So you’re thinking of hiring an executive assistant, and you may be wondering how the whole process works. Or, maybe you just hired your EA, and you’re unsure how to onboard this new worker. Whether you fit into the former or latter category, this post should help you get started with your executive assistant in a smooth, simple manner.
Over at Foundr, Jonathan Chan says it should take about 3 weeks to fully onboard your new EA. In other words, don’t rush it. Proper training takes time. Once they’re fully engaged with your business’s policies and procedures, you’ll see that your energies onboarding them were well worth it.
When onboarding your EA, consider the following procedures for an easy transition.
Put together an operations manual that you can share with them.
This manual should include critical login information (for your social media accounts, for example, if they’re going to be helping you with social media marketing), important How-To’s (how to post a blog to your website, for example) and all the critical information your EA needs to know to help you manage your business.
To get started, check out this simple introduction to putting together an operations manual for your new administrative assistant.
Introduce them to the tools you use to run your business.
If you need your EA to manage your email inbox, then get them set up with a delegation tool, such as those provided by Gmail or Outlook. Figure out which communication tool you’ll use to keep in regular touch (We like Slack.). Set them up with a company email address. If you use something like the G-suite (Drive, Docs, etc.), then ask them to familiarize themselves with those tools. Whatever tools you have in your toolbelt, make sure your EA is comfortable using them.
Establish regular check-ins.
Set up regular check-in’s with your EA to ensure that you’re both on the same page at all times. This can be done via phone, Google Hangouts, Skype, Go2Meeting, or whatever communication tool you prefer (We like apps that allow you to share your computer screens, such as join.me and Zoom.us.) When communication lines break down, that’s when things can go wrong between you and your assistant.
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