Searching for an assistant in the face of staff shortages

or how to find the perfect assistant like Miranda Priestley?

In the language of market numbers

• According to Happy Monday, in August 2024, the number of vacancies for the position of personal/project assistant on their website alone increased to 35, with 28.3 responses per job.
• The European Business Association notes in its survey results that 71% of companies have experienced a shortage of specialists, and this has affected the process of hiring personal assistants.

So company vacancies + cool specialists = 🔥.

If you feel like you're getting bogged down in your tasks and can't keep up, it's definitely a sign that you need an assistant. A person who will competently organize your working time and optimize all processes.

The challenge: "What does an assistant even do?"
Prioritizing tasks and responsibilities is your first step. This will help in the recruiting process. Both you and the candidates will be able to clearly understand what awaits you.
Take the time to write out a list of your tasks that you usually perform, but are not your first priority (for example, administrative or other daily work). From this, select those that depend on you personally, and delegate everything else.

The challenge: "Who do I need?"
There are two types of assistants:

Executive assistants work with the company's top management, helping them with strategic planning, organizing important meetings, and other tasks. In this position, assistants have a greater level of responsibility and autonomy, and interact with executives to make business decisions.

Personal assistants provide administrative and organizational support, often performing both work and personal tasks. They may focus on daily or other routine tasks, such as scheduling trips, meetings, and even handling some household chores.

Challenge: "What's more important to me: hard or soft skills?"
If you want to find a specialist who has high-level management skills, schedules meetings, and understands your field of work. Yes, it's great, but very often these are skills that can be acquired in the course of work.
Great communication skills, problem-solving, and flexibility are not as easy to learn as scheduling a meeting in a calendar.
Our advice is to pay attention to soft skills first, or even better, to balance them.

The challenge: "Do it all!"
In terms of work, pay, and organization, everyone wants to have a "one-stop shop" person. Yes, it simplifies life, but at the same time, it greatly narrows the range of candidates who will meet this request. Another challenge is the minimal number of specialists on the market who have the necessary modern tools for work (AI, CRM, etc.).
Try to gradually delegate all important tasks. Don't forget about the adaptation period and time for the assistant to learn new things.

Challenge: "I'd rather do it myself!"
If you decide to hire an assistant, be prepared to delegate and trust. Some leaders believe that it is easier to complete a task themselves than to train someone else. Banish such thoughts, because you will face a reset and obstacles in delegating tasks to your assistant.

Challenge: "There must be a match!"
The assistant works closely with the manager, so shared values and a comfortable approach to work are important. Finding such a person can be difficult, but not impossible.

If you are ready to delegate and need a cool specialist - a "right hand", then Anybusiness Consult is ready to help you with this.
We will select a specialist according to your work style, with similar values and with a long-term perspective of cooperation 🤝