What are the qualities of a good personal assistant?

A good personal assistant can be a huge help to a busy professional in virtually any business. Executives, sales professionals and even celebrities use personal assistants to handle their appointments and correspondence and perform other important and time-saving tasks. If you are considering hiring a personal assistant, you should know the qualities to seek. This will allow you to hire a good assistant who can make your professional life much easier.

Communication skills

A personal assistant communicates with other people constantly, setting up appointments and meeting and carrying out other business-related tasks. She must be able to communicate clearly to avoid any misunderstandings. She should be able to keep her composure when communicating with difficult people or those who might be argumentative.

Personality

A personal assistant deals with a variety of people every day in the course of his business. This requires a pleasant, outgoing personality. Politeness and courtesy must be maintained no matter what the circumstances. Most people can be pleasant when things are going well, but a personal assistant needs to be able to do it under stress and pressure. He must also be able to balance courtesy with assertiveness when necessary to insulate you from unwanted solicitation and other distractions.

Organisational skills

A personal assistant must be highly organised and detail oriented. She will be handling your calendar, scheduling appointments, taking calls, writing down messages, screening postal and e-mail and doing other duties that require care and accuracy. She must be able to distinguish and handle high-priority items and set aside unimportant ones. She should be proficient in calendar and scheduling software.

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