Decide what you're hiring for
Most hiring problems start with a vague role. Before anything else, write down the ten things you'd hand over first, how often each comes up, and whether it needs someone physically present.
That list usually answers the big question. If much of it needs a person in your home or car every day, you're hiring an in-person assistant or household manager. If it's research, booking, scheduling, coordination and follow-up, the work can be done remotely, and a service may cover it with less overhead.
Hiring directly
Hiring your own assistant is the most personal option and the most work. A sensible process looks like this.
- Write the role
- Responsibilities, hours, location, discretion expectations and how decisions and spending will work.
- Source candidates
- Referrals, professional networks and specialist job boards. Personal recommendations tend to work best for trust-heavy roles.
- Interview for judgment
- Give real scenarios: a flight cancelled the night before a meeting, two appointments that clash. Listen for how they prioritize and communicate.
- Check references and background
- With the candidate's consent and in line with applicable law, especially if they'll handle money, keys or family information.
- Paid trial
- A short paid trial on real tasks shows more than any interview.
- Set up properly
- A written agreement, payroll and the employer obligations that apply to household employees.
Employer obligations people forget
If you hire someone to work in or for your household and you control what they do and how, they are likely your household employee, not a contractor. In the US that can mean withholding and paying Social Security and Medicare taxes once wages pass annual thresholds, federal unemployment tax in some cases, and state obligations such as unemployment insurance or workers' compensation. IRS Publication 926 is the starting point; a payroll provider or accountant can confirm what applies to you.
Add management time: onboarding, feedback, holiday and sick cover, and what happens when they leave and take your preferences with them.
Going through an agency
Placement agencies find and screen candidates for a fee, after which you usually employ the person directly. Staffing agencies employ the assistant themselves and bill you, which removes payroll work but often costs more per hour. Either way, ask how candidates are vetted, what happens if the placement doesn't work out, and who your assistant reports to.
Using a personal assistant service
A service skips recruiting entirely. You get a named contact who learns your preferences, backed by a team that covers holidays and brings different skills. The trade-off is exclusivity: your contact also supports other clients, and remote services can't be physically present.
This route suits people whose needs are mostly coordination: appointments, travel, providers, purchases, important dates, routines and personal admin. It's also the easiest to test, since you can judge real work within the first weeks.
Whichever route you choose
Three things make any assistant arrangement work.
- Agree approval rules on day one: what they can do without asking and what always needs you.
- Share preferences once, in writing, and keep them updated.
- Ask for finished work or one clear decision, not status updates.