What is the definition of an assistant?

Assistants typically help employees with administrative tasks. The exact duties of an assistant depend on your company’s needs. For example, you may need an assistant to help employees in your accounting department with basic clerical tasks. Other organizations hire assistants to support high-level executives.

In some cases, an assistant may help an executive stay organized with personal and business tasks. A personal assistant may coordinate childcare, schedule meetings, prepare correspondence, drop off dry cleaning and oversee household employees.

What does an assistant do?

Depending on their expertise and assigned job duties, assistants perform a wide variety of work. The following sections break down potential skills, roles and duties:

Skills

An assistant may need these skills to perform their job duties successfully:

• Excellent verbal and written communication
• Expertise with common computer applications, including Word, PowerPoint and Excel
• Excellent organization
• Time management
• Strategic planning
• Critical thinking

Roles

Some of the many roles an assistant can undertake include:

• Administrative assistant
• Executive assistant
• Office assistant
• Department assistant
• Legal assistant

Duties

Assistants perform many duties, including:

• Filing
• Storing and retrieving electronic data
• Screening phone calls, answering inquiries and routing calls
• Screening emails, faxes and physical mail
• Greeting visitors
• Taking notes and meeting minutes
• Producing documents and preparing presentations
• Communicating with clients, vendors or other staff
• Preparing expense reports

What to look for when hiring assistants

If you’ve never employed an assistant, research before you write a job description or post job openings. Being clear about your needs can help you find good employees who are capable of performing critical tasks.

Assistants typically follow these best practices.

1. Rely on to-do lists

Assistants typically have multiple tasks to accomplish during the workday and might be successful if they practice making to-do lists at the beginning of each day. A well-organized list can help them stay organized and keep track of tasks. Your assistant’s to-do list may also serve as an essential tool for prioritizing new tasks as they come in.

2. Keep a clean email inbox

To ensure your assistant can find important correspondence, ask them to delete or archive each message after reading it.

Folders can also make it easier to find specific emails in the future. For example, you may want your assistant to create folders for expense reports, event invitations and project updates.

3. Set up a work calendar

When you schedule an appointment or a meeting, have your assistant add it to their calendar. If your assistant schedules meetings, they refer to the calendar to determine when you’re available.

Your calendar can also help assistants with scheduling calls. For example, if you’re meeting with your company’s chief operating officer (CEO), your assistant can take a message or send the caller to your voicemail.

4. Prioritize tasks

Assistants usually handle various tasks, from stocking office supplies to taking notes during meetings. Not all tasks have the same priority, so your assistant should be able to complete them according to their level of urgency.

5. Use reminder apps

Encourage your assistant to use reminder apps. They can set reminders for specific days and times to ensure they pick up lunch or set up the conference room for a meeting.

6. Book appointments close together

Generally, an assistant should book multiple appointments close together. If you have three or four appointments in a row, you can spend the rest of the day focusing on other tasks.

You may want your assistant to stagger appointments instead of scheduling them back-to-back. Set clear expectations so your assistant can adjust accordingly.

7. Use out-of-office replies

If you’re hiring an executive assistant or a department assistant, they may receive important emails from vendors, customers and other employees. In some cases, the sender can’t wait for a response. To prevent unnecessary delays, ask your assistant to use an out-of-office reply whenever they’re away from their desk for more than a few hours.

Out-of-office replies let others know that your assistant won’t respond right away. If they have urgent needs, a sender can contact you directly or connect with another employee.

Frequently asked questions about hiring an assistant

Does an assistant need a bachelor’s degree?

While you can certainly require a bachelor’s degree, formal education isn’t typically necessary. You can train an assistant to perform many tasks, such as screening emails or calls and greeting visitors.

Even if you need someone to prepare presentations, work with spreadsheets or create documents, your new hire can learn these skills by taking classes, completing on-the-job training or obtaining relevant computer certifications.

Focusing on skills rather than degrees is a key component of skills-based hiring, an approach that can reduce time-to-fill and give you access to a larger pool of candidates.

What computer skills should my assistant have?

If you’re filling an entry-level position, basic word processing and internet skills may be sufficient. You may also benefit from hiring an assistant who’s familiar with industry-specific tools.

If your assistant may prepare expense reports or create slide decks, consider candidates with extensive experience using the Microsoft Office suite. Assistants typically also use digital calendars and internal databases.

How can an assistant benefit my organization?

Assistants handle various administrative tasks, giving you more time for strategic planning. Hiring an assistant may even help you become a better leader, as it presents an opportunity to refine your management and leadership skills.