Intrigued by the lives of the privileged and uber-wealthy and want to know if you?ve got what it takes to work for a high-profile client? Samuel Martin explains what?s involved in this demanding role
PA Life: What are the skills that high-net-worth individuals look for in a PA?
Samuel Martin: ?The type of skills vary as much as the type of client ? each one is so different in personality that the level of professional and personal support required changes. Our high-net-worth clients tend to have very high demands and expectations, but working in this market means that every assistant must prove themselves to be discreet and loyal.?
PA Life: What do you think are the principal differences between working in an office environment and working for the rich and famous?
SM: ?Among the main differences is the diversity of tasks you?ll be asked to perform. High-net-worth individuals are used to certain standards, which in turn offers them a completely unique lifestyle. They are able to indulge their passion and their wealth affords them more choice, hence the sometimes more challenging requests, such as booking private jets, purchasing properties in exotic locations, flying to Paris to pick up the latest runway collections, employing multiple household staff, or overseeing offshore bank accounts. The resourcefulness required to be successful in the private arena is a real buzz for some PAs.?
PA Life: What would be your top tips for personal assistants who would like to seek employment with one of these wealthy individuals?
SM: ?I get asked this question a lot and I always answer that it depends on the type of position you?re seeking. A lot of people want to be a celebrity PA and this is probably one of the main requests we get. We are often told by potential candidates that they have the relevant skills to do the job, but unfortunately this is not what the client looks for. You want someone who enjoys that industry and wants to be a ?behind the scenes? person who gets a kick out of making people?s lives run seamlessly.
?If you want to work for a high-profile individual as their PA, the best thing to do is try and get a support position working for a well-known business, then stay with the company for as long as you can until you are working for the most senior executives. Job-hoppers are really difficult to place and we don?t tend to represent them, regardless of who they have worked for in the past. If you can try and get a PA position working for the CEO of the company, this will increase your chance of transferring into the private sector.
?Directors often ask their PA to carry out private work for them, such as property renovations, private jet travel, household staff recruitment and personal financial transactions and this is the type of experience you must get. Once you have that staying power on your CV and have proven loyalty, you can start speaking to agencies like ours about moving into the private arena. You could also think about working for a more high-profile business person for several years.?
PA Life: What is the most unusual request that you?ve come across while recruiting for a PA?
SM: ?It does sound ridiculous when you say these things out loud, but we really do get some unusual requests, including one for a female ?Aikido Assistant?, which is a PA who is trained in martial arts and has experience as a close protection officer. We?ve also been asked to source an assistant with dog-whispering skills who was able to teach the client?s dog how to play the piano.
?A well-known individual once sent her PA to buy 80 pints of full-fat milk for her to bathe in, believing it would help to regenerate her skin; unfortunately, she found it too cold and jumped out of the tub immediately afterwards.
?Some of our clients have been known to ask PAs to source particularly special gifts, one of which included a brand new Maserati with a specific extra ? it had to be fitted with the voice of KITT from the hit 1980s TV show Knight Rider for all of the vehicle?s functions. At the other end of the scale, clients? requests can be as mundane as picking up the dry cleaning. Whatever the demands, though, you have to remember you are there to do a job. That is a huge responsibility and discretion is paramount.?
Samuel Martin is the Managing Director/Co-Founder of Quintessentially People, a global headhunting agency that is predominantly focused on private and support roles for high-profile and high-net-worth individuals. It has its headquarters in London, with offices in New York, Los Angeles and Florida. Discover more at quintessentiallypeople.com
