Once you’ve decided you need support from an assistant, the next decision you need to make is whether you want to work with a part-time or full-time assistant.
To help you determine which option is best for you, we’ve put together some questions to ask yourself and variables to consider. These will ensure you not only make the right choice based on your current needs, but also for your future workload and the success of your assistant.
Define the work and time requirements
It’s important to establish a basis for hiring an assistant. Start by asking yourself, “How will this person help me and/or my business?” Articulating the purpose of the relationship will help you to understand the scope of the assistant’s work, clarify your own expectations, and serve as a guide for when you start working with that person.
List out the work that you want this person to own. Next to each task, write down how long they typically take you to complete. If you estimate that the work takes you 10 hours a week in total, ask yourself how that will change in six months. Do you expect it to shrink as one-time projects are completed or perhaps double as you take on more responsibilities? Breaking down the work, even if you have to make some assumptions, allows you to figure out how much support you will consistently need in a given week. The number of hours your assistant will work is the first major variable in determining if you should work with a part-time assistant or a full-time assistant.
Work within your budget
The other component to think about initially is cost. You may have to balance what you need with what you can afford. Pricing for a part-time assistant is based on the number of hours they work. In some cases you may have to pay a small onboarding or placement fee, but you are agreeing to an hourly rate and paying only for the support you receive. At Double, we charge an hourly rate that decreases as your assistant works more hours per month.
A full-time assistant is typically costlier. While you don’t have to pay a placement or onboarding fee as with a part-time assistant, you are typically paying to post a job description to several job boards and to run your own background check. Once hired, you are then paying for standard employee benefits and potentially other perks like a tech-setup.
Compare the benefits of a part-time and full-time assistant
Once you have determined the number of hours your assistant will likely work in a week and your sensitivity to price, you can evaluate the different benefits that come from working with a part-time and full-time assistant.
Part-time assistant:
- Faster to get started - no lengthy sourcing and hiring process
- No internal resources required—recruiting, HR, or IT support not required
- No commitment—more flexibility based on your changing needs
- Easy to increase hours gradually or transition from part-time to full-time
Full-time assistant:
- No context switching—your assistant isn’t working with other executives
- Deeper knowledge of your business—your assistant is able to spend more time understanding the unique context of your company
- Investing in your business - your assistant can take on larger project management initiatives and support other executives
Based on your needs, you can determine if speed of getting started or depth of company knowledge is more important to you, for example. If you’re unsure that the work you’ll delegate to your assistant will encompass a full work week or if you’re more sensitive to price, a part-time assistant might be best. If you’re looking for someone to mature alongside your company, investing in a full-time assistant might be the right decision for you.
Whether you choose to work with a part-time or full-time assistant, keep in mind your workload, your business or personal goals, and your short-term and long-term needs. If you’re considering a part-time assistant and would like to learn more about what that relationship would look like, you can read more about Double’s part-time assistants or schedule a free consultation call with a member of our team.