The Hectic Attic

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Yesterday I interviewed the Fabulous Lorraine Garland -Neil Gaiman’s Personal Assistant

How to become personal assistant to a celebrity

In the business world, a personal assistant is a trusted employee who assumes the role of an executive’s chief-of-staff. In the past, a personal assistant worked only with celebrities, but that’s no longer the case.

When you become a personal assistant, you are in charge of organizing a great part of your employer’s life, so initiative is vital. The ability to work under stress and to multitask is also very invaluable.

According to Lorraine Garland -Neil Gaiman’s Personal Assistant for 17 years- being a Personal Assistant is not exactly like acting like a mother to a child, instead, it’smore like being another “part of their brain”, or another “set of hands.” “You have to take care of all the things they don’t have time for, from food to someone to listen to them, so you free them up to do what they do best”.

If you are thinking about glamour and meeting celebrities, being a Personal Assistant may sound very tempting at first glance, but there are some drawbacks you must consider.

The average Personal Assistant may put in anywhere from 40 to 80 hours or more a week and if the working relationship becomes strained, the role of personal assistant can become very stressful indeed.

Far from being a tedious job, Lorraine Garland says, “It can be very tiring, exciting and demanding. You have to be willing to learn fast and work whenever you are needed. Which might be 5:00am, or until midnight.” Concerning being a very successful writer’s Assistant and getting involved with her boss’s works she also adds, “I do read his books, and love them. Sometimes I transcribe them for him, he writes longhand in a notebook. Sometimes I research strange facts for him.”

On the other hand, Personal Assistants are often in a position to interact with high-level executives. Executives may also invite a personal assistant to attend business dinners or private parties. Vacations for executives often become a working vacation for a personal assistant.

When asked, “Which are the three keys to becoming a Successful Personal Assistant?” Lorraine Garland points:
1. Check your ego. You aren’t the talent.
2. Write EVERYTHING down, make a to do list and keep it current.
3. Be as nice as possible to everyone you come in contact with. You never know.

To become a personal assistant, you should also need the ability to communicate professionally, remain calm under pressure, be tactful and also be aware of the technological needs to perform your job. “Know your Smartphone very well. Sleep with it. Never turn it off.” says Garland.

Now you must be thinking, “where do I start?” and “Do I have to take a course, or read books about it?”

The best way to learn how to become a personal assistant is by doing it! “If you find yourself in such a job, you will know very quickly if it is for you. And you will never know all you need to, if your Boss keeps getting bigger, you will learn fast what you need to know.” says Lorraine, who started working when Neil Gaiman moved to the United States and needed someone to put his library on his shelves.

Just keep in mind; you must enjoy the routine you are about to face, which to Neil Gaiman’s Personal Assistant includes: Airline reservations, booking hotels, renting cars and trip itineraries, setting up events, dog care and training, keeping the pantry stocked, mail coming in and going out, garden things, requests from fans and letters from them, cooking, saying “no”, buying clothes, archiving books, keeping the Schedule, setting up interviews things come up. But this will vary from Personal Assistant to Personal Assistant.

Fabulous Lorraine - photo by Kyle Cassidy

A good tip is to start by looking for a job opening locally, even if you have to volunteer your services at first. Join professional organizations, network, and improve your skills. Once qualified, a personal assistant is usually trained in-house so you can be molded to fit the employer’s requirements.

When asked about the wonders of being a Personal Assistant, Lorraine doesn’t hesitate to say “I think it’s best when I pull off an Amazing Coup and everything goes perfectly. I can find anything, schedule anything, make anything work, whatever it is, I can Make It Happen. That’s the best.”

by Aline Martins for Helium.com

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