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Ask HN: I’d like to hire a personal/executive assistant – any tips or advice?

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Re: Ask HN: I’d like to hire a personal/executive assistant – any tips or advice?

#101

Post by FpUser »

mgraczyk wrote: post #71
errantspark wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think most people assume it's okay to for example, use the office printer to print a return slip for a package you're going to mail back on your lunch break. If the volume for your line of work is tens of thousands of pages, maybe printing 470 return slips is just y'know, fine, gets lost in the noise and makes everyone's life easier to just let it happen.

My take is that the difference here that makes this socially acceptable is that there is a large reduction in total cost when the employee uses the office printer. If an employee uses a printer, the cost is the ink and paper. If the employee did it themselves, they would either need to take a special trip to a print shop or invest in a printer themselves. The total cost of the latter is much higher, maybe $5-$10 of t…

BS. Either is stealing and your attempt at rationalization does not make it something else. We just tolerate some things and level of tolerance varies greatly. There are bosses who would nail you to the wall should you take a pen with you and I also know bosses who would tolerate that $500 cake taken by PA.

Re: Ask HN: I’d like to hire a personal/executive assistant – any tips or advice?

#102

Post by actually_a_dog »

6nf wrote: post #38
actually_a_dog wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's interesting. Are you saying that instead of telling her "I want to take next Friday off," she tells you "I cleared your schedule for next Friday so you can take off?"

I wouldn't bother hiring a PA that wasn't proactive to the point of doing that sort of thing

Well, I want days off when I want days off, and I wouldn't want that.

Re: Ask HN: I’d like to hire a personal/executive assistant – any tips or advice?

#105

Post by someuname »

actually_a_dog wrote: post #17
sulam wrote: post #8

I’ve had an EA for three years dedicated to me (before that in my career it was always shared). They are definitely a super power, but only if you trust them. They really have to have a lot of context to do things you’d normally be doing. Without that trust you aren’t going to be getting the full potential out of the role. I’ll give one example. My EA is aware that I have a desire to take some time off through the re…

That's interesting. Are you saying that instead of telling her "I want to take next Friday off," she tells you "I cleared your schedule for next Friday so you can take off?"

Imagine being this disorganized

Re: Ask HN: I’d like to hire a personal/executive assistant – any tips or advice?

#106

Post by jcims »

jimmyed wrote: post #88
88913527 wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If it takes great effort to bestow this institutional knowledge on the EA, is it buying you that much of your time back? You already know the algorithm for when free time can be most easily made. Just a matter of flipping through the calendar for a brief, few moments, versus the hours spent with the EA getting them up to speed on these nuances.

The calendar flips don't scale as well as the EA does. The holidays are just an example, there are a million similar things that the EA can do with the same training.

Not to mention some people are just better at that than others. When I’m operating at my full personal capacity, ‘just spend a few minutes’ is the siren’s call. I’m not an executive but I’d pay out of my own pocket if i could find the right person for that job.

Re: Ask HN: I’d like to hire a personal/executive assistant – any tips or advice?

#107

Post by totony »

krapp wrote: post #98
burnished wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe thats the 'executive' part of 'executive assistant'? They are taking action based on a abstract goal rather than a concrete wish. At least, that is my interpretation!

No, the 'executive' part of 'executive assistant' refers to the assistant typically working for an executive, or performing more advanced executive duties as opposed to an administrative assistant, whose role may be more general across a company. No one's livelihood should depend on having to read the room like a geisha.

>No one's livelihood should depend on having to read the room like a geisha.

Why not? Isn't that most jobs?

Seems to me a lot of jobs require you to "read the room" in one way or another. If some work doesn't need that, then a machine should just do it since that's what human excel at.

Re: Ask HN: I’d like to hire a personal/executive assistant – any tips or advice?

#108

Post by listenallyall »

jw1224 wrote: post #24
version_five wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My interpretation was that the person likes doing their work and wants to outsource distractions. For a fixed amount of work / day, it's better to spend as much as possible where you're most effective, imo. I have a cleaner and order takeout not because I'm theoretically too busy to clean and cook, but because I'd rather outsource so I can do other stuff. Put another way, trade is better for everyone.

> My interpretation was that the person likes doing their work and wants to outsource distractions This is true. For additional context, I’m also a single man in his late 20s, with the blessing/curse of ADHD. Whilst I can throw myself into my work (and enjoy it very much), I have little interest/motivation to follow up all the other odds-and-ends in my life. That might mean something trivial, like keeping the kitchen…

I'm certainly no doctor or authorized to give any diagnosis, but not being interested in running errands like grocery shopping, or tasks like invoicing, is not related to, or a sign of, ADHD. I think most people, including myself, find those tasks boring and tedious and would rather do other things.

Re: Ask HN: I’d like to hire a personal/executive assistant – any tips or advice?

#109

Post by krapp »

tharkun__ wrote: post #99
burnished wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe thats the 'executive' part of 'executive assistant'? They are taking action based on a abstract goal rather than a concrete wish. At least, that is my interpretation!

If you think about it, this feels like the assistant version of a good developer. From a good senior developer I expect initiative. I expect them to have a high level view of the system while still working on the 'in the weeds' stuff. They proactively create a ticket for later to do that refactoring they think is really needed but we don't have time for right now and they ninja it in on Friday afternoon because they…

It seems like you want one person to be willing and eager to fill the role several employees, including half of your own. Or a genie.

Re: Ask HN: I’d like to hire a personal/executive assistant – any tips or advice?

#110

Post by sshumaker »

I have hired a number of EAs before. Some general suggestions:

* if you are flexible about location, consider areas other than the Bay Area. Top talent here is expensive. A top flight EA might run 125k/year in the bay. * great EAs tend to have long stable tenures. Ideally they have at least a few roles with 4+ years in role. * For the same reason, EAs through temp agencies tend to be weaker. You can find some gems there but it is usually special circumstances - like they took time off for health or the company folded. (Effectively much worse signal to noise ratio) * Good EAs have the core part of the job (time management) completely down pat and often are hungry for additional projects and can talk about them. Another sign is that they have successfully supported multiple execs simultaneously. They have strong opinions about how they work and the tools they use. * when possible, call references. You should get absolutely glowing ones for great EAs. * interview to make sure they are a culture fit too and aligned with your values. I’ve had EAs who were competent but really brusque/rude and that impacts their ability to be successful.

Less a hiring signal but more of how to think about them: A great EA should see around corners for you. Reach out to me in my profile if you’d like more tips about managing them.

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