Whether you want to expand your responsibilities within your office assistant job, or you’re looking to progress into an executive assistant job in NYC, a promotion isn’t something that is just given out. It’s a case of preparation, planning and timing.

As New York is a city full of opportunities for great assistants, we’ve put together an infographic that explains how you can show your boss that you’re ready and able to take the next step!

Tiger Recruitment can help you land your dream personal assistant job in Manhattan, Brooklyn, or the greater NYC area. Have a look at our live job listings to start your search today!

The post Here’s how to secure your personal assistant promotion appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

I hosted a webinar with three mental health specialists based in the UK – Jo Yarker from Affinity Health at Work, Business Psychologist Julie Osborn and Ruth Cooper-Dickson from Champs Consulting – on their tips for employers in improving mental health in the workplace during the pandemic. 

They cover:

• Tips for managers in looking after their mental health
• The importance of wellbeing and social check-ins with employees
• The signs that employees may be suffering from mental ill health
• Tips for future planning

Watch the webinar in full below:

The post Watch: Tips to improve the mental health of employees working remotely appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Having an EA job is no walk in the park! As a first step, you must be extremely efficient and be thinking ten steps ahead of your boss. Acting as a second brain for your principals, much of the time you’ll adapt your working style to match theirs. Some may wish you to organize aspects of their personal life, asking you to complete such tasks as paying bills and organizing family vacations, while others may only require professional support.

Be communicative

Communication is absolutely crucial as an EA, but your boss may only like a certain form of communication – email, text, phone call or face-to-face. No matter their preference, ensure that you’re relaying all information back to them. Some bosses like their EAs to attend all meetings with them. If this is the case, it’s crucial to make thorough notes to discuss post-meeting. You’ll then be able to pull them apart and prioritize action points. If it’s a virtual meeting, the advantage is that you’ll be able to record it to refer back to afterwards.

If you do not go to meetings with your boss, suggest sitting down together afterwards to discuss everything that had been touched on. This way, you’ll be constantly in the loop with a good understanding of the situation.

Be resilient

A resilient EA will quickly become an invaluable support to your team. Most of us, at one time or another in our careers, will occasionally be presented with the challenge of dealing with tricky situations and people. These might be clients, managers, time-sensitive projects or make-or-break presentations. EAs, however, see all these regularly – up front and center!

Not taking things personally is a given trait of a great EA, quite simply because they’re so frequently in high-pressure situations and more often than not (rightly or wrongly), on the receiving end of a frustrated individual or team.

Be efficient

It goes without saying that a great EA must be organized! Implement organizational structures into your work and stick to them. By keeping your work life neat and tidy, it will keep your mind clear and ready for all situations. You do not want to get to the point in your day where you urgently need to find documentation and you are struggling to find it in your messy inbox!

Try to organize all of your emails into set folders. Break them down by sender or task and store all correspondence in each folder. Alternatively, there are apps to help automate inbox and diary management, ensuring that all emails are on hand when you need them.

It’s also essential to keep a to-do list. Every time you have a new task come up, think about its priority within your workload, then place it accordingly in your list. This reduces your chances of forgetting something and will help with your time management.

Take on your most difficult and time-consuming tasks at the beginning of the day to minimize stress levels and maximize your standard of work.

Remember, your boss’s efficiency should also be considered. Before asking your boss questions, think about whether you could find the answers another way. By raising unnecessary queries that you could figure out for yourself, you are essentially wasting both yours and your boss’s time. Take a second to think before you speak!

Be proactive

If nothing else, an EA must be proactive. It’s vital that you can stay ahead of your boss, regardless of the situation. On a Monday, review the meetings your boss has this week, ensuring that all requirements, such as notes and rooms, are considered ahead of time. Your first thought should always be ‘what is my boss going to need?’.

There may be a time when they are out of the office or away on vacation, leaving you to manage their affairs. As the first point of contact for clients and contacts, you’ll need to maintain high levels of professionalism to ensure that you are acting exactly as they would do in each situation.

Keep a positive attitude

When recruiting for an executive assistant, we always look for calm and collected individuals who work well under pressure. Not only can the EA role be incredibly stressful at times, but a busy team will look to their EA as a constant. So, a successful EA must be able to approach every situation with a smile, working logically through each problem to find a solution. By keeping calm and staying upbeat, you will be able to complete tasks to a higher standard.

An EA is often required to represent their boss and company either on the telephone, via email or face to face. Therefore, you need to be comfortable engaging in small talk and networking. Whatever the situation, always be polite and courteous! Your boss will expect you to stay positive and have that can-do attitude at all times, as this will also play a huge part in staff morale.

Be self-motivated

When working as an executive assistant, you cannot expect praise every time you complete a task on your to-do list. Self-motivation is key to being able to get on with your workload, so set yourself goals within your working day. Aim to complete a certain number of tasks on your to-do list before you get your next cup of coffee. Working hard may look like it is going unrecognized when your boss is extremely busy, but it is always noticed.

Be discrete

Discretion is one of the all-time top behaviours our clients look for in potential candidates, particularly private PAs. You’ll be exposed to a myriad of personal and professional confidences as an EA, and this unique characteristic will see the best candidates go far in their careers. A gossip might find their credibility is tarnished early on, while those who understand confidentiality will shortly prove themselves to be indispensable.

______

The rewards are significant for those EAs who earn their stripes. You’ll strengthen relationships with business leaders, teams and peers whilst simultaneously earning great credibility in professional circles. Our most valued EA candidates, in addition to the financial rewards, will experience great adventures, meet incredible people and even travel the world. While it might take time and experience to reach those milestones, a successful EA will get there.

Looking for an EA job? Tiger Recruitment can help. Submit your details or see our available jobs now.

Looking to hire an EA? Read our guide to hiring an EA, and get in touch with your requirements.

The post The seven traits of a successful executive assistant appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Moving to a new city for work can be daunting! This is especially true of the city that never sleeps, with its five boroughs, eight million people, and fast-paced lifestyle. We’re new to the Big Apple as well, so we’re feeling a lot of the same feelings! Whether you’re looking for an entry-level assistant job or a senior executive assistant job in NYC, here are four ways to help you find a job in the city.

WAYS TO HELP YOU FIND A ROLE IN NYC

Register with the right job agency

Regardless of the type of role you’re looking for, there will be a job agency in NYC that specializes in that space. When looking for a PA or secretary job, for example, a business support agency will have the right experience to help jobseekers like you. First, decide whether you’re looking for temporary roles or permanent opportunities, and then search a recruitment company’s job pages to see if the roles they’re advertising are suitable. You might also want to look at how they support their jobseekers with online resources, such as blog posts and résumé tips, as this will give you an indication of how far they are willing to go to help you throughout the process.

Spruce up your résumé and cover letter

If you’ve just moved to the city, give your résumé and cover letter a once-over to make sure it’s in line with what’s expected by local employers. Key points to include, when looking for a role in NYC, are your relevant skills, education and experience. Remove personal details such as your full address, and don’t include a headshot. Keep the whole document to one or two pages maximum, as the hiring manager will probably look at hundreds of applications – anything longer will discourage them from reading it. In your cover letter, adapt the skills mentioned on the job description and explain how your achievements relate to the specific role you’re applying for. Mentioning the company values is also a good idea, as it shows that you’ve researched the employer.

Network

If you don’t know anyone in NYC, look for groups online like assistant support pages on Facebook, or connect with potential colleagues on LinkedIn. If you’re looking to meet other personal assistants in person, check out Eventbrite, where companies will put on conferences for support staff around New York. Apps like Meetup can also offer an informal group setting to meet and mingle with fellow assistants.

Refresh your skills

When moving to a new city, it may be worth completing a short course or two to work on any weaknesses, ensuring you’re put forward for the right roles in a competitive market. Skills needed for a personal assistant job in New York City, for example, may include minute taking, time management and an understanding of Microsoft programs. Websites like Coachhorse.com also offer courses on the basics of office software, while Trainup.com host online seminars across a range of business courses.

Tiger Recruitment can help you find your next PA role! Submit your details online or browse our live job listings to start your journey today.

The post Four ways to find a personal assistant job in New York City appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

The coronavirus pandemic is creating a challenging time for businesses who may have reduced or ceased activities. If you are on furlough (leave), or are in the market for a new job, then it makes sense to upskill and complete free online courses!

Free online classes to complete during the pandemic

What Great Leaders Do

https://alison.com/course/what-great-leaders-do

This leadership course is one of the best free online courses with certificates. It features insights from Bob Sutton, a researcher in evidence-based management and a professor of management science. The course highlights the traits of great leaders and the habits of leaders who fail, allowing you to consider your leadership skills from both angles.

The course also shares the best way to deal with team disagreements and how to ensure your team’s health. It reveals how excellent leaders work hard to stay in-tune with their workforce and covers the consequences of not paying attention to those they manage.

The course can be completed in under two hours and includes an assessment and certification. It is ideal for both new leaders and those who wish to become a leader in the near future.

Psychology and Mental Health: Beyond Nature and Nurture

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/mental-health-and-well-being

Mental health and wellbeing are crucial for anyone, but due to the pandemic, they have never been in greater focus. This course from Future Learn will teach you how to improve your wellbeing and mental health by gaining a deeper understanding of your emotions and behaviors.

You will learn about new perspectives on the nature versus nurture argument and new research that will help you improve your mental health. The course delves into thinking patterns, the current challenges and debates and new ways of thinking.

This free online course is the work of Peter Kinderman, a professor of clinical psychology. You can start this course for free and upgrade for extra benefits and unlimited access. The course typically takes six weeks to complete with a three hour per week commitment. Of course, if you are on furlough or find yourself with more down time, you can complete the course quicker.

Creative Thinking: Techniques and Tools for Success

https://www.edx.org/course/creative-thinking-techniques-and-tools-for-success

You will become proficient and confident in using many techniques, including how to use the six thinking hats tool, idea generation using morphological analysis and intentive problem solving using TRIZ. From brainstorming to applying the SCAMPER method, this course will arm you with a skill set that employers only dream of finding.

The course is free and you can, if you wish, purchase a certificate for $49 on completion. You will complete this self-paced course in seven weeks if you have up to four hours per week of free time.

Work Smarter, Not Harder: Time Management for Personal & Professional Productivity

https://www.coursera.org/learn/work-smarter-not-harder

Time management and productivity encompass a variety of skills such as organization, professional and personal awareness, goal setting, scheduling, prioritization and delegation. You will learn about all of these skills and how to apply them in your career.

During this class, you will develop your ability to manage resources efficiently and effectively and how to keep your sense of perspective to avoid and manage a crisis. Furthermore, you will learn how to plan and achieve your professional and personal goals, as well as how to recognize and overcome potential barriers to successful time management.

You can enroll in this free online course immediately and it takes approximately five hours to complete.

Improving Communication Skills

https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-communication-skills

Free Ivy League courses are in high demand but can be challenging to find. However, this one is a fantastic gem that will help you communicate effectively and achieve your goals at work. The course is from best-selling author and Wharton professor Maurice Schweitzer and it will improve your communication skill set.

During this class, you will learn about negotiating styles, apologizing, creating a persuasive message, asking engaging questions and conducting active listening. Teachings include how to recognize if someone is lying to you and how to react, and you will learn how to develop trust, along with the ins and outs of creating convincing messages for video conferencing, phone calls and email.

The free Improving Communication Skills course takes about ten hours to complete. You will enjoy a mix of videos, readings and quizzes to confirm what you have learned.

New Skills Academy

While they aren’t free, Tiger has a partnership with leading online school, New Skills Academy, who are offering up to 87% off their courses. With secretarial, admin and business support-specific courses, they can help with anything from telephone customer services to problem solving and public speaking. Their extensive range of lessons all come with a certification, allowing you to put it on your resume once completed.

These are just a few excellent free courses to take in your free time that will help on a personal and professional level. For more resources, visit our insights page.

The post The five best free online classes to try in your downtime appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

With 2020 quite literally around the corner, you may have already started your resolutions list for next year, but did you know only 43%[1] of people will actually keep their resolutions past February? To help you avoid this fate, we’ve put together five career New Year resolution ideas with our tips on how to maintain them!

Learn a new skill

If you’re looking to sharpen your language skills, master a particular software system, or become an expert at a specific aspect of your role, make learning a new skill is your resolution! First step: Get specific. Think about exactly what you want to learn, how you want to learn it and in what timeframe before you write that target down. It may help to stick up a visual reminder around your desk so you can refer to it when you need a reminder or motivation. It’s also important to construct manageable goals within a measurable time, as there’s no use deciding to become fluent in German without giving yourself a time frame. A word to the wise – try to focus on only one goal, as having multiple focuses may throw off your progress!

Network

This is a great resolution if you’re looking for a new job in New York, or hoping to expand your professional circle. One quick Google search will reveal that there are hundreds of networking opportunities every month around the city, so there’s no excuse not to attend regularly. A few places to start include the app Meetup, Eventbrite, or even on social channels like Facebook groups. If you’re looking for PA jobs in New York City, have a goal after every session, like collecting five business cards, or gaining a new connection on LinkedIn. A great way to inspire motivation is to find a buddy to go with you, whether they be a colleague or in your friendship group, as you’re more likely to keep each other accountable. Just ensure that you encourage each other to work the room separately once you’re there!

Find a work mentor

With this New Year resolution, aim to find a role model within your business or elsewhere, that you look up to. Figure out what you need help with, then identify someone who has that skill. For example, if you’d like to progress to a leadership position within the next year, find someone who you get along with and look up to as a good leader. Start by asking your potential mentor for a coffee, and follow up this initial meeting with an email with a few clear goals that you’d like to achieve together. Remember, don’t become disheartened if, over the course of the mentorship, you receive constructive criticism, as it’s all part of the process. Commit to the mentorship with regular, scheduled one-on-one meetings for best results.

Promotion

This resolution sounds great in theory, but it can actually be a lot of work to prepare to ask for a promotion and successfully receive one! A good place to start is by using an appraisal or 1:1 meeting to let your manager know you’re aiming for the next step on the career ladder. This can also offer a great opportunity to discuss your paths to progress, which may include taking on a new project, mentoring someone in the team, or undertaking any necessary training. When it comes time to ask for the promotion, you’ll need to be able to prove how you’ve helped your manager and the company significantly with specific achievements and figures. Remember, a positive attitude at work and determination to do your job well won’t go unnoticed either!

If your New Year’s resolution is to find a new job but you don’t know where to start, we can help! Submit your details online today, or look at our live job listings

[1] https://www.sundried.com/blogs/training/research-shows-43-of-people-expect-to-give-up-their-new-year-s-resolutions-by-february

The post How to keep your career resolutions past the New Year appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Diversity in the workplace refers to the inclusion of different genders, nationalities and other underrepresented groups in the office. Across many industries the lack of diversity is alarming and problematic, however, when it comes to diversity numbers in tech startups, the numbers are dismal.

For example, our 2019 research revealed, in a survey of 1000 UK workers, that only 1% of female jobseekers want to work in startups, compared to 8% of male jobseekers.

This is reflected in Tech Nation’s Diversity and Inclusion in UK Tech Companies report[1], which states that 77% of tech director roles are made up of men, while just 23% are women. Compared to the national average of 71% for men and 29% for women, there are clearly barriers in place that are  preventing more women from working in startups.

When we look at wider underrepresented groups, the situation remains the same. According to Tech Nation, just 15% of those working in tech are from black and minority ethnic backgrounds.[2] If you think your company lags behind and you’d like to learn how to improve diversity in your startup, find our headline ideas to get started below.

How to increase diversity in tech startup

If you’d like any more advice about how you can diversify your hiring process, please get in touch today.

[1] https://technation.io/insights/diversity-and-inclusion-in-uk-tech-companies/

[2] https://technation.io/news/what-of-people-working-in-tech-are-from-bame-backgrounds/

The post 10 tips to improve diversity in your startup appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

If you’re caught in the belief that to get things done correctly, you must do them yourself, you’re not alone. Many busy professionals find themselves trapped in this mindset, leading to an endless to-do list that leaves little time for relaxation or relationships.

You might have heard about executive assistants and wondered, “What can an executive assistant do for me?” Hiring an executive assistant may seem reserved for business owners or the elite, but it’s increasingly becoming a practical solution for anyone overwhelmed by their daily commitments.

In this guide, we’ll explore the many ways an executive assistant can support you, as well as highlight the tasks that may be out of scope.

Roles and Responsibilities of an Executive Assistant

The diverse skills of an executive assistant will make hiring an EA a valuable addition to your professional and executive life. Their main goal is to make your life more organized, streamlined, and efficient, helping to minimize your stress levels and increase your free time. They can handle a wide range of administrative and executive support tasks, all tailored to your unique needs.

Below are some of the typical tasks you can expect an EA to manage for you:

Manage Schedules and Calendars

An EA will keep your schedules and calendars in perfect order. They’ll organize all your appointments, meetings, and deadlines to ensure nothing falls through the cracks. This allows you to focus on more important tasks without worrying about the details of your day-to-day schedule.

Handle Correspondence

In the digital world we live in, keeping up with all your emails, calls, text messages, and social media DMs can feel like a full-time job. Plus, it’s easy to get sidetracked by responding to messages instead of focusing on your main work. Your executive assistant can take this burden off your shoulders by handling a wide range of communication tasks, from organizing your inbox to replying to messages in your tone and style.

Support Administrative Tasks

An executive assistant can handle a variety of administrative tasks. Their support ensures that your professional life is productive, and your daily routines run smoothly.

• Reports and Documents: Preparing, formatting, and editing reports and documents.
• Meeting Minutes and Agendas: Writing up minutes from meetings and preparing agendas for upcoming meetings.
• Scheduling Appointments: Communicating with clients, colleagues, and others to schedule appointments and meetings.
• File Organization: Creating and maintaining a filing system for physical and digital documents to ensure that important papers are easy to find.
• Maintaining Office Supplies: Keeping track of office supplies and placing orders to ensure the workspace is well-stocked.
• Data Entry and Database Management: Entering data into systems, updating records, and maintaining databases to ensure information is organized and easily accessible.

Executive Support

An executive assistant’s role often extends beyond professional tasks. They can assist with executive duties such as shopping, booking restaurants, scheduling executive appointments, and organizing events. This level of support can help reduce stress and improve wellbeing by leading to a better work-life balance.

Travel Arrangements

Whether you’re travelling for business or leisure, an executive assistant can handle all aspects of the travel arrangements. These include booking flights, organizing your accommodation, and planning your itineraries. Their expertise can make your travel experience more enjoyable and less stressful, ensuring that everything is tailored to your preferences.

Project Assistance

Executive assistants can offer crucial support to business owners and professionals involved in multiple projects. They can assist with project research, coordination, and tracking project progress. This can help you to be prepared and stay organized, ensuring you successfully complete the project.

Expense Management

Keeping track of executive and professional expenses can be challenging. An executive assistant can manage your finances by tracking expenses, processing invoices, paying for travel arrangements, and preparing financial reports. This financial management helps save you time while also providing insights into your financial health.

What Can’t an Executive Assistant Do?

An EA is an asset to any business owner or busy family by providing a wide range of professional and executive support. However, there are a few tasks that you shouldn’t ask your EA to do. It’s important to recognize these boundaries to maintain a productive and respectful working relationship.

Specialized Professional Services

EAs can’t provide specialized services or advice that require professional qualifications. While EAs are highly skilled, they cannot replace the expertise of professionals in specialized fields like law, accounting, or healthcare. Your EA can help you by managing your appointments with an accountant or scheduling your medical check-ups, but they won’t be able to prepare your taxes or offer medical opinions.

Unauthorized Financial Transactions

An EA can be helpful with your financial management, but it’s important to establish clear boundaries around financial transactions. Make sure your executive assistant knows they should not make large payments or financial decisions without getting your approval first. While this approach may mean you have a few extra items to check off your list, you are preventing any expensive errors or security issues. These boundaries will safeguard your finances and maintain your working relationship with your EA.

Executive Tasks Outside of Scope

The executive tasks that fall outside of scope will depend on the responsibilities you laid out in the EA job description and their contract. It’s essential to avoid asking your EA to handle any tasks outside of their set duties to avoid discomfort or misunderstandings that could impact your working relationship.

Deep Cleaning your Home

While your EA may assist with quick tidying, it’s not expected that they will scrub the floors or any other labor-intensive cleaning tasks. These tasks should be handled by housekeeping professionals who have the necessary skills and tools.

Cooking for your family

Your EA can assist you with meal planning and grocery shopping, but cooking for you or your family generally falls outside of their scope. Meal preparation and the cleanup take significant time, which could take them away from their core duties.

Childcare Services

It’s not a good idea to depend on your executive assistant for regular childcare. Looking after kids requires constant focus and sometimes special skills, particularly for little ones or children with special requirements.

Looking To Hire an EA?

Now that you know what an executive assistant can do for you, the next step is figuring out how to hire an EA. At Tiger Recruitment, we specialize in matching individuals and working professionals with professional EAs that align with your needs. Whether you’re looking for a permanent or temporary EA, we will provide you with a strong shortlist of candidates.

Reach out today to find your perfect EA match with Tiger Recruitment, and read our ultimate guide to hiring a EA for more in-depth insights.

The post What Can an Executive Assistant Do For Me? appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

If you’re looking to hire an EA or you have EAs within your employment, it’s helpful to have a full understanding of an executive assistant’s career path. This includes the roles that lead to a EA and the potential positions it can lead to.

Why is it important? By having this overview, hiring managers can zero in on candidates best qualified to step into an EA role, and show prospective talent the opportunities they will have to grow professionally. This will make the role more desirable to exceptional EAs and help foster a sense of loyalty once they are in the job.

What is an Executive Assistant (EA)?

An executive assistant provides administrative support to one or more members of staff at a business, typically those in senior management. EAs can also be hired by private individuals to assist in personal matters, such as diary management and household management.

Key Responsibilities of an Executive Assistant

Executive assistants’ tasks and responsibilities can cover a wide range of requirements which will differ depending on the manager’s preferences. However, there are several tasks that almost all EAs will be expected to carry out. The main responsibilities of an EA generally include:

• Diary management
• Booking meetings
• Booking travel and accommodation
• Budget and expenses management
• Creating reports and presentations
• Minute-taking

Skills and Competencies of Successful Executive Assistants

In order to carry out their varied duties successfully, there are some key skills that executive assistants possess. Some of these may include character traits, while other skills will have been developed in an EA’s early career, for example when they might have been an administration assistant or receptionist. Some of the essential skills and competencies include:

• Written and verbal communication
• Organization
• Timekeeping
• MS office literacy
• Sociability

These skills are invaluable to an executive assistant throughout their career, whether they move on to become an executive assistant, business assistant, or chief of staff. Therefore, it’s crucial to build on these learning and development opportunities so that EAs can continue to hone their abilities and progress.

Career Progression Paths for Executive Assistants

Various junior and entry-level business support roles can progress into executive assistant positions , and the EA role can likewise branch out into an equally varied pool of senior role titles. The breadth of opportunities for EAs is often dependent on the size of a business, with smaller companies naturally having less specialized roles at each stage of the career journey.

EA Career Progression in SMBs

EA Career Progression in medium-sized businesses

EA Career Progression in Large Corporations

Job descriptions

Having a detailed job description template on file for all your administrative positions, from receptionist through to team assistant, EA and business assistant will help to streamline the recruitment process. Significantly, it also helps to demonstrate the career journey and highlight the key competencies required to progress into each role. Having a visual road map will help both the employer and employee to plan an EA’s career progression.

We have compiled general job descriptions, from entry-level assistant roles to more senior positions, ready for you to adapt to your needs.

Receptionist job description

Responsibilities:

• Meeting and greeting clients and visitors
• Answering phone calls, taking messages and relaying to appropriate staff
• Logging, sending and distributing all incoming and outgoing mail, couriers and faxes
• Arranging delivery of outgoing mail
• Booking, preparing and tidying meeting rooms

Requirements:

• Excellent written and verbal communication
• Clear and confident telephone manner
• Computer skills, including Word and Outlook

Office administrator job description

Responsibilities

• Assisting the office manager
• Manage general office maintenance and health & safety
• Arrange desk space and office access for new employees
• Extensive email correspondence, occasionally covering colleagues’ mailboxes
• Invoice and expenses management
• Arrange catering for meeting rooms
• Manage office and kitchen supplies
• Organize and file documents (physical and digital)
• Occasional receptionist duties

Requirements

• Educated to high school or equivalent
• Experience handling confidential and sensitive information
• Computer skills, including Word, Excel and Outlook

Team Assistant / Junior EA job description

Responsibilities

• Manage team diaries
• Book business travel and accommodation
• Organize and host internal team meetings
• Greet guests and clients
• Book and prepare meeting rooms
• Prepare documentation ahead of meetings and presentations
• Take minutes of meetings and prepare reports
• Manage team budget
• Liaison for facilities management and IT supplier
• Team invoice and expenses management

Requirements

• Educated to high school or equivalent
• Computer skills across Microsoft Office Suite
• 2+ years’ prior secretarial or administrative experience

EA job description

Responsibilities

• Manage Principal’s diary
• Manage email inbox and phone calls
• Book business and personal travel and accommodation
• Book and prepare meeting rooms
• Book and prepare meeting rooms
• Take minutes of meetings and prepare reports
• Manage expenses budget
• Ad hoc personal tasks
• CRM database management

Requirements

• Educated to high school standard or equivalent. A degree-level qualification would be advantageous, but is by no means essential
• Experience in a similar role and/or industry
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong computer skills across Microsoft Office Suite and CRM systems
• Flexibility on hours

EA/ Office Manager / Operations job description

Responsibilities

• Oversee office management and operational function of the business
• Manage office social calendar and organize events
• Liaison for facilities management and IT supplier
• Managing staff onboarding and leaving processes
• Supplier contract management

Requirements

• Educated to high school standard or equivalent. A degree-level qualification would be advantageous, but is by no means essential
• Extensive staff management experience
• Demonstrable experience at senior level in a similar role and industry
• Extremely competent with Microsoft Office and CRM systems
• Exceptional time management skills

EA 1:1 job description

Responsibilities

• Act as the first point of contact for senior manager
• Extensive business and personal diary management
• Manage high volumes of emails and phone calls
• Arrange meetings with colleagues and clients, book and prepare meeting rooms
• Book complex travel and accommodation
• Organize and file principal’s documents
• Keep meeting minutes
• Produce reports
• Project management support
• Work closely with other EAs to coordinate diaries
• Overseeing expenses
• CRM database management

Requirements

• Educated to high school standard or equivalent. A degree-level qualification would be advantageous, but is by no means essential
• Prior experience in a PA or EA role
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Extremely competent with Microsoft Office and CRM systems

EA Operations job description

• General EA tasks
• Liaising with office suppliers
• Liaising with landlord and/or building maintenance
• Working with managing director to plan and monitor budget

EA Manager job description

Responsibilities

• General work and personal admin for senior staff
• Act on behalf of executive when necessary
• Manage other executive and personal assistants
• Coordinate EAs’ and PAs’ diaries
• Train and appraise team of EAs and PAs

Requirements

• Educated to high school standard or equivalent. A degree-level qualification would be advantageous, but is by no means essential
• Extensive experience in a PA or EA role
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Extremely competent with Microsoft Office and CRM systems
• Excellent people management skills

Business Assistant job description

Responsibilities

• Acting as first point of contact to the Director
• General EA tasks
• Assist and advise on projects and business decisions of executive team
• Manage relationships with clients and business partners
• Manage other EAs

Requirements

• Educated to degree level
• 5+ years experience in a similar position
• Previous team management experience
• An in-depth knowledge of the industry
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Competent with Microsoft Office packages, particularly Word and Outlook

Business manager / Chief of Staff job description

Responsibilities

• Assisting and advising senior management across finance, HR, and operations
• Devise and manage internal projects
• Oversee all administration across business
• Manage full administrative team
• Act as liaison between CEO, senior management, and staff
• Hire new staff, manage appraisals and promotions

Requirements

• Educated to degree level. A masters-level qualification would be advantageous, but is by no means essential
• 8+ years experience in a similar position
• Excellent people management skills
• Strong business strategy skills

For more insights into finding the perfect executive assistant, read our ultimate guide to hiring an EA.

The post Understanding the Executive Assistant Career Progression appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

For business owner’s, executive assistant recruitment offers numerous benefits. A skilled EA can handle administrative tasks, manage schedules, and support personal errands, freeing up your time to focus on more strategic activities.

Finding the right EA can come with its challenges. The process requires identifying a candidate who not only has the necessary skills but also fits well with your personality and work environment. It’s about striking the right balance between professional competencies and personal dynamics, which can be a time-consuming and difficult task.

We’ve put together our top five tips on how to hire an EA, plus how a professional recruiter can help.

How To Ensure EA Recruitment Success

Recruitment of any kind presents a fantastic opportunity to refresh a team, job function or business culture. That being said, it’s not uncommon to feel some trepidation at the start of your recruitment journey. The process can take time and in a candidate-short market, you may need to shortlist multiple times before securing a suitable candidate. This is where working with an experienced recruiter can help.

Executive assistant recruitment, in particular, is unique as the values alignment plays such a significant role in ensuring a candidate’s success. An executive assistant works so closely with their managers and team that it’s crucial to get the personality mix right. This is crucially relevant to permanent recruitment while hiring a temp EA can generally be recruited quickly to fulfill the short-term functional requirements of the role.

If you’re considering hiring using AI-based software for certain steps, such as resume screening, we would ask you to consider a different approach. While there is a place for this type of technology, especially when it comes to advanced candidate testing such as gamification, the ultimate decision for a candidate’s fit for a business should remain with human recruiters.

With this in mind, we’ve put together our top five tips on how a recruiter can help to ensure you hire an executive assistant who lasts the distance.

1. Personality fit

Personality fit is crucial when hiring an executive assistant. An EA will work closely with you, often during stressful times or in personal spaces. A candidate whose personality complements yours can make the working relationship more enjoyable and productive.

You can ensure the right personality fit during the interview process by asking the right questions. These questions should encourage the candidate to share their values, work ethics, and how they handle stress and conflict. Observing how they interact with you and others during the interview can also provide insights into their personality and how well they might integrate into your personal and professional life.

A professional recruiter can help you source candidates with the right personality fit. They can pre-screen candidates, saving you time and ensuring that you meet only those who have already passed a preliminary fit assessment. For example, if a candidate communicates quietly and seems withdrawn in their body language, a good recruiter will never send them to a workplace where they will be supporting outspoken, straight-to-the-point management styles.

2. Consider Previous Experience

Previous experience is a critical factor in EA recruitment. Their track record can showcase how they will handle the demands of your role and reduce the risk of a mismatch. A candidate with experience in a similar industry or who has supported professionals with comparable responsibilities to yours might adapt more quickly to your requirements.

When interviewing a candidate, you should ask them to tell the story of their career to date, with a particular focus on how long they stayed at each job and why they left. If a candidate has previously jumped around from one role to the next, it generally does mean there’s a higher likelihood they’ll do the same again. Similarly, their reasons for leaving will often paint a more colorful picture of what they’re looking for now.

A recruiter can help you evaluate a candidate’s previous experience. They have the expertise to spot red flags or patterns of excellence that you might overlook. Recruiters also verify references and past employment details, ensuring that the information presented is accurate and relevant to your needs.

3. Trust Your Recruiter

When looking for a PA, it’s essential to secure a robust shortlist to get an accurate overview of the market and available candidates. A recruiter should send you a few strong, but different options, to ensure you have a range of choices. They might even suggest a candidate who seems to lack certain technical skills but has the right personality fit, adhering to the philosophy that specific skills can be learned, whereas the right cultural fit is priceless.

It is essential to trust your recruiter’s recommendations. Recruiters have a deep understanding of the job market and the qualities that make a candidate a good fit for a role. By relying on their recommendations, you can increase your chances of finding the right person for your EA position.

4. Identify Soft Skills

For an executive assistant, essential soft skills include effective communication, adaptability, problem-solving, and time management. An EA will also be savvy to the ways of the city, including the best transport, food, and gifting options: characteristics that are also important when supporting management. You would be surprised by how much these little details make a difference when working with your EA!

You can identify these essential soft skills by asking specific behavioral questions during the interview. For example, you can ask about a time they overcame a challenge or had to adapt quickly to a change. Their responses will give you insight into their problem-solving abilities and flexibility.

An executive assistant’s soft skills may not always be obvious from their resume. A recruiter will be able to gauge an EA’s transferable attributes, such as emotional intelligence, leadership traits, and communication style from an initial face-to-face registration. Recruiters can also interpret subtle cues in candidates’ responses and behaviors, ensuring you meet only the most suitable individuals who possess the soft skills essential for the role.

5. Manage Expectations and Be Responsive

Managing candidate expectations and being responsive is essential during the recruitment process. This includes keeping potential candidates informed about their application status, the recruitment process stages, and expected timelines for your decisions. In our current market, speed is of the essence, especially with recruiting for EAs. We have seen hundreds of employers miss fantastic candidates by being unavailable or inflexible to interview or delaying feedback.

Being unresponsive with your recruiter will be especially detrimental to you finding the best person for the job. Responsiveness enables a smooth and efficient search, allowing recruiters to quickly refine their selection based on your feedback. This collaboration ensures that the candidates presented match your requirements, saving you time and resources.

Expert PA Hiring with Tiger Recruitment

At Tiger Recruitment, we pride ourselves on our expertise in pairing top-tier executive assistants with professionals and business owners. We are committed to understanding your unique needs and preferences, enabling us to find the right candidates for your requirements. With our bespoke approach, you will receive support throughout the recruitment process.

If you are thinking about hiring a new permanent or temporary EA, read our ultimate guide to hiring an EA and, for further information, contact us today.

The post Five PA recruitment tips appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

What is an Executive Assistant?

Understanding the executive assistant role is the first step to answering the question of ‘Why hire an executive assistant?’. An executive assistant (EA) is employed by an individual or business to provide day-to-day support. While this will look different depending on the needs of the employer, some form of administrative support will almost always be involved.

Some of the most common responsibilities of an EA include diary management, travel coordination, inbox and call management, document creation, meeting coordination and event planning.

Private assistants can be employed to support a single individual in an organization such as a CEO, or to support a team within a business. A team EA will generally carry out the same tasks, but for multiple people, often acting as the first point of contact for the team.

If you are considering hiring an executive assistant and looking for guidance, our EA job description template can be a great place to start. Alternatively, you can make a hire request and one of our specialist consultants will reach out to you.

Administrative Duties

Most EA roles will include administrative duties such as answering phones, managing inboxes, coordinating meetings, arranging travel, taking meeting minutes, collating documents, creating presentations, and managing diaries. Other common responsibilities include managing purchase orders, writing contracts, fixing technical issues, coordinating with third-party contractors or agencies, and getting quotes for products and services.

Project Management Duties

The role of executive assistant is industry agnostic, meaning an EA can be hired in any type of business. However, a common responsibility includes project management. In a boutique business, an EA may manage operations projects such as introducing new policies and creating manuals and handbooks. By contrast, an EA in the finance sector could be responsible for introducing and maintaining a new CRM system.

C-Suite EAs

Executive assistants and senior executive assistants support high-level executives such as CEOs or MDs. The key difference at this level is that an executive assistant will start to act more as a business assistant/partner, generally holding a high level of responsibility over multiple projects and teams. This could mean hiring and managing the rest of a company’s business support team or representing their employer’s interests in business negotiations.

Why You Need an Executive Assistant

There is a myriad of reasons why you may need an executive assistant. For entrepreneurs, executives and busy teams, an EA can prove an invaluable team member. Below we have outlined just a few of the biggest advantages of recruiting an exceptional EA. If you have been wondering ‘why hire an executive assistant’, here are just some of the reasons top executives make this decision.

Free Up Your Time

If you’re deciding whether you need an executive assistant, take some time to consider what tasks you complete in a week, and which of these could realistically be done by somebody else. That somebody may need some specialized knowledge or be incredibly trustworthy, but that’s what EAs are for; meeting your highly specific needs.

A reliable EA will free up time in your calendar by taking on tasks, big or small, that allow you to focus on the bigger decisions.

Increase Your Productivity

Administrative tasks can be highly interruptive – ever answered an email or accepted a calendar invite while in a meeting? Research shows that multitasking like this can be costly to productivity. While managing your inbox and calendar provides valuable control and oversight, it’s also taking your attention away from your most important work.

Entrusting an exceptional EA with these types of tasks will allow you to re-focus your mind, improving your productivity and, in turn, the quality of your decisions.

Reduce Stress

It’s incredibly important to take steps to support one’s mental health, particularly for top executives and high-performing teams. Hiring a great EA is an excellent step towards reducing stress in your job.

Utilize Skills and Expertise

Many executive assistants have spent years honing highly specialized skills that can prove invaluable to your business. Those working with high-profile employers may excel in social media management and online branding. An EA who has worked for a long time in the legal sector may excel at preparing legal documents. Whatever the nature of your business needs, we can help you find an EA with aligned expertise.

To get started on recruiting an executive assistant, get in touch with us today. A consultant will reach out to discuss your requirements and get you started on the path to finding a perfect EA.

Maintain an Organized Routine

As an entrepreneur or executive, you probably find that each day feels exceptionally hectic, with information and potential opportunities coming from all directions. There are executive assistants there who have mastered the art of turning chaos into order. These EAs can help you create some routine in your working days and keep your calendar as organized as possible. This not only helps streamline your work processes but can ensure that you’re reliably carving out time for your wellbeing.

Support When You Need It

Executive assistant roles are created to match the needs of employers. This means that if you work unusual hours or travel a lot, you can hire an EA who will match your schedule. This adaptability is one of the main reasons why employers hire an executive assistant.

The hiring of EAs can also be done on an as-needed basis for specific projects or particularly busy times of the year. This is where a strong relationship with temporary EA recruitment agencies can prove invaluable.

Tiger’s temporary business support team specializes in placing EAs in contract or last-minute roles as needed by employers. If your business could benefit from a partnership where all payroll and temporary recruitment admin is taken care of for you, get in touch today.

Ready To Hire an Executive Assistant?

If we’ve answered your questions about why to hire an executive assistant, we’d love to hear from you. Still not sure? Our consultants can provide further guidance on whether hiring an executive assistant is the right decision for your business.

Read our ultimate guide to hiring a PA and get in touch to start the hiring process.

The post Why Hire a Personal Assistant appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

When running a business or managing a busy lifestyle, having the support of an assistant can make a world of difference. If you are looking to hire an assistant, you will need to decide whether a private personal assistant or executive assistant is the right fit for the support you need.

Executive and private assistants are often confused due to their overlapping skill sets. While they share some similarities, there are core responsibilities and areas of expertise that make these types of assistants distinct.

In this blog we explain the differences between a private personal assistant vs executive assistant, helping you to hire the best professional for your needs.

Private Personal Assistant Explained

So, what is a private personal assistant? A private personal assistant (PA) ensures your personal life is organized and efficient, helping to reduce stress and enhance your time management. They do this by handling a wide range of responsibilities, from booking appointments to running personal errands to managing expenses.

What Is an Executive Assistant?

An executive assistant (EA) is a corporate assistant who provides administrative support to high-level executives within a company. The main goal of an executive assistant is to optimize your time, allowing you to focus on more strategic business activities. They do this by handling a wide range of administrative tasks, as well as complex projects that require deep business understanding.

Key Differences Between PA and EA

Both PAs and EAs offer critical support, but their focus and responsibilities vary. Understanding the key differences will help you hire a private personal assistant or recruit an executive assistant with confidence, knowing that you have chosen the right professional for the job.

Core Responsibilities

Private personal assistants have a wide range of duties and responsibilities to make you and / or your team’s day-to-day more organized and manageable. Administrative tasks can include diary management, travel planning, correspondence, and taking minutes in meetings. If the role encompasses personal support, they can help you by scheduling appointments, handling household projects, and planning personal events.

There are also different types of PAs that offer a tailored approach to suit different needs and lifestyles. For example, a family office PA will handle professional and personal tasks for a family, while a private PA will focus on personal tasks for an individual. That means the exact responsibilities of a PA will depend on your unique needs.

Executive assistants usually provide 1:1 support and act as the executive’s right hand, ensuring that all business-related matters are taken care of efficiently. Their responsibilities include managing schedules and calendars, handling correspondence, organizing business travel arrangements, and overseeing expenses. In specific cases, an EA can provide additional personal support.

Who They Support

Private personal assistants are versatile professionals who can support a wide array of individuals or employers with both professional and personal tasks. Whether you are an entrepreneur juggling the demands of your business, a busy individual trying to balance a hectic schedule, or a family in need of organizational help, a PA can be an asset. A PA can support one individual or multiple executives within a business.

Private personal assistants can also offer support high profile and publicly known individuals. These celebrity PAs will provide a wide range of professional and personal support, often working long hours and in a highly pressurized environment.

Executive assistants will provide professional support to one individual in a high-level position, such as a CEO, managing director, or other senior executive in an organization. They may also manage other assistants or administrative staff, offering seamless management of your wider support team.

Professional Background

Personal assistants typically have varied professional backgrounds. Their experience may include roles in administration, customer service, or event planning. This versatility ensures that they can handle a wide range of tasks to keep your professional and personal life running smoothly.

Executive assistants often have a more specialized background in business administration or a related field. They possess strong professional skills, including advanced communication, project management, and strategic planning abilities. Their expertise allows them to handle complex business tasks and support senior executives efficiently.

Qualifications

Personal assistant roles typically don’t require specific qualifications, however many employers do prefer a PA to have a degree. Soft skills, such as adaptability and discretion, are also viewed as more important than qualifications because of the often-personal nature of the role.

Many executive assistants will have a bachelor’s degree, as well as hold additional certifications in executive support. EAs need a robust understanding of the business environment to provide effective support to senior executives.

Decision-making Authority

Personal assistants may have some autonomy in decision-making regarding administrative processes and arrangements. For example, a PA may rearrange your meetings to best suit your schedule or change an accommodation booking to better match your preferences. Trusting your PA to make calls on your behalf is essential as it allows you to focus on your priorities while they streamline your day-to-day.

Executive assistants have significant decision-making authority in the business context. They often make judgment calls on scheduling, communications, and project priorities, acting in the best interest of the executive and the company. All decisions that the EA makes will need to be reported back to the senior executive.

Salary

A private assistant salary will depend on various factors, such as their level of experience, the scope of responsibilities, and your industry. In general, you can expect a PA salary to be upwards of $80,000.

Like a PA, an executive assistant salary will also depend on several factors. In general, you can expect an EA salary to be $60,000 or more, depending on their experience, the scope of the role, and the location of your business.

Ready To Hire an EA?

At Tiger Recruitment, we understand the importance of finding the right support for your business or lifestyle needs. Whether you’re looking to streamline your personal life or enhance your business operations, knowing how to hire an EA is the first step towards greater efficiency and peace of mind. Our team of experts is ready to guide you through the EA recruitment process, ensuring you find the perfect match.

The post Executive Assistant vs Private Assistant: Key Differences appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Choosing to hire an executive assistant is a smart move. An executive assistant (EA) can take a load off your shoulders, handling everything from managing your diary to running your daily errands. Their expert assistance can help boost your daily efficiency, increase your productivity, and reduce your stress levels.

To really benefit from hiring an executive assistant, you must pick the right one. That means finding someone who not only has the skills and experience but will also match your lifestyle and the way you work. Asking the right questions during the interview process will give you the insights you need to make the best decision.

To ensure your hiring success, we’ve created a guide on the best executive assistant interview questions to ask. We also highlight what to look for in their responses, helping to streamline the interview process.

General Questions for EA Interview

General executive assistant interview questions help you understand the candidate’s background, personality, and communication skills. Asking these questions at the start of the interview will help make candidates feel comfortable to share more freely and give you valuable insights from the get-go.

Here are the top five questions we recommend asking all your EA candidates:

Tell me about yourself.

This is the best question to start an interview with as it allows the candidate to explain their professional journey and interests right away. This helps you get a sense of their personality and see if they would be a good fit for your team or in your household.

Their answer should succinctly cover their career choices, proudest achievements, and personal motivations. Their enthusiasm, clarity, and the way they present their story can also give you clues about their communication skills and confidence level. Please note that modern interview best practice does not allow for deeper questioning around an interviewee’s personal life. For more information on this, read our Interview and Selection Guide, which dives into more detail on DEI considerations for interviews.

Why should we hire you as an executive assistant?

This question tests both their understanding of the role and their ability to sell themselves. The candidate should be able to highlight their specific skills, experiences, or personal attributes that make them your ideal choice for the EA position.

In their answers, look for clarity, confidence, and specificity. Candidates should be able to pinpoint exactly what sets them apart, such as particular competencies that match your role requirements.

What is your greatest strength and weakness?

Asking about strengths and weaknesses gives candidates a chance to show how well they can critically evaluate themselves. It can also show how willing they are to open up about the areas that they need to work on.

When candidates talk about their strengths, you want to hear them mention things like being really organized, able to communicate well, flexible, and good at being discrete. They should also share specific stories or examples that concretely demonstrate these strengths.

When discussing weaknesses, the candidate must highlight an area for improvement that is relevant to your role. The candidate should follow up with the steps they have taken or plan to take to address this weakness, showing their commitment to growth.

How do you prioritize tasks and manage your time effectively?

Time management and task prioritization are essential skills for an EA. This question allows the candidate to explain how they approach planning, decision-making, and efficiency, showcasing how they could potentially manage the demands of your role.

Look for answers that include specific strategies the candidate uses for managing their time and prioritizing tasks. These could include categorizing tasks by urgency, using tools to track project status, or an example of how they adapt when priorities change.

Why do you want to work here?

Find out what motivated the candidate to apply to your role by asking this question. It’s a great way to measure their genuine interest in the role and how well they might align with your personal and professional principles.

Look for signs that the candidate is not just looking for a job opportunity. This can be shown with great research into your business or personal brand or highlighting how the specific duties in the job description align with their interests or values.

Experience-related interview questions

The experience-related executive assistant interview questions you ask will depend on the type of executive assistant you are hiring. Alongside our recommended questions, include a few specific virtual assistant, corporate EA, or private PA interview questions.

Can you tell me about your previous position?

Learn about the kind of responsibilities the candidate has held by asking this question. It’s a straightforward way to start understanding their professional background and how it aligns with what you’re looking for.

In their answer, you want to hear about the specific tasks they handled and any achievements they’re proud of. Listen for details that show they have the skills and experience relevant to the EA role you’re offering.

What do you think are important skills for an executive assistant?

This question helps you understand how well a candidate knows the executive assistant role and what they believe is crucial to succeed in it. It gives you insight into their priorities and if they align with the skills and qualities you think are essential.

Look for a mix of hard and soft skills in their response, such as organization, communication, or time management. They should also explain why they think the skills they mention are important. For example, if the candidate says that time management is essential, they should follow up by saying how this skill helps keep your day-to-day on track and efficient.

What is the biggest mistake you have made at work?

Asking about a candidate’s biggest mistake at work gives you a window into their ability to handle setbacks and learn from them. It’s another way to test their honesty and self-awareness, which are crucial traits for anyone you’re considering bringing into your team or household.

In their response, you should look for a genuine mistake, followed by how they fixed the situation. It’s a positive sign if they can share what they learned from the experience and how it has influenced their professional approach since then, showing growth.

Can you provide an example of when you went above and beyond your duties as an executive assistant?

Test a candidate’s willingness to take initiative with this question. It helps you see if they are the type to go beyond their role. It will also show what they interpret as exceeding the expectations of their role.

You want to hear a specific story that showcases their proactive attitude and commitment to their job. Look for examples that demonstrate creativity, problem-solving, or exceptional service.

Can you provide an example of a challenging situation you encountered as an executive assistant and how you resolved it?

Challenging situations can shed light on a candidate’s problem-solving abilities, which is a critical skill for an EA. It can also provide further insights into their experience or abilities to maintain a working relationship with their employer.

They should explain a specific challenge, what caused the challenge, and the steps they took to overcome it. Whether it was with their employer or an aspect of their role, they should be able to reflect on what they learnt from the experience.

Business or personal-related interview questions

Wrap up your interview with a few questions about the duties of your EA role. These should questions focus on specific tasks and scenarios an EA might face in the role. You can ask a mixture of professional and personal task questions to test their skill set.

Here are just a few examples of the types of questions you can ask:

Have you ever been responsible for managing travel arrangements?

Imagine arriving at the airport, excited for a family holiday in the Caribbean, only to find your tickets are taking you to the Maldives. If you regularly travel for work or go on frequent vacations, having an EA you can trust to make accurate travel arrangements is essential.

The candidate should outline their experience with booking flights and accommodation, as well as how they handle the paperwork and invoices for these bookings. Check if they talk about planning travel itineraries, showcasing their commitment to streamlining every aspect of your travels.

How do you handle working with confidential information?

From where you live to your financial information, your EA may have access to sensitive details about your personal and professional life. You need to ensure that you can trust that your EA will maintain the privacy and security of this information.

In their response, look for clear examples of how they’ve managed confidential information in the past. They should be able to describe specific measures or protocols they follow to protect privacy and confidentiality. It’s also important they demonstrate an understanding of the consequences of mishandling such information, showing they take this responsibility seriously.

Have you organized an event or function?

This question is recommended if event coordination forms part of the EA job description. From birthdays to team-building events, your EA should be ready to assist you with all aspects of event planning. This question helps you understand the types of events that they have previously planned and whether these match your needs. It can also showcase certain key skills, such as creativity, project management, and multitasking.

If they have previously planned an event, they should explain the type, size, and what went into the event’s success to showcase their experience. Listen to how they handled logistics, vendor relationships, and any challenges that arose.

What household or personal errands have you managed?

This question is especially important if you’re planning to hire a private PA but can also be relevant if your role includes a few personal duties. It’s a great way to find out what tasks the candidate has experience in handling.

Look for examples that demonstrate a broad range of capabilities, from everyday errands to more complex personal projects. This will help you know what you can and cannot get assistance with should you choose this candidate.

Is there any part of this job role that concerns you?

Find out if there are any aspects of the role that the candidate is unfamiliar or uncomfortable with. This will allow you to either address their concerns or determine whether they are a deal-breaker, ensuring a good fit for both parties.

The candidate should be honest and specific about their concerns. For example, if you need 24/7 assistance but they have family responsibilities, they should air this with you. It allows you to either come up with a solution or inform them that this is a key aspect of the role.

Remember to ask candidates for their questions

When planning your interview, make sure to allocate enough time at the end for the candidate to ask questions. This will show that you value their input and can make them feel confident in choosing to work for you should you make an offer.

The more important reason to ask candidates for their questions is that it offers a final opportunity to evaluate them. The questions they ask will reveal their priorities, what they value in a workplace, and their level of interest in the role. A candidate asking detailed, thoughtful questions is often one who is genuinely interested in the position and is considering how they can fit and grow within it.

Hire an EA With Tiger Recruitment

Interviews are just one part of the process of how to hire an EA. You first need to source a strong list of candidates to interview. At Tiger Recruitment, we specialize in matching your unique requirements with skilled professionals. We’ll provide you with a list of tested, reference-checked candidates, ensuring that you’ll find the best EA during your interview process.

Ready to find your ideal EA? Contact us today, and let’s start sourcing a list of top candidates for you. For more detailed insights, read our ultimate guide to hiring an EA.

The post Executive Assistant Interview Questions and What To Look For appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Do you have an ever-growing list of tasks that leaves you with little time for anything else? The demands of a bustling work life alongside personal commitments can leave you feeling stretched too thin. If you’re in this situation, hiring an executive assistant can help you regain control and balance.

In this guide, we explain what an executive assistant is by exploring the different types of EAs, the common duties, and the advantages that come with hiring an EA.

What Is an Executive Assistant?

An executive assistant (EA) is an individual who supports a business owner, executive, individual, or family with their professional tasks and personal management. This support can range from managing schedules and handling correspondence to organizing events and running personal errands. An EA’s role is versatile and tailored to your specific needs, making them essential to the smooth running of your personal and professional life.

Different Types of EAs

When you hire an executive assistant, there are various role types to consider and choose from. Each type of EA has its own set of skills and expertise to cater to various aspects of your professional and personal needs. Whether you need help managing your calendar, sorting through your emails, or running errands, there’s an executive assistant out there for you.

Here’s a brief overview of the various types of executive assistants:

Corporate EA:

A corporate EA provides administrative support to senior managers and/or C-suite executives in a corporate environment. This type of EA will assist with a wide range of daily tasks, including managing schedules, organizing meetings, preparing reports, and handling correspondence.

Team Assistant:

Team assistants provide administrative support to a group rather than an individual in a business setting. Their duties can include scheduling meetings, coordinating project documents, and assisting with the team’s communication.

Family Office EA:

A family office EA, or PA, works in a family office and helps management with their personal and/or work lives. They will likely complete similar tasks to a corporate EA, such as diary management, project management, and inbox management. Additionally, they may have some personal responsibilities, such as running personal errands, booking holidays, and organizing the family’s schedule to ensure that everything runs smoothly at home. It might also sometimes include estate management.

Personal Assistant:

A PA provides dedicated support to HNWI or families, often working within the employer’s home or private office. This role includes personal and household management that is tailored to your specific requirements. Typical duties include managing personal schedules, organizing travel plans, and overseeing the smooth running of household tasks.

Virtual Assistant:

Virtual assistants provide administrative assistance from a remote location, typically from their home. They offer flexible, remote support across various tasks by using technology to maintain efficiency without being physically present. Key duties include managing emails, scheduling appointments, handling social media accounts, and performing other tasks that can be done online.

Business Assistant:

A business assistant is often the most senior assistant within a business. They provide crucial support to business owners, chairmen and entrepreneurs by managing budgets, running projects, and ensuring operations/administrative staff are working cohesively.

Duties and Responsibilities of an Executive Assistant

Knowing what an executive assistant can do for you is essential to hiring with confidence. The duties of an executive assistant can vary widely depending on your specific needs. However, there are a few common responsibilities they perform to streamline your daily routine both inside and outside of work.

Administrative Support

Administrative support is the core of an executive assistant’s role. A great EA will ensure that your day-to-day responsibilities are organized and efficient, allowing you to focus your attention on more important tasks.

These are some of the administrative tasks an EA can help you with:

• Managing calendars and scheduling meetings
• Handling correspondence, including answering phone calls and emails
• Taking meeting minutes and distributing them
• Preparing reports and presentations
• Organizing and maintaining files and records
• Making travel arrangements, including flights, accommodations, and itineraries
• Managing expense reports and processing invoices
• Planning events, including venue selection, and catering arrangements
• Liaising with clients, suppliers, and other staff
• Overseeing the maintenance of office equipment and supplies

Personal Support

The role of an executive assistant can sometimes go beyond traditional office duties to also include personal support. This comprehensive approach ensures that every aspect of your life is managed with the same level of professionalism and care.

Typical personal support tasks include:

• Running personal errands such as shopping or picking up dry cleaning
• Managing personal appointments and schedules
• Planning family events, birthdays, and special occasions
• Handling household management tasks, including liaising with contractors and service providers
• Organizing personal travel, such as family holidays.
• Managing personal finances, including bill payments and budgeting
• Assisting with personal correspondence
• Overseeing pet care, including vet appointments and grooming
• Managing personal projects and hobbies
• Handling charitable contributions and managing philanthropic activities

While an executive assistant can significantly ease your to-do list, there are limitations to their support. They cannot provide professional medical, legal, or financial advice unless they hold specific qualifications in these areas.

Who Can Hire an EA?

You can hire an executive assistant if you’re feeling overwhelmed with the administrative side of your business, struggling to keep on top of your personal commitments, or just looking to free up more of your time. Whether you’re a business owner, executive, celebrity, or someone who needs an extra pair of hands around the house, an executive assistant can make a huge difference. Hiring an EA means you can delegate time-consuming tasks that take you away from focusing on what’s truly important to you, both professionally and personally.

You can also choose to hire either a permanent or a temporary EA. A permanent EA will become a steadfast part of your daily life, learning your preferences and adapting their support to best suit your needs. A temporary EA can provide support during particularly busy periods or for specific projects, offering a flexible solution without the commitment of a permanent hire.

Advantages of Hiring an EA

Hiring an executive assistant offers numerous benefits that can enhance both your professional and personal life.

Personalized Support

One of the main reasons why you should hire an executive assistant is for the personalized support. An executive assistant will get to know your specific preferences, working style, and needs intimately. This deep understanding allows them to tailor their assistance to make your life easier and more efficient.

Consider a scenario where your week is packed with meetings, travel, and personal commitments. Your executive assistant, knowing all your preferences, has scheduled your meetings at your ideal times and locations, arranged the travel plans with your favorite airline, and bought the gift for your friend’s housewarming. They then went a step above and coordinated your family’s schedule to ensure you have quality time together. This level of personalized support ensures that your days run smoothly, allowing you to focus on your work and personal well-being without the stress of managing every little detail yourself.

Enhanced Productivity

Your EA will handle all your routine administrative tasks, leaving you more time and energy to focus on high-value activities. An executive assistant can also handle tasks in your personal life, enabling a comprehensive approach to enhancing your productivity.

Here are just a few of the ways that an EA can help boost your productivity:

• Minimize Distractions: An EA can manage communications and handle questions, allowing you to concentrate on your work with fewer distractions.
• Prepare for Meetings: Your EA can gather materials, conduct research, and prepare briefs for upcoming meetings, ensuring you’re well-prepared and can engage more effectively.
• Complete Tasks Faster: With an EA handling your administrative tasks, you can complete your projects faster and meet deadlines more consistently.
• Maintain a Productive Environment: By organizing your workspace, managing files, and ensuring you have the necessary supplies, an EA helps create a productive work environment.

Increased Organization

One of the essential skills of any type of EA is organization. They will help bring order and structure to every aspect of your professional and personal life, from your appointment schedule to your office files. This enhanced organization makes your daily life more manageable.

Better Time Management

An EA will streamline your schedule to help you manage your time more effectively. This leads to less time wasted on low-priority activities and more free time for you to enjoy.

Improved Wellbeing

Hiring an executive assistant has been shown to reduce stress and improve wellbeing. This stems from the ability to delegate administrative and personal tasks to your EA, freeing up more time for relaxation, quality family time, or hobbies. By enhancing your work-life balance, you can reap benefits beyond just improving your productivity or time management.

Costs of Hiring an Executive Assistant

The costs of hiring an executive assistant in the US can depend on their experience, the scope of their responsibilities, the location of their work, and whether they are full-time or part-time.

An executive assistant salary is also heavily dependent on the industry of your business or the type of EA you have hired. For example, EAs starting out in their careers can expect a salary between $60,000 and $80,000, while a senior EA can expect a salary between $80,000 and $250,000.

While their salary will be your largest expense, there are other costs to consider when hiring an executive assistant. These include any employment taxes, expense reimbursements, travel-related expenses, and the costs of any benefits you offer.

Ready To Hire an EA?

Tiger Recruitment is here to assist. We specialize in matching individuals and businesses with the perfect EA to meet your unique needs. Our team is here to guide you through the process, ensuring you find the right fit for your lifestyle and business. Read our ultimate guide to hiring an EA and get in touch to start the hiring process.

The post What Is an Executive Assistant (EA)? appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

An Executive Assistant (EA) is a versatile professional who can enhance your productivity, reduce your stress, and improve your work-life balance. Whether you are looking to streamline your professional life, manage your personal affairs more efficiently, or provide support to your business team, there is a type of assistant for you.

This guide explores the different types of assistants available, helping you hire the best professional for your needs.

Six Types of Assistants Explained

Before you start looking into how to hire an EA, you need to first decide what support you need. From corporate settings to private households, the scope of an EA’s responsibilities can vary widely. For the latest salary data, please request a copy of our latest Salary and Benefits Review.

Executive Assistant (EA)

EAs provide administrative support to senior managers within a business. These EAs will typically support a team or a manager with highly demanding roles. Their main goal is to ensure their time is used efficiently. Their work environment is typically an office setting where they have access to the tools and technology needed to perform their duties.

A few of their key responsibilities include:

• Managing calendars and scheduling meetings
• Handling correspondence and emails
• Preparing reports and presentations
• Organizing travel arrangements
• Acting as a liaison between senior managers and staff or clients

To perform successfully in their role, executive assistants need strong organizational and communication skills. These skills ensure they can adequately support you in a fast-paced corporate environment.

The executive assistant salary you will pay will depend heavily on your industry.

Team Assistants

Team assistants support entire teams or departments within an organization, rather than individual managers. Usually considered one step down from an EA, they handle a wide range of administrative tasks, allowing their team to focus on essential business activities or strategic projects. Team assistants will ensure the team has a collaborative and efficient working environment.

Key responsibilities of team assistants include:

• Coordinating meetings and managing schedules for the entire team
• Handling incoming calls and managing team correspondence
• Maintaining and organizing digital and physical files for easy access
• Assisting in the preparation of reports and presentations for team projects
• Organizing team-building activities and managing logistics for team events

To excel in their position, team assistants need to possess excellent time management and interpersonal skills. Their role requires them to be adept at multitasking, have strong organizational abilities, and be capable of communicating effectively with team members and other stakeholders.

The salary for team assistants can vary widely depending on the industry, the size of the company, and the location.

Private PAs

A private PA manages the personal lives of one individual or family, helping to ensure your day-to-day runs smoothly and efficiently. They usually work from the family home or a private office to assist with personal tasks.

The main duties and responsibilities of a private PA include:

• Organizing personal schedules and appointments
• Managing household staff and liaising with contractors
• Handling personal finances, including bill payments and budgeting
• Planning travel arrangements
• Planning and managing events

Alongside the typical assistant skills, a private PA must be discrete due to the personal and confidential nature of the position. They should also have great multitasking skills and problem-solving capabilities to succeed in a sometimes-unpredictable working role.

Private PAs can earn more than other types of assistants, depending on your specific needs. For example, if you need them to accompany you on extensive travel trips or be available 24/7, they will require a higher salary.

Family Office EAs

Family office EAs provide professional support and, in some cases, private support, for HNWI and family office senior executives. They will often work in both the family’s private offices and from your home to ensure all financial, administrative, and personal tasks are covered. They differ from private EAs in that they have a wider scope of corporate administrative responsibilities.

A family office EA will typically handle:

• Coordinate financial management tasks with accountants and financial advisors
• Manage property portfolios and oversee household staff across various locations
• Organize family meetings and events
• Handle confidential documents and communications related to investments and estate planning
• Handle family travel arrangements

Family office EAs should be discrete and trustworthy, based on the sensitive information that they handle. It is also essential that they have a firm understanding of financial matters to offer sufficient support.

The cost of hiring a family office EA will depend on the size of your family office, the complexity of the role, and whether you need permanent or temporary assistance.

Business Assistants

Business assistants are like EAs but will usually hold a more senior position. This means they often support the business owner with a wide range of administrative tasks to help drive the business forward.

Some of the main responsibilities of a business assistant are:

• Managing business correspondence and communications
• Assisting with marketing and sales efforts
• Organizing business meetings and events
• Handling bookkeeping and financial administration
• Supporting project management and strategic planning

Hiring a business assistant can be a great decision as they will enhance the organization and efficiency of your day-to-day, allowing you to focus on the growth of your business.

Virtual Assistants

Virtual assistants (VAs) provide remote administrative support to businesses, entrepreneurs, and professionals. They will work from their home or a co-working space and manage all their duties online. They often work for multiple individuals, depending on the workload and your agreement.

VAs hold these key duties:

• Managing emails and scheduling appointments
• Providing customer support and managing online inquiries
• Handling social media management and content creation
• Performing basic bookkeeping and managing online files
• Conducting research and preparing reports

The virtual assistant you choose for the position should have strong communication and time-management skills. They should have experience working remotely to prove that they can work independently. Due to the remote nature of the role, they should also be confident using various online tools and platforms.

Difference Between a PA and an EA

Understanding the difference between a personal assistant vs. executive assistant is essential when making a hiring decision. PAs will manage the personal matters of an individual or family, such as social media management, event coordination, property management or lifestyle coordination.

EAs only provide administrative support for executives in a business setting. EAs often have a deeper involvement in the company’s strategy, handling more complex tasks and having greater responsibility for decision-making processes. They may also manage additional team members, ensuring the senior executive is fully supported.

How To Choose the Right EA

Finding the right EA means looking for someone whose skills, experience, and personality match the requirements of your role and your work style. This kind of match will ensure you get the support you need to be more productive and achieve your personal and professional goals.

Here are the key steps to take to ensure the best EA hire:

Define the Scope of Work

Start by clearly defining the tasks and responsibilities you expect the EA to handle. Understanding the specific type of support, you need will help you identify the right kind of EA for your situation, whether it is for personal, professional, or a mix of tasks.

Assess Experience and Expertise

Determine the level of experience and specific expertise a candidate must have for your needs. This is especially important if the role includes specialized tasks or if you operate within a niche industry where insider knowledge is essential.

Choose Between In-House and Virtual Support

Decide if your lifestyle or business support tasks need someone who can be physically present. If not, a virtual assistant would be more suitable.

Ready To Hire an EA?

Get the support you need when you hire an assistant with Tiger Recruitment. Our team will guide you through the process, helping identify the exact type of EA you need. We will provide you with a strong list of candidates that are perfectly matched to your requirements. Read our ultimate guide to hiring an EA and get in touch to start the hiring process.

The post Different Types of Assistants Explained appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

For an executive assistant, settling into a new job is not as simple as learning a company’s systems and processes, names and faces. An EA must also learn the working style and daily rhythms of their manager, and adapt to them.

Experienced EAs will understand this and be attentive from Day One, but a manager should also do what they can to aid the onboarding process, regardless of whether it’s a junior EA or a veteran. The quicker an EA can get in sync with their manager and feel like a valued part of the team, the better for the business and their working relationship.

How can a manager help to effectively onboard a new executive assistant? Our list of what should be included in employee onboarding for an EA will give you a solid foundation to work from.

Be clear about expectations

While the general tasks of an executive assistant will be explained in the EA job description, each EA/manager team is unique in how they work. It’s important from the off for managers and their executive assistants to both have an agreed understanding of what is and isn’t expected of the relationship. On the first day, managers should be explicit about the remit of the EA role, including:

• What are the regular work hours? (9am-5pm, 8am-4pm, 10am-6pm etc)
• What are the in-office days? (every day, three days a week etc)
• Is the EA expected to be contactable out-of-hours?
• Can the EA contact their manager out-of-hours?
• What is the manager’s preferred method of communication?
• To what extent can the EA speak on their manager’s behalf if the manager is unavailable?

The widespread use of flexible working arrangements makes these questions all the more important. Without the shared space of an office defining working hours, work and personal time can become blurred, leading to potential burnout.

By clarifying these aspects of the relationship, a manager will help avoid misunderstandings, and set boundaries for both parties.

Have a schedule ready

It’s crucial that an executive assistant and manager have regular opportunities to catch up and coordinate. Rather than leaving this to chance, a manager should have a schedule ready from the first day.

This catch up will be different for each team – some managers may want to start every day off with a 9am one-to-one, while others will prefer or a weekly catch-up on a Friday to plan for the week ahead. Whichever option works for you, be sure to get it in the calendar immediately. This leads us to our next point.

Use the latest technology

Keeping on top of shared calendars has never been easier. Most phones, tablets and laptops now come with numerous built-in apps that can help coordinate schedules, so it’s best practice to supply a new executive assistant with their own work smartphone and laptop.

While you can get by with the built-in scheduling apps on these devices, there are dozens more online apps and software designed specifically to coordinate work teams. Using these multi-functional programs, managers can set up shared calendars, project schedules, budget spreadsheets, and more within the same online space.

Some of the most effective apps and tools for assistants include:

• Clickup
• Trello
• Asana
• Google Teams
• Monday

Set KPIs

As well as agreeing what is within and without the remit of the executive assistant’s role, the first days of the role are a good chance to set key performance indicators (KPIs). These will give the EA a benchmark to keep in mind when doing their job and show them clear opportunities for career progression.

Some KPIs for executive assistants could be:

• Response times (for example, responding to emails within 24 hours)
• Travel and accommodation bookings arranged at least 48 hours in advance, where possible
• Monthly reports produced on time
• Budget kept in check

Partner your EA with a mentor

Due to the close working relationship between a manager and executive assistant, there’s a risk that an EA can feel isolated from the wider company. To avoid this, it’s useful for EAs to have a mentor or buddy.

A mentor can introduce a new EA  to aspects of office life beyond their manager. This could include the company’s values, office dynamics, social events and employee benefits. By introducing a new EA to these aspects from their first day, you will immediately deepen their relationship with the company and their colleagues, fostering job satisfaction and loyalty.

Set up a support base

As well as providing them with a mentor, by introducing a new EA to other assistants within the company, you can give them a feeling of security and belonging. These other EAs will understand the challenges of the job, and be able to offer support and advice in the first days and beyond.

If there isn’t already, help set up a group chat on WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams, Slack, or other communication app. This will allow for regular chat between peers, and will help newcomers get to know their fellow EAs and TAs.

Conclusion

If you follow best practice during the selection and recruitment process, you can secure a candidate with all the potential to be a fantastic executive assistant. But, the real work of building a rapport and a highly effective business relationship is only just beginning on the day they step into the office.

By putting the same attention and effort into onboarding a EA, you can set up a long-lasting, mutually satisfying partnership between manager and assistant.

For more information on how to hire a EA, read our guide to EA recruitment.

The post How to onboard an executive assistant appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Onboarding can make or break an employee’s experience when starting a new role. Research by Gallup found that only 12% of “employees strongly agree their workplace does a great job of onboarding new employees.” [1]

Considering a great onboarding experience can improve employee retention rates by 82%, neglecting these process can be both costly and time consuming in the long run. [2]

This is especially relevant when hiring for graduate jobs in NYC, as they often have little experience in corporate environments. Graduate recruitment in New York is a competitive market, so you don’t want to be losing your new employees just a few days in because of onboarding issues. So, how do you onboard graduates?

Here are four things to consider when welcoming graduates to your team:

1. Preparation is key

No new employee wants to arrive on their first day to no desk and a colleague that’s flustered at their arrival. It’s essential you take the time to get organized a few days before they begin, printing off or filling out paperwork, installing all software and hardware, setting up entry passes and computer logins and anything else that’s required. While notice periods are part and parcel of recruitment, it’s worth moving quickly – leaving too much time between accepting an offer and starting a new role opens you up for potential problems. If onboarding remotely, ensure hardware has been sent to the employee’s house well in advance, and they have been in touch with IT to support them through the setup.

2. Invest in video

Millennials are the video generation, with the average personal watching 1.5 hours of video a day [3]. So, invest in creating an orientation video, covering your company’s history, current structure and culture, as well as office instructions and tips and tricks for their first few weeks – maybe a suggestion of where to grab lunch? This means you won’t have to repeat yourself with every new starter and it ensures the messaging is consistent. It also allows the graduate to take notes in their own time, pausing where needed, and frees you up to focus on other things.

3. Show them the way

According to Statista, 100% of young women in the millennial category choose companies to work for based on the opportunity for professional skill development[4]. Therefore, the onboarding process should also include a clear directive on where graduates can expect to be in three, six and twelve months’ time. Objectives should be clearly established and training avenues should be actively promoted and acted upon in order to encourage growth. This way, those taking on New York City graduate jobs (or elsewhere) can see just how they’ll be using their hard-earned knowledge.

4. Implement a mentoring program

Starting a new role is daunting at the best of times, but for graduates, it can be even more so. Providing a mentor for those first few months during the graduate onboarding process can go a long way in helping new grads settle into the workplace, giving them a person that can answer ‘dumb questions’ that they might not be comfortable asking their direct manager.
Mentorship can also encourage a sense of community, helping to welcome new members to the team. A familiar face can go a long way in making a work environment more comfortable.

—

Tiger is one of NYC’s leading graduate recruitment agencies. If you’re looking to hire a graduate or looking at jobs for graduates in New York, we can help! Get in touch today. If you’re looking for more hiring advice, read our interview guide for the best candidate selection.

1.https://www.gallup.com/workplace/238085/state-american-workplace-report-2017.aspx
2. https://b2b-assets.glassdoor.com/the-true-cost-of-a-bad-hire.pdf
3. https://www.rev.com/blog/how-gen-z-and-millennials-consume-video-content-what-that-means-for-production-teams
4. https://whattobecome.com/blog/millennials-in-the-workplace/

The post Four things you should be including in your graduate onboarding process appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

2022 has arrived and it’s time to start thinking about your recruitment strategy for the year ahead.

Why is having an effective recruitment strategy important?

If you want to improve your success in talent acquisition and establish a sustainable hiring process to ensure you attract and retain the best talent next year, developing an effective recruitment strategy is critical.

As you carry out your end of year review, assess what worked well in 2021 and what needs to change for 2022. A new year is a fresh start, so it’s a great time to experiment with new strategies. If you’ve been struggling to attract talent, you need to flex your approach to hiring practices in the new year.

Take some time to consider what will make your organization an attractive employer in 2022. Will you offer competitive remuneration and benefits packages for example? Will you offer excellent career progression opportunities? Is your business environmentally and socially aware? Will you offer a pleasant working environment and encourage a healthy work life balance for your employees?

Why enlist the services of a recruitment agency?

As a savvy employer, you recognize the value of top talent, but you’re also aware that attracting and retaining top tier candidates is a time-consuming and costly process. And in a buoyant jobs market, where employers are competing with one another for the most skilled and experienced staff, this process becomes even more challenging.

Partnering with a professional staffing agency who can help by identifying and attracting the right candidates for your organization can significantly reduce the pressure.

Here are 3 key benefits of using a professional staffing agency:

1. Speed up the hiring process

A well-established and experienced staffing agency can find top tier candidates faster than you can. In no time at all they can tap into a vast talent pool via their existing database, they have a broad network of connections to leverage and utilize powerful sourcing tools that make the process of finding the right job candidates much faster and more productive.

2. Access to the best candidates

Staffing agencies have access to a wide pool of talented jobseekers. Top candidates don’t have time to search job boards. Instead, they turn to a specialist recruiter who they can trust to find them the right role. This includes access to candidates who are actively seeking work as well as talent who are employed elsewhere. Professional recruiters also understand the logistics and marketing value behind each of the top job boards.

3. Market knowledge 

A businesses’ requirements can often be specific and difficult to find, this is where a recruiter’s industry expertise and market knowledge proves valuable. Once a relationship has been built, the agency will be aware of the qualities and attributes required for someone to be a good fit for your company, and all future hires will be easier and faster. Professional recruiters are industry specialists and can provide regular market insight to hiring teams. They can offer advice on attracting the best talent, salary and benefits, skills shortages, hiring complexities and retention strategies.

How can Tiger Recruitment help you meet your staffing needs in 2022?

We are lucky enough to attract the best quality candidates by being the leaders in our market. Established in 2001, our team is highly experienced in filling permanent and temporary positions with exceptional business support staff, in the fastest time possible. We tailor our approach to each individual requirement, ensuring the employers’ values are reflected in each candidate we put forward for a role. This is what makes Tiger Fiercely Distinctive.

A unique approach to recruitment

We take a thorough approach to business support recruitment. All of our candidates are rigorously screened and tested and once we take a detailed briefing from you we will search our database and send you a tailored shortlist of potential candidates we believe will suit the position and your unique requirements. We assess and select candidates based on several criteria. These include skills and professional experience as well as personality and attitude. We also take time to understand a candidate’s values to ensure the perfect alignment with your business.

We really take the time to understand your company, culture and its needs as we believe the right fit is essential. We pride ourselves on our client service to make the process as easy and seamless as possible for you. Our thorough, honest and transparent approach sets us apart from our competitors.

We do the hard work for you

We make hiring easy, it’s that simple. We save you time by carefully screening job applicants to ensure we are identifying the closest applicant-job-description matches. During the shortlisting process, we will consider the professional background of each candidate alongside their values, qualifications, experience, skill set and projected candidate-organization fit. We meet every candidate (either face to face or on Video Call) and interview them thoroughly for each role before submitting them to you.

Specialists in permanent and temporary recruitment

Whether you’re looking for a temporary, contract or permanent member of staff, we can help. Our consultants are on hand to organize a variety of placements, from same-day cover to long-term contract positions. If you’re in need of some help immediately, our team can have an exceptional candidate in your office within a matter of hours.

If you’d like help developing your 2022 recruitment strategy, or if you’d like to discuss how we can help you meet your staffing needs in the new year, get in touch today.

The post Planning to hire in 2022? We can help! appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Our Head of the Permanent Division in our London office and Tessa Cooper, Founder of Collaborative Future, talk about ways employers can support their remote teams through this period. With an emphasis on practical tips to encourage collaboration, this webinar is aimed at managers and team leaders who are managing a remote workforce for the first time.

The post LISTEN – Motivating and Managing Remote Teams appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

How to Hire a VA

Regardless of whether you’re engaging a recruitment agency or going through the process yourself, knowing how to hire a virtual assistant (VA) is key to successful virtual assistant recruitment. Before you start, follow the steps outlined below to ensure you’re fully prepared.

1. Document Tasks For Virtual Assistant To Take On

If you’re looking to hire a VA prior to writing the job description, it’s important to list down all the important tasks you’d expect your virtual assistant to take on.

Clearly candidate selection is the first step in understanding VA hiring. Define the specific tasks you will want your virtual assistant to manage such as administrative work, customer support or social media management. Managing these expectations early on can help support the longevity of your virtual assistant and help you to understand exactly the type of virtual assistant you are looking for.

2. Create Job Description

 It is essential to create a compelling and detailed job spec in your steps to understanding virtual assistant recruitment. After listing down your expectations, start by clearly outlining the primary responsibilities and tasks expected from the virtual assistant, such as managing emails, scheduling appointments, conducting research, and providing administrative support. Specify any required skills or qualifications, such as proficiency in specific software languages, and indicate the desired level of experience.

At this point, you can also provide information about the company, including its mission, benefits, values and work environment. This will give prospective employees a sense of the organization. Finally, note down the hours and any opportunities for growth and development.

Next, establish your budget and what you’d like to pay your new VA. You’re now in a great position to put together a comprehensive job description.

You’re now in a great position to hire a qualified virtual assistant candidate and find the right fit for your organization.

3. Post Virtual Assistant Jobs Online

After finalizing your job description, you can send it across to your recruiter to create a job advert to post online, unless you’re recruiting directly. A detailed and enticing job ad will give you the best possible chance of attracting talented candidates who are eager to contribute their skills as a virtual assistant.

4. Review Applications & Schedule Interviews

When reviewing applications to schedule interviews, consider the applicants’ experience, communication skills and compatibility with your work culture. When you have narrowed down your options you can then reach out to your top choices and schedule interviews or trial periods to assess their suitability further – unless you’re using a recruiter. In this case, they’ll reach out to the candidates to give feedback and schedule interviews.

5. Choose Candidates for Trials

Asking candidates to complete trials can be a good way to ‘try before you buy’. If you’d like to engage someone in a trial before committing on a long-term basis, review the candidate’s qualifications, experience and skill set in the first instance. Look for an individual who possesses effective communication skills, organizational abilities and a good understanding of technology and virtual assistant tasks. Additionally, consider their availability and flexibility to accommodate your specific needs. If you’re using a recruiter, they can communicate this to the candidate for you.

When conducting interviews or assessments, make sure you create tasks to evaluate their problem-solving abilities, diligence, and ability to adapt to new situations. It is crucial at this stage to gauge their responsiveness, professionalism, and overall attitude during the trial period. Look for candidates who take initiative, are reliable, and can work independently while following instructions.

Lastly, once the trial session has ended, gather feedback from other team members who interact with the candidate during the trial. Their perspective can provide valuable insights into the candidate’s collaboration skills and overall fit to the organization.

6: Hire A Virtual Assistant

As part of the trial, if other members of the team met the candidate you can ask for their feedback. Once the feedback has been received and you’ve assessed every candidate thoroughly you can begin to draft up your job offer to share with them. If you’re using a recruiter, the consultant can offer the job directly to your chosen candidate.

Benefits of Hiring Virtual Staff

Hiring a virtual assistant offers numerous benefits that can enhance productivity and streamline business operations. A virtual assistant provides flexible support, allowing you to delegate tasks without the need for physical presence. This means you can focus on core business activities while the virtual assistant manages time-consuming administrative duties, such as scheduling appointments, managing emails, and organizing documents.

Additionally, virtual assistants can offer round-the-clock availability, ensuring your business operates smoothly across different time zones. By delegating non-essential tasks to a VA, you can prioritize important strategic decisions and dedicate more time to business growth. Finally, by having the option of sourcing virtual staff from around the globe, you’ll have access to a richer, wider talent pool of candidates compared to those who you require to work onsite.

Types of Virtual Assistants

 Virtual assistants can specialise in a number of different areas, each offering a unique skill set to cater to specific business needs.

Administrative virtual assistants

Administrative virtual assistants support tasks such as managing calendars, scheduling appointments, organizing data, and handling correspondence. They are proficient in using productivity tools and possess excellent organizational abilities.

Marketing virtual assistants

Marketing virtual assistants focus on digital marketing strategies, social media management, content creation and SEO optimization. They have a deeper understanding of online platforms and trends, allowing businesses to enhance their online presence effectively.

Technical virtual assistants

Technical virtual assistants specialize in IT support, website development, software troubleshooting, and database management. Their expertise ensures a smooth operation and resolves technical issues promptly.

Creative virtual assistants

Creative virtual assistants possess skills in graphic design, video editing, copywriting, and content creation. They bring artistic flair to branding, marketing materials and multimedia content.

Customer service virtual assistants

Customer service virtual assistants are adept at handling customer enquiries, managing live chats and providing exceptional customer support. Their verbal and written communication will be second to none, with the aim of providing an exceptional experience to your customers or clients.

How to Manage Virtual Assistants

Effectively managing virtual assistants is crucial for maximizing their productivity and ensuring a smooth working relationship. To start with, you will need to familiarise virtual assistants with your business by providing comprehensive onboarding and training. Create detailed standard operating procedures (SOPs) to outline tasks and workflows. This not only helps virtual assistants to understand their roles but also enables seamless knowledge transfer if a new assistant joins the team.

First, establish clear communication channels and expectations from the outset. Use project management tools like Trello or Asana, instant messaging platforms like Teams or Slack, and regular video calls to maintain contact and provide feedback.

Clearly define tasks, deadlines, and deliverables to avoid misunderstandings. Trust and delegate responsibilities, empowering virtual assistants to make decisions within their expertise.

Lastly, regularly evaluating the workload and performance of virtual assistants ensures that they are not overwhelmed. Adjust tasks and responsibilities as needed to maintain a healthy work life-balance. By implementing these management strategies, businesses can effectively manage virtual assistants and optimize their productivity and contribution to the organization.

Hire Virtual Assistant

If you are looking to hire a virtual assistant, we can help. Our team has extensive experience in how to hire a virtual assistant. All our candidates are rigorously screened, tested and reference checked.

Our consultants regularly meet virtual assistants with a variety of diverse skills and experience. During the shortlisting process we will consider their professional backgrounds alongside their values, ensuring you are fully informed before the interview stage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Find a few of our most frequently asked questions below. If you have further questions about the Business Support staff hiring process, get in touch today!

The post How to hire a virtual assistant appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

As an executive assistant, to say you complete a plethora of different tasks would be an understatement. While it may seem overwhelming at times, technology can help to complete some of these tasks quickly and efficiently. From managing diaries to arranging events and transport, embracing new technology can serve to increase productivity and reduce errors. As one of the leading job agencies, we’ve put together three technology trends and tools to help you in your day-to-day working life.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Certain tasks can be repetitive and time-consuming. By using specific AI technologies, however, you can reduce how much time is spent on these, enabling you to focus on more strategic tasks. Using AI can also help to reduce the risk of human error, such as double-booking meetings or buying plane tickets on the wrong day. Technologies like x.ai, for example, can schedule multiple calendars and coordinate optimal times for meetings for you[1]. The software responds to meeting requests via email and suggests times that suit all participants based on time zones, time between meetings and your principal’s desired meeting time.

In a trend report conducted by Advanced[2] in 2019, 34% of administrative professionals stated that they have some exposure to AI technologies on a daily basis (up from 26% in 2018), thus proving it’s becoming more popular.

Specialized cloud software

Specialized cloud software offers a number of benefits and is generally easy to use, with one benefit being increased flexibility. As an EA with a busy schedule, cloud software allows you to access your files from anywhere in the world.

Cloud software is also better for the environment compared to a paper-based system[3]. Where you may have previously churned through hundreds of sheets of paper a week when reporting, managing expenses or arranging travel, using cloud software can minimize this. This could be using something as simple as Google Drive, or a more specialized system like Workday (finance) or Splunk (IT).

Collaboration software

Good communication is essential. You’re required to liaise with a number of different people internally and externally, so using collaborative applications and software could make your job significantly easier. Applications such as Slack[4] allow you to share files and receive responses from colleagues instantly. Individual or group conversations are possible – and everything is searchable in Slack so you can quickly catch up on past conversations.

As you can see from the above list, embracing technology when completing your daily tasks may prove to be extremely beneficial for your overall productivity. It will also free up your time to work on tasks that require a human touch, like managing an office move, or communicating with your Principal’s clients.

Ready To Hire an EA?

Tiger Recruitment is here to assist. We specialize in matching individuals and businesses with the perfect EA to meet your unique needs. Our team is here to guide you through the process, ensuring you find the right fit for your lifestyle and business. Read our ultimate guide to hiring an EA and get in touch to start the hiring process.

[1] https://x.ai/how-it-works/

[2] https://www.oneadvanced.com/trends-report/

[3] https://www.techrepublic.com/article/going-green-10-ways-to-make-your-office-more-eco-friendly-and-efficient/

[4] https://slack.com/intl/en-gb/

Written by Beckie Jordan for Advanced

The post The top technology trends in EAs appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

In a world of increasingly sophisticated technology that threatens to replace them, executive assistants are standing strong. In fact, the EA role is thriving, present within more industries and organizations than ever before. While AI bots and virtual assistants such as Alexa and Siri flaunt their latest functions, they remain incapable of delivering the human touch of a great EA partnership.

The key to this resilience is the adaptability of the role. Whatever the needs and working style of a manager, business owner or private individual, an EA role can be tailored to provide bespoke support.

But this very adaptability can make the EA hiring process complex. What responsibilities should a EA job description outline? What does their career progression look like? What skills and experience should you look for? How can the hiring process unpick the necessary character traits to support the specific demands of an individual or team?

In this guide we will delve into each of these questions in detail. Intended for anyone wondering how to hire an EA for either a business or private function, we hope to provide you with the basic frameworks from which to build out a bespoke hiring process – from job descriptions and interviews to employee onboarding and development programs.

Contents

• What Is an Executive Assistant?
• Why Hire an Executive Assistant?
• Types of Assistant
• How To Hire An EA
• Skills To Look For In An EA
• Writing an Executive Assistant Job Description
• Tips For Interviewing an EA
• Onboarding and integration
• Learning and Development for EAs
• EA career progression
• FAQs

What Is an Executive Assistant?

Before hiring an executive assistant, you should be clear in your understanding of a what an EA role entails, and whether it is the right call for you to hire one. It is a significant investment, so having a firm grasp on the different types of EA, what they can and can’t do for you, and the costs involved, will all help to streamline the process.

An executive assistant (EA) is someone employed to provide support to a senior manager, business owner, or private individual. They can be tasked with both business and personal administrative duties, and are found in every size of organization, from startups to SMEs and large corporations.

What Does an Executive Assistant Do?

Due to its bespoke nature, no two EA roles are the same. Depending on the needs and preferences of a manager, the responsibilities of a EA can include:

• Manage schedules and calendars
• Handle correspondence (phone and email)
• Creating reports and documents
• Meeting minutes and agendas
• File organization
• Maintaining office supplies
• Data entry and database management
• Travel arrangements
• Project assistance
• Expense management

Executive assistants possess a wide range of skills to accomplish their diverse tasks, but there are several responsibilities outside of their remit. Both a manager and EA should be aware of these.

• Specialized professional services
• Unauthorized financial transactions
• Personal tasks outside of scope
• Deep cleaning your home
• Cooking for your family
• Childcare services

Why Hire an Executive Assistant?

Hiring an EA may not be the right decision for every business or individual, but if you are finding yourself overwhelmed by your workload, EAs can provide many benefits that justify the expense.

Effective Time Management

With an EA handling your business, travel, and calendar administration, you will free up time to devote to more critical work. This in turn will improve your productivity and the results of your work.

Increased Organization

EAs will take on the filing and retrieval of your physical and digital documents and correspondence, reducing the risk of losing an important report, email, or tickets for travel and accommodation.

Efficient Communication

Having an assistant dedicated to monitoring all your correspondence can streamline your communications with clients and colleagues. An EA will ensure that all emails, phone calls, and letters are responded to within an allotted timeframe.

Personal Support

The demands of work can often mean your personal responsibilities take a backseat. EAs can help you stay on top of this side of life too, where appropriate. This could mean booking a restaurant, purchasing a gift, or arranging childcare.

Types of Assistant

With this knowledge of typical EA responsibilities, you can start matching them to your requirements and build a picture of your ideal EA.

As well as determining the EA’s responsibilities, you should also consider the industry the EA will be working in, and the role of their Principal within the organization. While they may have a similar skill set, prospective EAs will have a different working knowledge and expertise, so finding one with experience matching your sector and position will be crucial for success.

There are several different types of assistant, including:

Corporate EAs

Corporate EAs work at the senior management levels of businesses. They have a strong understanding of the inner workings and dynamics of complex organizations.

Team Assistants (TAs)

TAs specialize in providing admin support for multiple members of staff. Depending on the size of the business, this could be the full workforce, or one department-specific team.

Private personal assistants

Private PAs are employed directly by individuals to assist in their personal and/or business affairs. They are adept at supporting the needs of HNWI, business owners, celebrities, private families, and other high-profile individuals.

Business assistants

Business assistants support business owners, chief executives, or other staff in the most senior positions in an organization. This is a more senior assistant role that typically requires several years of experience.

Virtual Assistants

Virtual assistants (VAs) offer remote administrative support to senior managers, teams, or private individuals. They are often freelancers, and may work part-time for several employers.

How To Hire an Executive Assistant

Once you have a clear idea of the type of executive assistant best suited to your needs, you can begin the search. Whether or not you are working with a recruitment agency, there are some hiring best practices that should inform your hiring process.

Personality fit

As you will work more closely with your EA than with any other colleague, finding someone with a complementary personality to yours should play a role in the decision-making. The best EAs will quickly synchronize with their manager’s work rhythms and communication style, and could grow into a great partner for brainstorming ideas.

Consider prior experience

An EA’s personality fit should be balanced with an appraisal of their work history. Experience in the same industry or for an employer in a similar position are good indicators that a candidate will gel with the wider team and type of business.

Trust Your Recruiter

EA recruitment agencies are experts when it comes to balancing skills, experience, and personality fit in the search for candidates. When you’re presented with a recruiter’s shortlist, it’s important to trust in their expertise and consider their selection. Sometimes, a candidate may not appear to be a good fit on paper, but if an experienced consultant believes they could thrive, it is probably worth a meeting.

Manage Expectations and Be Responsive

When recruiting prospective EAs, remember to keep them informed about how many stages are involved, their current application status, and when they can expect to hear your decision. Following their interview with you – whether they’re successful or not – they will appreciate transparent feedback that helps them to improve next time. Your communication will go a long way to demonstrating the authenticity of your employer brand, which in turn contributes to future candidate referrals and credibility.

Skills To Look For In an EA

While EA roles can vary widely in terms of responsibilities, there are a number of core EA skills and character traits that the best assistants share. Keep these in mind when considering candidates for your EA position:

Organization

In order to juggle many varied tasks, regular deadlines, and constant change, EAs must have excellent organizational and time management skills.

Communication

As the gatekeeper for their Principal, EAs must be excellent written and verbal communicators, confident dealing with clients and colleagues of all seniorities.

Proactivity

With senior managers often unavailable due to meetings and travel, EAs must be able to take the initiative without direction.

Discretion

EAs are party to much private and sensitive information. They must be trustworthy and meticulously discrete.

Computer literacy

EAs will conduct a large portion of their work on computers so need to have a strong grasp of several key programs. This includes email software, word processors, spreadsheet software, and organizational tools like calendars and project planners.

Resilience

EAs work in a high-pressure, fast-moving environment, requiring a thick skin and ability to remain professional in challenging situations.

Writing an Executive Assistant Job Description

With your criteria and hiring process now in place, you will need to create a detailed and bespoke job description for candidates. The more specific, the better, as it will help filter out inappropriate applicants, and target those with the right experience, and a genuine interest in the role.

The below is a general EA job description template, which can be adapted to your needs.

Executive Assistant Job Description Template

Key responsibilities:

• Efficient minute-taking in team and client meetings
• Extensive travel with the managing director to meetings and conferences, sometimes internationally
• Clear and accurate typing up of all letters, memos, reports and similar documents from shorthand notes
• Saving and archiving, where necessary, all documents in the company database
• Occasional transcribing of dictation and voice memos
• Implementing and maintaining an office filing system
• First point of contact for all incoming calls and visits
• Complex diary management, both business and personal, for the managing director and team
• Extensive and efficient email correspondence
• Answering telephone calls in a timely fashion, taking clear and detailed messages
• Organization of meetings, including booking venues, ordering refreshments and minute-taking

Essential requirements:

• Graduate of secretarial college desirable, but not necessary
• At least three years’ experience in a similar role
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Competent with Microsoft Office suite
• Polite telephone manner

Personality profile:

• Extremely organized
• Detail-orientated
• Focused and responsive
• Takes initiative
• An excellent multi-tasker

Benefits:

• Competitive salary and bonus
• Gym membership
• Company phone
• Pension scheme
• Health care
• 25 days annual leave per annum

You should also consider the typical EA salaries when building your job description.

Tips For Interviewing an EA

Getting your interview questions, style and structure right are key when considering how to hire an executive assistant. The interview stage is the chance to dig deeper and find the candidate who ticks all the right boxes to be your ideal executive assistant. It’s best practice to combine both broad and specific EA interview questions, as this will build a full, detailed picture of the candidate.

Your questions should be designed to tease out insights into their work background, achievements, communication, problem-solving skills, industry knowledge, personality, and interests.

General interview questions

• Tell me about yourself
• Why should we hire you as a executive assistant?
• What is your greatest strength and weakness?
• How do you prioritize tasks and manage your time effectively?
• Why do you want to work here?

Experience-related interview questions

• Can you tell me about your previous position?
• What do you think are important skills for an executive assistant?
• What is the biggest mistake you have made at work?
• Can you provide an example of when you went above and beyond your duties as an executive assistant?
• Can you provide an example of a challenging situation you encountered as an executive assistant and how you resolved it?
• Have you ever been responsible for managing travel arrangements?
• How do you handle working with confidential information?
• Have you organized an event or function?
• Is there any part of this job role that concerns you?

Onboarding and integration

With a successful interview process behind you and a new executive assistant raring to go, it’s vital not to let things stall. By having a robust EA onboarding process in place, you can ensure the partnership with your new EA lives up to, and exceeds, its potential.

Set expectations

At the first opportunity, you should clarify the roles and responsibilities detailed in the job description. Both parties need to agree on what is within the EA’s remit.

Create a schedule

You should ensure you both understand the days and hours of regular work, and expectations on communication and work outside of those times.

Use the latest technology

There are many tools for EAs available. Apps and online services are now available to streamline many EA tasks, including calendars, budgeting software, project planning programs, and many communications channels.

Set KPIs

Key performance indicators (KPIs) will help you and your EA track their achievements and areas for improvement, ensuring the working relationship goes from strength to strength.

Set up a support base

Partnering your EA with a work mentor and introducing them to other assistants in the business will help them settle in and feel more confident in their work.

Learning & Development for EAs

As much thought and effort should be put into retaining a great executive assistant as is put into hiring one. Having a long-term EA can provide many business benefits, from improving efficiency, to maintaining strong client relationships, training new staff, and fostering camaraderie among the wider team.

While welcoming a new EA into the role during the onboarding phase, you should also show them how they can grow in the business. This could be through internal promotion, learning and development programs, or external courses.

By actively investing in your EA’s professional growth, you can improve the quality of their work while also nurturing loyalty. Holding onto a member of staff who is both qualified and has a deep working knowledge of the business is crucial for success.

Organizations can offer both internal and external learning and development opportunities as part of their employee benefits package. Mentoring by more senior administration staff is one of the most effective ways to upskill existing executive assistants, and some businesses offer the chance for staff to diversify their skills with training run by other departments.

In terms of external training and qualifications, several organizations offer courses geared towards business and administration careers. Our pick of the best EA courses include:

American Society of Administrative Professionals

One of the most accessible and effective courses is ASAP’s Professional Administrative Certification of Excellence (PACE). This online course can be taken year-round at a date of the student’s choosing, and includes modules covering communication, project management, and computer and technology skills.

Institute of Executive Assistant & Administrators

The IEAA run executive assistant training programs featuring accredited tutors, both online and in-person. Their courses run from junior level to more senior EA training, with the opportunity to gain a certificate or diploma.

International Association of Administrative Professionals

The IAAP offer a Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) credential, as well as the Certified Administrative Professional in progress (CAP ip) for more junior administrative assistants. This qualification is a clear marker that an EA has up-to-date skills and knowledge to take on whatever is thrown at them in the modern EA role.

EA career progression

Having a thorough understanding of an executive assistant’s career path in different organizations will help you advise your EA on their potential internal progression. A typical path from entry-level to senior could look like:

EA Career Progression in SMEs

EA Career Progression in medium-sized businesses

EA Career Progression in Large Businesses

Looking To Hire a EA?

Now that you understand how to hire an executive assistant, it’s time to get the ball rolling! Let us know your requirements and a consultant will be in touch.

The post Ultimate Guide: How To Hire an Executive Assistant appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, many team leaders have found themselves managing a remote team for the first time. This brings with it different challenges and opportunities, but above all, it’s essential to encourage collaboration within your team – especially in times of uncertainty.

Tiger’s Head of the Permanent Division in the West End, Missy Shutt-Vine, recently hosted a webinar with Tessa Cooper, Founder of Collaborative Future[1], HR and collaboration specialist. During the session, she offered practical tips for managers on how to foster a collaborative environment while working remotely.

Ten Tips to Encourage Collaboration Remotely

Be open with your anxieties

Tessa says managers need to be “able to share the things they’re going through themselves, what’s new to them and what they’re struggling with”. In the current climate, many people are worried about supporting a team in a situation where no one knows how long it will last or its future implications. If this is you, communicate openly and transparently with your team, as this will allow them to really understand your situation. You can’t “have all the answers for everyone all the time”, she says.

Managers need to be “able to share the things they’re going through themselves, what’s new to them and what they’re struggling with”.

This also sets an example in communicating the way you’re working. Whether that’s “signalling to your team when you’re coming online or when you’re leaving for lunch. Or it could be on a much larger scale, [such as] how you set…flexibility…for yourself [due to] children at home…or caring responsibilities. You may also be suffering from anxieties and stress, so ask for the flexibility you need from your team to demonstrate to them that it’s OK to ask for [the same from you]”, Tess explains.

Missy adds that, “In this situation, communication is key! Despite not being able to be face-to-face with your remote team, constantly stay in touch so you can empathize with their challenges on both the work and personal side.”

Change the focus

While this is an uncertain period for everyone and may bring with it high stress and anxiety, it’s important to try to, “see this as an opportunity to take a pause as a team. Your routine [and the way you communicate] might have changed, [so] talk about what your expectations are of one another and how this change can be best managed together”, Tessa explains.

If you and your team now have the space and time to work on things you’ve never had the chance to before, take advantage of it! Tessa says that could include “a whole host of things – a new strategy, team-building, learning new skills together [or working on] personal development.” It will allow the team to feel involved in the plan of action over the next few weeks, motivating them to dive head-first into this new focus.

Let your team know if your workload has changed

If you and your team are now working from home, it may feel like you get to the end of the day and realize you’ve not ticked one thing off your to-do list due to the never-ending stream of phone calls and video meetings! If this is you, Tessa suggests that you “should feel comfortable sharing with [your] teams that it’s having a knock-on effect on [your] work. A lot of people don’t realize that their managers have a lot of other things to focus on, so we really need to work on being a lot more open with our teams and sharing the pressures on us.” Communication and collaboration go hand in hand!

A practical solution may be a shift in thinking with our calendars. Instead of “blocking out time [where] we need to focus on one particular thing”, Tessa has seen it work much more effectively if “you can block out time that people can proactively make appointments with you. That way, [your team] knows…there’s a section of time in the day or week where you are having one-to-one conversations.” She says this has other benefits too, as it “will also help you with task switching, which is another difficult thing when you’re jumping on and off calls: It’s really hard to sit down for the 20 minutes you have between calls to crack on with something else.”

Managers also may be able to use this time to start to implement more of a coaching mindset with their team, to allow them the scope and ability to come up with ideas and make decisions for themselves. “That’s a much longer-term thing around how you ensure people are much more self-sufficient”, Tessa explains, but it may allow the pressure to be released slightly on a manager whose team constantly looks to them for guidance.

Think mindfully about company announcements

In times of crises, managers and business leaders need to balance internal communication very carefully. Tessa says that “there’s a real risk of under-communicating now you’re not based in an office together and [are] potentially working different hours from one another.” However, keep in mind that “people are already feeling a heightened sense of stress in all sorts of ways, so businesses need to tread a careful line between the types of communication they send out [and] how regularly [they are sent].”

Also, think about the timing of these messages. For example, don’t send anything that may provoke anxiety or questions “late at night, when people are about to log off and go spend time with their families – that is unhelpful as it is going to cause them stress overnight and won’t allow them to talk to their managers about it”, Tess says. This may cause negative feelings within a remote team, hindering an open and collaborative environment.

Manage your own stress

Alongside worrying about your team’s health and well being, you’re probably also feeling uncertain and anxious about the current situation. Tessa has seen that, “one of the challenges is about how you manage your own stress, worries and fears so they don’t have a knock-on effect for people who are also experiencing [the same thing].”

Whether it’s “stress to do with the coronavirus outbreak, using new technology and ways of working, [or] feeling like you may be judged for your ability to manage this sort of change, [realize] that everyone is in the same situation.” It’s unprecedented and there isn’t a guide book to follow – so you’re allowed to make mistakes!

Tessa suggests that “managers [should take] time to think of ways to release their stress, [including] taking breaks from work when they need it [or] doing things outside of work [they enjoy]. [This means] when they are working with people and are relied upon to answer difficult questions, they are not projecting that stress and anxiety onto other people.”

Understand that every team within the business is different

“Teams within businesses have all been affected very differently,” Tessa explains. “Up until now, a lot of businesses think that being fair is about treating everyone equally. [However], the reality is that this situation is impacting people a lot differently.” For example, some front-line teams may find their workload has significantly decreased due to the pandemic, whereas others, like operations, may find they’re busier than before. Missy adds, “I think the only thing that everyone has in common at the moment is that things are uncertain. We’re all trying to change and adapt to work out the next steps forward as best we can.”

“So,” Tessa continues, “it’s really important that managers take time to understand what each individual in their team needs and how they can best be supported through this time.” It’s also a good idea to encourage your remote team to take this into account when collaborating with others within the company.

Future-proof your team

“The most important thing a manager can do right now is really seeing this as an opportunity to future-proof your team and business,” Tessa says. “I don’t think there’s any going back to normal or the way things were. Some people are going to now [expect] more flexibility because they can actually see that it’s helped them to do their job. Other people are going to continue to be affected by the last few weeks, even after the situation has passed.”

“So, I think making time to actually work out what’s important as a company and as a team [is a good idea].” Experiment with new ways of working, like implementing flexible hours, upgrading remote systems, or trying new ways to collaborate with online programs such as Trello[2] or Monday[3].

Tessa says that “while the tools we use are important, most important are the people you’re working with. Without those people, you can’t do the work that you need to do, [which means] you don’t have a business. Now is an important time to make sure we’re really looking after our people in one way or another and giving them the support they need. In terms of those needs, [managers should be flexible]…to help those people in the best way that suits them.”

Focus on what’s certain

Tessa explains that “the other thing I’ve been encouraging teams to do is focus on what they do know is certain.” Identify these things first, whether it be your company mission, your customer base or your commitment to your staff and use these as a way to motivate your remote team. It’s “just [about] reiterating the basic things that aren’t going to falter in one way or another.” They will find this comforting and “be able to hold onto that” when carrying out their work and communicating with others.

Facilitate team learning

There are a few things you can do to facilitate team collaboration beyond the company-wide meeting. Tessa shares that she’s “seen lots of teams learning or [taking] online courses together and sharing the [lessons]. [For example, they can] self-organize workshops using Zoom, [or try out] an online learning platform [where the team] can all come together to learn, [such as] Future Learn[4] or EdX[5]”.

Don’t forget the fun!

It may not be the first thing on your mind when encouraging your team to collaborate remotely, but the fun and social side of work can bridge the geographical divide between colleagues. Missy explains that, “at Tiger, keeping up our social interaction has been really important while we’re remote working. One of the initiatives we’ve put in place is a weekly running competition on Strava. This week, we’ve challenged our team to draw the funniest-looking GPS track on their daily run. This is just one of the ways we’re trying to get the business to all come together while we’re apart.”

The fun and social side of work can bridge the geographical divide between colleagues.

Tessa suggests that “just having remote cups of tea and things like that [help], as you don’t get to stop off at the kitchen and chat with people [anymore].” Other ideas include:

• Bingo/trivia game on a Friday afternoon
• Daily well being email from someone in the team
• A virtual exercise/yoga class at lunchtime

Trying these is a great way to promote team bonding, considering technology offers us so many opportunities to stay connected while online.

[1] HTTPS://WWW.COLLABORATIVEFUTURE.CO.UK/

[2] HTTPS://TRELLO.COM/

[3] HTTPS://MONDAY.COM/

[4] HTTPS://WWW.FUTURELEARN.COM/

[5] HTTPS://WWW.EDX.ORG/

The post Remote team management – 10 tips to encourage collaboration appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Festivities are starting to take shape across the US – the Christmas lights have been switched on and Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You is defrosting as we speak.

The festive season also means that the classic Secret Santa gift swap is upon us once again. Gifting presents to co-workers can contribute to positive morale in the office and add an extra bit of excitement alongside any workplace benefits you might already be offering employees at this time of year.

However, though there are many positives to the concept, there can also be some drawbacks. A recent study found that 58% of Americans are planning to forego spending money on gifts for their colleagues this year.[1] With consumer pressures and the rising cost-of-living; it’s easy to understand why some employees are less than enthusiastic about the gift giving traditions at the office.

There is also some debate about how much employees would like to spend. Many employees will no doubt have different expectations of what the cost might be, and may feel anxious if the price point is more than expected. According to research, the average employee spends $25 for co-workers and $30 on a gift for the boss.[2]

So if you are going to kick off the festive season with a gift-giving initiative, it’s important to take the right approach.

Here are some tips to ensure your Secret Santa efforts are as successful as can be:

Don’t make it compulsory

Making activities like these compulsory can add unwanted stress to a co-workers schedule and trigger office politics. While every employee should be invited to participate, making opting out easy and anonymous will mean there’s no pressure if individuals decide it’s not for them. It also means no-one ends up with a dud gift as everyone has voluntarily chosen to take part and isn’t left grasping at straws at the last minute.

Set a budget

Keep things streamlined with a budget ensures there’s not an imbalance in spending and employees don’t feel excluded. It’s worth ensuring the designated amount is achievable for all participants as well – setting the budget too high could make things awkward.

Consider a wish list or questionnaire

In larger organisations, knowing what to buy for a co-worker can be daunting. Offering the option of filling out a short questionnaire or nominating a wish list can take the stress out of gifting and ensure the allocated budget isn’t wasted on a present that the receiver doesn’t like or use. It’s also worth reminding all employees that gifts could be opened publicly and as such, should be appropriately chosen.

Don’t leave it to the last minute

December is notoriously busy in workplaces, so it’s best to get in early. Consider sending out the initial invite in November, leaving plenty of time for withdrawals, the drawing of names and gift sourcing.

It’s also worth scheduling reminders as you inch closer to the exchange date to make sure no-one is left behind. Sending out an email or company-wide message two weeks, a week and then a few days before will hopefully reduce any frantic last-minute purchases.

Get some help

There are plenty of free programs that can make a gift exchange easier. Drawnames.co.uk, Secret Santa Organiser, Elfster and Sneaky Santa are all free online resources that can automatically arrange the distribution of names amongst offices. Just enter the email addresses of the participants and let the automated programs work their magic. Some programs also include the possibility of adding wish lists and gift suggestions, making the entire process even easier.

[1] https://www.worklife.news/culture/gift-giving-work/

[2] https://www.bizjournals.com/bizwomen/news/latest-news/2019/12/survey-employees-typically-spend-25-on-coworker.html?page=all

The post Five tips for a successful Secret Santa appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.