite Assistants is one of the foremost executive assistant recruiting agencies in NYC and across the USA and can help with any personal assistant staffing or executive assistant staffing needs you have. We pride ourselves on our high-quality network of assistants, and know that we can find the absolute best fit for your personal, administrative, or executive assistant role. Contact us today to learn more and find the right assistant for you.
