06Jun

There’s a community of personal assistants so small and secretive that should you meet one, you might suspect they work for the CIA. Non-disclosure agreements may not be unusual among executive assistants working for high-level corporate leaders, but this group requires you to sign one just to attend a meeting assuming a member vouches for you.

This rarefied group of assistants works for celebrities.

Where a typical private personal assistant may be hired to help with errands and handle some of the boss’ administrative affairs, a celebrity assistant is more likely to be booking a private jet to London, arranging a party in Los Angeles, or as one recalls in a magazine article, shopping in the middle of the night for gourmet ingredients.

The job of these A-list assistants in some respects isn’t far different from that of a corporate executive assistant. Both jobs demand the ability to multitask, good organizational skills, excellent communication, diplomacy, flexibility and the technical skills to get the job done. The difference is in the hours – celebrity assistants are on-call 24/7 – and in the intimacy of the employee-employer relationship.

“Every star has different boundaries and there are certainly those who try to keep their personal information private from their team as long as possible, but more often than not the assistants have access to almost everything in a matter of weeks,” writes Seija Rankin in E! Online.

There’s no shortage of jobs for personal assistants. Thousands are listed online with salaries ranging from around $15 an hour for the errand runner variety of assistant to $78,000 for top tier executive assistants.

ZipRecruiter says the average celebrity personal assistant pay nationwide is $53,000 and lists several openings. But real celebrity assistant jobs rarely show up online and when they do it’s usually by one of the boutique firms in New York or Los Angeles that specialize in placing assistants to the stars. Those A-lister will earn north of $125,000.

Landing one of those jobs is all about connections. You need experience, of course. After that, says the ENews article, “It’s purely by accident… Placements are so random that the assistants could barely give advice to aspiring celebrity assistants if they tried. ‘I don’t think any of us go to college and say, I’m going to be a celebrity assistant,’ stressed one person.”

You might find these tips helpful.

Keep in mind that personal assistants work in fields besides entertainment. As the exclusive New York Celebrity Assistants organization says, “Our organization’s membership represents such diverse fields as film, television, music, philanthropy, fashion, sports, finance, law and politics.”

Photo by Craig Adderley

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Green Key

Clothes Won’t Get You the Job But We Worry It Might Cost Us One

If you worry about your appearance before an interview, you’re not alone. A new survey says most of us do. We spend at least an hour deciding on an interview outfit and still 54% of us worry there’s some part of how we look that could cost us the job.

The survey of 1,997 workers found 86% believe it’s important to look attractive to an interviewer; 63% believe they’ve benefited from their appearance. Clothing and weight are two things both men and women worry about most.

As it happens, there’s some truth to thinking appearance is a factor. Making a good first impression does help, researchers have found. No one wants to start an interview having to overcome a negative caused by inappropriate dress or a frumpy appearance.

But should it happen — and it can — don’t despair. Another more detailed study of when interviewers form a hiring opinion tells us it occurs after at least 5 minutes; 40% make a decision about hirability after no less than 15 minutes.

One other finding from the recent worker survey to consider is that 86% of job seekers would prefer to be seen as competent more than likable. That’s truer for men (69%) than women (58%).

Feeling that way would seem to make sense, and certainly, no one thought incompetent is going to get a job offer regardless of how likable they may be. But with teamwork and collaboration so critical in today’s workplace, hiring managers and recruiters are looking for talented people who are also a good fit with the organization and its people. In that way, likability does factor in to a decision.

It’s important, therefore to spend at least as much time — more even — on how you present yourself as you do on what to wear. Check our article on the soft skills candidates need to demonstrate. The ability to communicate clearly and possessing emotional intelligence is what will decide which of two equally skilled people gets the job offer.

Photo by Nimble Made on Unsplash

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Green Key

Green Key Unlocked: Company Culture in Pandemic Aftermath

The coronavirus pandemic altered our lives in more ways than we can count. While masks and social distancing have become the new normal, so has the outlook of the corporate world. In the past year, more adults than ever have been making large career changes and bettering their work lives. In August of 2020, a record 4.3 million people quit their jobs in the U.S., in what many are calling “The Great Resignation.” 

What is causing this recent corporate trend? 

With canceled events and offices closing down, many professionals had a chance to reassess their wants and needs. This led to a huge surge in job departures and industry switches. Compensation and advancement opportunities were common factors, but the biggest reason? Lack of appreciation. 

“One of the things I hear the most when talking with job seekers is they feel undervalued in their current role,” says Kiki Tyler, Account Executive of Office Support at Green Key Resources. Clients reaching out are concerned about company culture, a detail many have overlooked in the past. Work from home culture has taken a significant effect on the importance of flexibility.  

In short, money isn’t everything. Job hunters want to know they can be trusted by their managers to get their work done. Gone are the days of long commutes and being chained to a desk. This need for a healthy work-life balance is what caused many people to flee their previous jobs. 

In a recent Prudential survey polling 2,000 adults, 87% said they’d prefer to work remotely at least one day a week. In fact, 42% of them claim that if their company didn’t allow fully remote work, they would find work elsewhere. This has caused a major shift in the way companies are treating their employees. 

Tyler says, “Throwing money at the problem isn’t going to make it go away. Increasing an employee’s salary to get them to stay is a short-term solution to a bigger issue. Company culture and communication are two places to look for low, no-cost solutions companies can implement now to make people feel more valued and appreciated today.” 

How can employers value their employees? 

These changes are happening quickly and companies will feel the need to keep up. The cost of filling lost roles versus making simple changes is becoming more and more prevalent. And while the perfect company culture varies from person to person, feeling “burned out” and underappreciated is no longer considered acceptable. 

Anthony Klotz, an associate professor of management at Texas A&M who coined the phrase “The Great Resignation”, says, “I think employers are going to need to do some trial and error, run some experiments on different setups. Organizations should approach this like a scientist.” 

This new work-life balance demand might seem difficult to achieve, but can definitely bring along some positive experiences. Valued adults produce better work. Various happy hours and free yoga will no longer suffice. Companies need to listen and learn from their employees, while growing together with them in this new age of work options.  

To find your new career and connect with one of our talented recruiters, visit our jobs page today to get started. 

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Green Key