What is a Double assistant?
Since Double launched two years ago, we’ve worked with more than 100 companies and their executives—from CEOs and founders to investors and small business owners. We’ve learned that regardless of title, or industry, an executive needs to have strong communication and trust with their assistant to be able to delegate effectively. That’s why the people behind Double have become essential to saving executives time.
While Double assistants (“doubles”) provide flexible and affordable support, it’s their individual qualifications and characteristics that make them invaluable. All doubles are selected by our team of productivity experts, have years of experience working with executives, and are part of a community where they’re constantly learning the latest tools, productivity methods, and best practices for staying effective.
How we find and select our doubles
Double’s approach to sourcing, selecting, and supporting our doubles boils down to three key components—smart recruiting, skill requirements, and community initiatives.
We begin with a thorough and highly selective hiring process. While the majority of assistants apply directly to become a double, many of our prospective doubles come as trusted referrals from our current assistants and executive community. Among the thousands of applications we receive, just 0.3% become doubles.
So what do we look for in our selection process? Assistants must have at least two years of experience working as an executive assistant either in a diverse capacity or one where they’ve gained expertise in a specific function (HR, legal, etc).
Once meeting our minimum experience requirement there are four key skills we look for in every double:
1. Skilled organizers. Our doubles need to be pros when it comes to calendar coordination, time-tracking, and more. Organization and efficiency are key.
2. Master communicators. We look for clear, proactive, adaptable, and professional communication skills. 3. Relationship builders. Relationships are the heart of what we do. Our doubles are confidential, flexible, trustworthy, coachable, and positive. 4. Technology & productivity experts. Whether it’s Google Suite, MS Office, the latest productivity tools, or the Double platform, our doubles are in-the-know and willing to level-up when they’re not.Our team takes the time to understand the strengths and working style of our future doubles to ensure that once they’re onboarded, we can help match them with executives.
Support and community is key
Key skills, however, are only half of the equation. Continued growth is also fundamental to the success of our doubles, which is why we offer a variety of resources once assistants are onboarded and become part of our Double community.
1. Monthly webinars and discussions. We offer a platform to help our doubles take a deep dive on relevant topics and skills. Our community hosts regular webinars on new productivity methods, tips for working remotely, and ways to anticipate an executives’ needs.
2. Buddy system. All new doubles have the opportunity to buddy with an experienced double to learn the ropes and get up-to-speed. 3. Double performance feedback. Feedback is key for growth and staying effective. We offer a constant feedback loop that allows our doubles to work on and adjust their performance to best meet their executives' needs.Meet our doubles
We currently have more than 50 Double assistants who work with over 100 companies. Doubles are located in their executives’ time zone and work with 2-6 clients at a time. They communicate based on the frequency and style their clients prefer. Here are just a few of the talented doubles in our community:
Abby is as organized as a Muji store and thrives when helping people. She started her career as an executive assistant in the healthcare industry and, after six years, decided real estate and tech was her calling. She’s honed her chops as an expert multi-tasker, supporting five executives simultaneously. Her specialties? Inbox management, Microsoft Outlook, and Expensify for managing accounts. She’s also an aspiring plant lady, prefers matcha to coffee and running to walking, and loves playing with her German Shepherd named Ash.
Karissa has been an executive assistant for more than 10 years, working with business owners and C-suite executives at both small startups and Fortune 500 companies. She can handle anything that lands on her plate, including sales and marketing. With a degree in communications, she loves setting up a well-oiled system to keep her team organized and connected. Her motto? “What you focus on, expands.”
Solena started supporting leaders in the entertainment industry before getting her Master’s in Hospitality Management in London. She has spent years supporting executives by organizing major corporate events and managing their hectic schedules. She’s also a whiz with Salesforce, WebEx, and other webinar platforms. When she’s not firing off emails, she's obsessing over maps and taking geography quizzes (Sporcle anyone?).
Start getting your day back
Many CEOs and executives lose valuable hours every week to things like managing their calendar and organizing emails—tasks that often don't require their expertise. We believe executives should be able to focus on what they do best. After all, bold ideas, disruptive technologies, and innovative companies help make the world better. That’s why we created Double—to connect busy executives with experienced, part-time assistants so they can focus on what matters most.
Whether executives are in San Francisco or Toronto, Paris or Detroit, we’ve assembled a high-quality team of Double assistants who are at-the-ready in their time zone. To learn more about working with a double or our matching process, sign up for a free 15-minute consultation with a member of our team.