To hire an assistant or office manager, list the tasks you want to hand over, group them by skill, decide the hours and the level of trust, write a clear job description, advertise it with the pay range, and test the real skills with a short task such as a calendar puzzle, an email draft or a small spreadsheet. Keep the process fair, and plan the first month so that the person can take over tasks step by step.
Key takeaways
- Start with a task audit: write down everything you want to hand over and how long each task takes.
- Choose between an assistant (supports you) and an office manager (runs the office). They are different jobs.
- Test judgement and organisation with a short, realistic exercise.
- Be clear about confidentiality, access to systems and data protection from the start.
- Plan a staged handover: show, do together, then hand over with review.
Assistant or office manager?
Titles in this area are used loosely. Before you write an ad, decide what you need. The two main roles are different, and so are the skills and the pay.
| Aspect | Assistant (executive or personal) | Office manager |
|---|---|---|
| Main focus | Supports one person: calendar, email, travel, follow-up | Runs the workplace: suppliers, equipment, health and safety, visitors, admin, sometimes HR support |
| Key skills | Discretion, written communication, calendar management, anticipation | Organisation, supplier management, budgets, practical problem solving, people skills |
| Who they work with | Mostly you | The whole team, suppliers, visitors |
| Typical risk | Becomes a bottleneck for one person’s tasks | Role grows into many unrelated jobs |
| Test | Email, calendar and prioritising | Supplier plan, budget, handling an urgent issue |
If you need both, consider whether one person can do both at the start, or whether you should begin with one and add the other later. A role that mixes both can work in a very small company if you define priorities. See how to write a job description for a role that does not exist yet.
Step 1: Run a task audit
For one week, write down every task you do that someone else could do. Note the time each takes and how often. Then group the tasks.
| Group | Examples | Hours per week (your estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| Calendar and email | Scheduling, filtering, drafting replies, reminders | |
| Travel and events | Booking, itineraries, expenses | |
| Finance support | Invoices, receipts, expense forms, supplier payments (with access controls) | |
| Office | Supplies, equipment, post, cleaning contracts, safety checks | |
| People support | Onboarding setup, contracts filing, holiday calendar | |
| Customer support | First reply, forms, bookings | |
| Projects | Research, document formatting, meeting notes |
Add the hours. If the total is below ten hours a week, consider a part-time role or a freelancer, and read employee or contractor. If it is above 30 hours, the job is full-time. Compare the cost with your own time using the cost worksheet.
Step 2: Decide trust, access and data
Assistants and office managers see sensitive information: emails, contracts, bank details and personal data. Decide before you hire what access the person will have, and put rules in writing.
- Which accounts they can view or manage
- Whether they can make payments, and what limits apply
- How passwords and shared accounts are handled; use a password manager, not shared notes
- What counts as confidential, and a confidentiality clause in the contract
- Data protection duties. In the UK and EU, the person will handle personal data and needs training. See the ICO employment guidance
- Checks you plan to make, where the law allows and the role needs it. Apply the same checks to every finalist
Step 3: Write the job description and ad
Use the seven-part method from the new-role guide: problem, outcomes, tasks, must-haves, nice-to-haves, context, unknowns. For an assistant, outcomes might be “calendar is up to date with no double bookings” and “email replies within one working day”. For an office manager, outcomes might be “supplier contracts reviewed each year” and “safety checks completed on time”. Choose three to five must-haves that you can check, such as “wrote business emails daily in the last role” or “managed supplier orders”. Avoid proxies such as years of experience that are not needed. See how to write a job ad that attracts the right applicants.
Step 4: Screen and interview
| Must-have | Question | What a strong answer shows |
|---|---|---|
| Organisation | Tell me how you plan a week with many changes. Give a real example. | A method, tools, priorities |
| Written communication | Describe a difficult email you wrote on someone’s behalf. | Clarity, tone, result |
| Discretion | Tell me about a time you handled confidential information. What did you do? | Care, rules, judgement |
| Initiative | Tell me about something you improved in a past role without being asked. | Action and result |
| Working with a busy person | How do you work with someone who changes priorities often? | Calm, questions, flexibility |
| Practical problem solving | The printer breaks before a client visit. What do you do? | Steps, priorities, communication |
Use the same questions for every candidate and a simple scorecard. Learn the method in our guides on the first interview and the interview scorecard. Do not ask about family plans, health, age or other protected topics. See what you can and cannot ask.
Step 5: Test the skills with a short task
A 30 to 45 minute exercise gives strong evidence. Use made-up data and tell candidates the time limit.
| Task | What it tests | Scoring points |
|---|---|---|
| Calendar puzzle: five meetings, three time zones, two conflicts. Find a schedule and write a short email to confirm. | Planning, attention to detail, written clarity | No conflicts, correct time zones, clear email |
| Inbox triage: ten fictional emails; mark the urgent ones, draft two replies, list questions for the manager. | Priorities, judgement, tone | Right order, polite and short replies, good questions |
| Small spreadsheet: fix three errors in a fictional expense sheet and add a total. | Accuracy, basic tools | Errors found, formulas correct |
| Supplier choice: compare three fictional quotes and recommend one. | Judgement, simple analysis | Clear comparison, assumptions stated |
Keep the task short, paid if long, and fair. See how to assess skills with a work sample test.
Step 6: Check references and make the offer
Ask referees about reliability, discretion, accuracy and how the person handled pressure. See how to check references. Then make the offer with clear hours, duties and confidentiality terms. See how to make a job offer.
The first month: staged handover
| Stage | What happens | Your role |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Show | Explain the task, why it matters and how you do it | Demonstrate; give a checklist |
| 2. Do together | The person does it while you watch | Give feedback |
| 3. Do with review | The person does it; you check the result | Review quickly |
| 4. Own | The person owns the task; you check weekly | Trust and spot-check |
Write a short handbook as you go: where files are kept, who the key suppliers are, how you like emails written. The new person can update it, and it helps the next hire. See the first 30 days onboarding plan.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Effect | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Hiring before the task audit | Role does not match the need | Run the audit first |
| Giving full access on day one | Risk to data and money | Grant access in stages with limits |
| Treating the role as a junior role with senior duties | Low pay, high responsibility, quick exit | Match pay to duties. Check the market |
| No priorities | Person is pulled in many directions | Agree top three priorities each week |
| Expecting the person to read your mind | Frustration | Share preferences in a written guide |
| Handing over everything at once | Errors and overload | Staged handover |
A worked example (fictional)
This example is invented. A founder of a six-person design studio spends about 12 hours a week on admin: scheduling, invoices, supplies and client emails. She runs a task audit and decides to hire a part-time studio coordinator for 20 hours a week. She writes outcomes: invoices sent within two days of project milestones, calendar free of conflicts and a monthly supplier review. She uses a 40-minute inbox triage task and the same six interview questions. The chosen candidate shows careful planning and clear email style. In the first month the founder uses the four-stage handover. By week four the coordinator owns the calendar and invoices. The founder reviews invoices weekly for two months. After 90 days the founder has about 10 more hours a week for client work.
Pay, hours and growth
Pay for assistants and office managers varies widely by country, city and level of responsibility. Do not guess. Check current local sources such as national statistics or labour market information, and compare advertised pay for similar roles in your area. In the US, the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes occupation data in its Occupational Outlook Handbook. In the UK and EU, check your national statistics office and the legal minimum pay on GOV.UK or the equivalent source. Set a range, write it in the ad where allowed or required, and offer within it.
Be honest about growth. If the role can grow into a coordinator or operations role, say so, with the conditions. If it cannot, do not promise it. People stay when the work is clear, the pay is fair and they see a path to learn. A training budget or a named course can mean more than a vague promise.
Part-time and shared options
| Option | Fits when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Part-time employee | You need steady cover, 10 to 25 hours a week | Set clear hours and a backup for holidays |
| Shared assistant between two founders | You each need a few hours | Agree priorities and who decides conflicts; put it in writing |
| Freelancer or virtual assistant | Tasks are separable and the person works with their own tools | Check status rules and data protection. See employee or contractor |
| Temporary cover | A busy period or leave cover | Plan the handover and keep access limited |
Whatever option you choose, write down the tasks, hours, confidentiality rules, review dates and the way you will give feedback. A short written agreement reduces most misunderstandings.
How to review the role after three months
- Compare the task list with what the person actually does.
- Ask the person which tasks take the most time and which they would change.
- Review the outcomes: calendar conflicts, invoice timing, supplier issues, errors.
- Decide which tasks to add, move or remove.
- Update the job description and agree changes in writing.
Roles like this grow quickly. A short review prevents drift and keeps both sides clear about what is expected.
Finally, think about cover. If the person is ill or on holiday, who answers the calendar and the post? A shared checklist and a named backup keep the office running. Write the checklist while the person is new and fresh, because they notice steps that others have forgotten. Update it every quarter.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an assistant and an office manager?
An assistant supports one person or a small group with calendar, email and tasks. An office manager runs the workplace, including suppliers, equipment and administration.
Should the role be full-time or part-time?
Add up the task hours from your audit. Under about ten hours a week, consider part-time or a freelancer. Above 30 hours, plan a full-time role.
How do I protect confidential data?
Limit access by task, use a password manager, add a confidentiality clause, train the person on data protection and review access regularly.
What test should I use?
A short, realistic task such as inbox triage or a calendar puzzle, with a time limit and a scoring guide.
Can I hire a virtual assistant?
Yes. Check the status rules in employee or contractor, and set data protection terms with the provider.
Related guides
- Hiring guides for small businesses and founders
- How to write a job description for a role that does not exist yet
- How to run a first interview for a small business
- A small business onboarding plan for the first 30 days
- All hiring guides for employers
This is general information, not legal advice.