5 Companies that Hire for Personal Assistant Jobs

ZipRecruiter

(Access job postings and reviews)

ZipRecruiter Summary

• Top-rated app and job search engine
• Simple, 1-tap job application process
• Over 30 different job categories
• More than 7.5 million jobs posted each day

ZipRecruiter is a more well known brand, because this recruitment site advertises on TV and radio regularly. It also direct mails companies that are in need of new talent. In fact, in recent years, ZipRecruiter has become one of the largest U.S job sites.

There are over five million listings on this site and you can filter the search results to make finding an appropriate opportunity easier. There are also lots of features that can help you including a mobile app and alerts if an employer looks at your resume. 

The site has superb reviews from both companies and job hunters. This makes it an excellent choice to find personal assistant jobs. 

Upwork

(Submit proposals for projects that appeal to you)

Upwork Summary

• Earn up to $34 per hour as a freelancer
• Get 10 free Connects every month
• Get 40 extra Connects when you pass a test
• Time tracker ensures you get paid

Upwork is one of the most popular freelancing sites. While it can be a highly competitive environment, there are lots of jobs posted each day. 

The opportunities on this platform vary from very low paying to high paying jobs, so you do need to tread carefully. Fortunately, you can filter the job search results according to location, budget, and other factors. 

To get started on Upwork, you will need to create a profile. This involves:

• Providing some basic personal information
• Adding work samples
• Detailing your previous work experience
• Specifying your skills
• Adding a photo

The Upwork team will then assess your profile and approve or reject it. Once the team approves your profile, you can start applying for positions. 

You can browse the list of job postings and then submit a proposal for ones that appeal. It is a good idea to write a cover letter for each job rather than using a boilerplate letter. This will help you to stand out from the other proposals.

If the client accepts your proposal, they will agree to a milestone for the project or an hourly rate. 

After you submit your work, the client has 14 days to evaluate the work and request any changes before the Escrow payment releases. However, the client can also approve the payment at any time. 

Once a client releases the payment, Upwork holds the funds for 4 days before you can request redemption. You can choose to receive your earnings via direct deposit, PayPal, or wire transfer. 

Just bear in mind that Upwork has a commission structure that varies according to how much you’ve worked with the specific client. 

• Up to $500: 20% commission
• $500 to $10,000: 10%
• Over $10,000: 5%

This encourages you to develop long term working relationships with your clients. 

Flexjobs

(Pick a membership plan to suit you)

FlexJobs Summary

• Jobs in over 50 categories available
• Members get exclusive deals and discounts
• All jobs are guaranteed to be legit
• Get access to 4 job search resources

FlexJobs is one of the best remote job search sites. There are over 30,000 job listings and the opportunities are well researched. However, the site is not free to use. 

The membership costs are:

• Weekly: $6.95
• Monthly: $14.95
• Quarterly: $29.95
• Annually: $49.95

However, you can browse the available jobs before you pay a membership fee. This allows you to check if there are opportunities that appeal to you without signing up. You can also cancel your membership at any time. 

As with Upwork, it is important to spend time personalizing each job submission to increase your chances of being hired. 

You can also apply for jobs even if you don’t have all of the listed requirements. If you can convince your potential employer that you’re the best candidate for the job, you are likely to win the contract. 

Indeed

(Access over three million listings)

Indeed is a massive job search website with almost three million active listings. The site also gets lots of traffic with approximately 250 million visitors each month. 

Essentially, Indeed is a job aggregation site with jobs from company career pages, paid listings and other sources. 

The site makes it easy to create and upload an online resume. Potential employers can then contact you directly, or you can submit your resume to any open job listings. There is also a mobile app, so you can browse jobs on the go. 

While Indeed may not have the popularity of ZipRecruiter, it is because they no longer allow free agency job postings. However, it is still a superb search engine for job seekers. There are employer reviews and a dedicated career section. 

With so many job listings on the site, it can be a little daunting to find appropriate opportunities. However, you can use keyword combinations according to your skillset to find jobs. 

You can also set up alerts, so you’ll know immediately when a job that meets your requirements is posted on the site. 

Fiverr

(Promote your services for $5 or more)

Fiverr Summary

• Set your own prices for your services
• Choose from over 500 service categories
• 3 different options for cashing out
• Protection from fradulent chargebacks

If you’ve been thinking about remote working and freelancing, you’re likely to be aware of Fiverr. This platform allows you to sell a variety of services including virtual assistant jobs and personal assistant services. 

While you may be reluctant to only get paid $5, there are other possibilities. Initially, Fiverr only allowed offering $5 gigs, but this platform has much more potential now. While the basic gig is $5, you can upsell your gigs to offer more and charge more. 

This allows you to charge practically anything for your services. 

Fiverr is a highly competitive, large platform. So, if you want to get hired, you need to stand out from the crowd. This becomes easier once you have a few good reviews, so focus on offering a quick turnaround. You also need to ensure that you deliver on time, every time. 

What is a Personal Assistant?

There is no set, comprehensive definition of a personal assistant. This is because personal assistant duties can vary from role to role. 

Personal assistants often manage basic administrative tasks such as making phone calls, scheduling meetings, drafting letters, or handling travel arrangements. However, some personal assistant jobs require taking technical or creative duties from business owners or executives. 

In some cases, you may be required to work in a formal office setting. But, today, it is more commonplace for personal assistants to work from home as a virtual assistant. 

Requirements to Become a Personal Assistant

As I touched on above, the requirements to become a personal assistant can vary. Each job will have different experience and skill requirements. But, there are some general skills that are helpful to become a superb personal assistant and secure a gig economy job.

The ideal skill requirements include:

• Solid communication skills
• Good time management
• Efficiency
• Motivated to work quickly and with minimal supervision
• Basic technical proficiency, such as PowerPoint, Excel and Word.

The key requirement to being a great personal assistant is that you can work independently without needing to ask too many questions. The idea of being a personal assistant is that you take work from your employer rather than creating more work for them. 

Of course, you can specialize in specific personal assistant fields. This would mean that you would need to have specific requirements. 

For example, if you’re working in the medical field, you would need to have experience working with medical software and be familiar with medical terms. 

You will also need to be a highly organized person. Many freelance personal assistants work with multiple clients, so you’ll need to keep track of all the job responsibilities and ensure that you meet all the client deadlines.

Related: 54 Gig Economy Jobs

How Much You Can Make as a Personal Assistant?

According to ZipRecruiter, the average annual personal assistant salary in the US is $40,000. This equates to an average of $10 to $30 per hour.

The exact rate you can command will depend on your experience, expertise, and level of responsibility. At the low end of the scale, you may simply be providing basic admin assistance, whereas senior personal assistant jobs have much greater responsibilities. 

Of course, you can maximize your earning potential by thinking outside the box and offering a high standard of service to clients and potential clients. As you establish a solid reputation, you can start to command higher rates. 

Tips to Increase the Chances of Getting a Personal Assistant Job

Personal assistant roles are highly sought after, but there are some tips to increase your chances of landing a job. 

Increase Your Potential Value

Having marketable skills is crucial to land your first job, but if you want to grow your income and business, don’t stop there. 

You can increase your potential value to future employers by developing further marketable skills. Fortunately, you don’t necessarily need to spend money on boosting your qualifications. There are free courses and certifications such as becoming a WordPress webmaster or obtaining Google Analytics certification that can be a great addition to your resume. 

Some employers also offer virtual assistant training that can help you to expand your knowledge base that may help you with other clients. 

Don’t Limit Yourself as a General Personal Assistant

The general personal assistant niche is highly competitive. Additionally, since many general posts have very basic requirements, you may be competing with students, non native speakers, and other freelancers who are prepared to work for very basic rates. 

So, if you want to increase your earning potential and impress potential employers, don’t limit yourself as a general personal assistant. Let employers know that you can handle more complex tasks. 

Aim to add value for your clients and expand your skillset. While anyone can market themselves as a personal assistant, if you have a resume demonstrating more advanced skills, you’re more likely to land more jobs and earn higher paying rates.

Specialize

This point carries on from the above, but try to specialize. While being a Jack of all trades is a solid skill, it is better to have two or three skills that fewer people do. 

Focusing on highly sought after skills will not only pay well but allow you to stand out from the crowd. They can also help to increase your earnings ceiling. 

For example, while many personal assistant jobs require data entry, these basic jobs have a ceiling. Since they can be outsourced overseas easily, you can only earn so much. However, if you can also offer social media management, you will be more appealing to potential employers. 

Related: 55 Sites to Find Virtual Assistant Jobs