How to Get a Job as a Celebrity Assistant

The role of a celebrity personal assistant is anything but easy. Every day is different, and you must be ready to take on any task in the blink of an eye. While it is a challenging job, if you find the right fit this line of work can be extremely rewarding and exciting.  

What makes a strong celebrity personal assistant?

The biggest asset you can bring when looking to become a celebrity assistant is experience. Having a proven track record of support in the private or corporate sector is the absolute best way to land a role with a high-profile individual.  Beyond experience, some skills that often define a strong personal assistant include attention to detail, excellent administrative skills, and being extremely proactive. You are being hired to think 10 steps ahead so having a strong strategic mindset and being flexible are key traits of a personal assistant.  

Where to start

If you are looking to become a celebrity assistant, the best way to gain experience is through administrative roles. Work from the ground up. Seek out positions as a receptionist or administrative assistant in the industry you want to eventually go into. For example, if you want to work with a celebrity in the entertainment space, seek out roles in admin at talent agencies, entertainment companies, or at a record label. This type of work is one of the best and most direct ways to break into any industry.  While you work in this position, take in as much as you can. Learn how to work with many different types of personalities. Learn to stay organized while under pressure. Gain experience maintaining composure while juggling multiple tasks. The best celebrity assistants are cool, calm, and collected even in the most stressful scenarios so practicing these skills will help you down the line.  When the opportunity presents itself, express your desire to continue working in high level support. Pick out the things you love about your current role, and the individuals you support. Identifying these factors, as well as the skills you have acquired in your role, will help you to transition into becoming an executive or personal assistant.  

Working as a celebrity assistant

While no job is ever the same, and no day is ever the same, many personal assistant responsibilities revolve around these areas of responsibility:

Organization in the home space

Being a celebrity assistant is an extremely personal role. You are an extension of the individual you support and truly their right hand. Understanding how they work best and how they like to keep their spaces is a key element of any role in the private sector.

Errands and immediate needs

As a personal assistant, no day will ever look the same and you may not know what your day is going to look like when you wake up. In any moment you may need to set up an event, solve an issue in the home, or make reservations for travel. It is critical to be agile and flexible as things arise throughout your day; the best personal assistants can pivot in an instant and are thinking ahead to make sure they have plans in place for every possible scenario.

RSVPs and opportunities

Many high-profile individuals constantly receive invitations for a variety of opportunities. As a personal assistant, you may be responsible for discerning which of these invitations will be of the highest priority for the individual you support. Understanding the celebrity’s brand and being able to flag the events and opportunities that will be the best for them is often the job of a personal assistant.

Interpersonal relations

Working as a celebrity assistant involves a heavy amount of interpersonal communication. You serve as both a buffer between the individual and outward facing teams and as a liaison between members of the celebrity’s business team or other members of their staff. Having strong relationships with all these individuals is critical because it is a representation of not only you but the celebrity you support.  

Success as a celebrity personal assistant

Success as a celebrity assistant often comes down to your relationship with the individual you are supporting. It is so important that you are your authentic self in your interviews because you will only be successful if you truly get along with the individual that you will support. If you don’t feel a fit with the celebrity, or their team, the role may not be a fit! Just because one opportunity isn’t exactly right doesn’t mean you can’t be successful with another individual. Working in the private sector is extremely personal and depends so much on the dynamics of how your personalities work together.  Make sure the person you are going to be assisting is someone who you care about and respect. You need to get behind them and support them both as a professional and as a human.

‍Career Group has been helping personal assistants find perfect fits for over 40 years. With offices in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Miami, and Greenwich, we are experts in making career matches. If you are interested in becoming an Personal Assistant, or ready to take on your next role as an PA, you can browse our range of open opportunities on our LinkedIn and Find Work pages.