Articles
Outsourced Administrative Services: 2 Main Service Types & How to Choose the Best One for You
If you’re searching for third party admin support, it’s important to understand that there are two main options to choose from. This article discusses each to help you understand which…
Chief of Staff vs. Executive Assistant: Which Is Best for You?
The role of Chief of Staff is markedly different from the role of Executive Assistant. This article discusses the key differences to understand in order to choose the right option…
Zirtual vs. BELAY vs. Persona: Comparing 3 Top Virtual Assistant Services
In this article, we discuss the similarities and differences between Zirtual and BELAY virtual assistant services, as well as how they differ from the remote executive assistant service we offer…
Executive Secretary Job Description Template (Plus Key Advice for Making a Great Hire)
In this article, we share a template for creating an executive secretary job description. Then, we discuss 2 key mistakes to avoid as you progress through the hiring process (and…
How to Create an Executive Administrative Assistant Job Description (With Free Template)
In this article, we share a template for creating an executive administrative assistant job description. Then, we discuss 3 key mistakes that companies make as they progress through the virtual…
Online Assistants: How to Evaluate Your Options and Make the Right Hire
Over the last 4 years, we’ve spoken to many founders and executives who’ve had bad past experiences with online assistants. This article discusses 3 mistakes to avoid when hiring online…
Virtual Executive Assistant Job Description: A Template to Attract Top Talent
In this article, we share a template for creating a virtual executive assistant job description. Then, we discuss 3 key mistakes that companies make as they progress through the virtual…
How to Outsource Your Executive Assistant: 3 Main Options and the Pros and Cons of Each
Outsourcing executive assistants to third party services can save companies and executives a lot of time from managing the hiring process on their own. But there are a number of…
How to Write an Executive Assistant Job Description That Attracts Top Talent (With Free Sample Template)
Generic job descriptions fail to capture the interest and attention of the best executive assistant candidates. This article discusses how to write a description that stands out and attracts top…
How to Know If You Need a Virtual Assistant (And Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring)
Many people have bad experiences with virtual assistants. This article explains why, and shares the solution we’ve developed to offer executives world-class virtual assistants.
Virtual Executive Assistants: Why Founders Choose Persona
Most virtual executive assistant services don’t share details of their hiring processes, so it’s difficult to tell how thoroughly they vet their assistants. We do the opposite, sharing the details…
How to Interview an Executive Assistant (And What It Takes to Find Top Talent)
An interview is a key step when hiring executive assistants but it’s not sufficient on its own. This article discusses how to conduct interviews effectively, as well as deploy other…
Startup Executive Assistants: Why Who You Hire Is Everything
Finding an executive assistant who will thrive in a startup environment is more challenging than finding one who might be sufficient in other types of businesses. This article explains why…
How to Know When You Need an Executive Assistant—and When You Don’t
Executives in the midst of overwhelm often reach a point where they think they may need an executive assistant, but aren’t 100% sure if it’s the right time or the…
What Services Do Virtual Assistants Offer for Executives?
Virtual assistant service companies list hundreds of tasks that they can do for clients. But which tasks are they actually a good fit for? This article discusses what VAs do,…
BELAY vs. Boldly vs. Persona: Comparing 3 Top Virtual Assistant Services
In this article, we discuss the similarities and differences between BELAY and Boldly virtual assistant services, as well as how they differ from the remote executive assistant service we offer…
Executive Assistant vs. Virtual Assistant: Advice for Founders on the Differences and How to Choose
Over time, it’s become more difficult to tell the differences between executive and virtual assistants. This article discusses why that is, which differences really matter for executives making this decision,…
Virtual Assistants for Entrepreneurs: Are They Worth It?
Many entrepreneurs who hire virtual assistants end up disappointed for one reason or another. This article explains why and share’s advice on how to find the right assistant for you.
Executive Assistant Recruitment Agencies Rarely Deliver Top Talent. Here’s Why.
Over the last 4 years building our executive assistant service, we’ve learned that recruitment agencies are one of the worst options for outsourcing your executive assistant search. This article explains…
How to Get a Job as an Executive Assistant: Advice From Founders Who Vet Thousands of Assistants Every Month
Most advice on how to get a job as an executive assistant leaves out a key factor that every candidate should consider. This post lays that out and provides deeper…
What to Look For in an Executive Assistant: 4 Key Qualities
What to look for in an executive assistant is only half the battle. Equally important is having ways to actually evaluate candidates based on those qualities. This article covers both.
Remote Executive Assistant: What to Know Before You Hire
Many people have bad experiences with remote executive assistants. This article explains why, and teaches you what to look for when hiring to find the right talent.
What Does an Executive Assistant Do? It Depends Who You Hire.
What an executive assistant does is absolutely dependent on who you hire, what their capabilities are, how fast they learn things and what is needed from them.
The Problem with Most Executive Assistant Services (And the Process We Built to Solve It)
Most executive assistant services use hiring processes that are ineffective at assessing candidates on the qualities that make great executive assistants. Learn why and the process we’ve built to solve…
Personal Assistant vs Executive Assistant: Which Is Best for You?
Most of the advice on how to decide between a personal assistant or an executive assistant fails to acknowledge key factors that executives should consider when making this decision. This…
How to Use an Executive Assistant: The #1 Thing to Focus On (Contrary to What Everyone Says)
Many people say that a focus on developing the right systems is the key to effectively using an executive assistant, but we think the people and services touting this approach…
The Drawbacks of Hiring a Virtual Assistant for Social Media (And 2 Alternatives to Consider)
This article discusses 4 drawbacks of hiring a virtual assistant for social media, and explains why many businesses would benefit more from hiring an in-house social media manager or an…
How to Hire an Executive Assistant: The Advice Execs Need
Most articles on how to hire an executive assistant focus on basic hiring steps like creating a job description and conducting an interview. This article provides more useful advice for…
10 tips to beat your to-do list
Persona Talent compiled a list of tips to tackle your to-do list using a variety of online sources related to productivity and workflow management.
The Best Virtual Assistant Services for Exec and Admin Assistants
The best virtual assistant service for you depends on the type of VA you need. Find out which ones best for you, and learn about 8 top services.
Why Most Virtual Assistants for Startups Fall Short (And How to Find a Great One)
Most startups are completely underwhelmed when they hire a virtual assistant. This post covers 3 reasons why and helps you understand how to find a VA that’s highly competent and…
How to Hire a Virtual Assistant Who Actually Works Out
There are 3 core problems that lead many businesses to have bad experiences with virtual assistants. In this article, we explain how you can solve them. We also include examples…
Why You Shouldn’t Use a Recruiter for Your Executive Assistant
Over the last 3.5 years, my cofounder Nathan and I have been in the business of finding and hiring the most capable executive assistants in the world. During that time,…
Here’s how people spent their time in 2020 v. 2019
The pandemic brought the world to a halt and spurred significant lifestyle changes from work-life balance to spending habits. Persona Talent analyzed data from the American Time Use Survey collected…
The Process to Hire Executive Assistants is Broken. Here’s Why We Started Persona to Fix It.
We started Persona over 3 years ago with the mission of helping startup founders, executives, and business owners live better lives. Almost every business owner would benefit from a great…