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How
to Become a Celebrity Personal Assistant
Skills
You'll Need to Get Hired
Every
celebrity personal assistant will have various duties
that are specific to the profession of the person they’re
working for, but the following are some basics that
you should not be without. And don’t forget, the more
you have to offer an employer, the more likely they
are to hire you, and the more you’re likely to
get paid.
Persuasive
Communication
“Liza
[Minnelli] didn’t have a clue how to live in the real
world. If she wanted something, she expected it to be
there. One Saturday night at 7:30 p.m., she called me
into her dressing room and told me that since we were
doing a benefit matinee on Sunday afternoon, she wanted
me to decorate all the dressing rooms and fill them
with flowers. It never occurred to her that all the
florists and stores were already closed."
“By
thinking on my feet and dropping Liza’s name (and
money), I was able to talk a florist into working
half the night. I found one party store that was open
on Sunday. I was there when they opened, then I talked
a couple of my friends into going to the theater with
me. We hung crepe paper and valentines and the flowers
arrived and the dressing rooms were beautiful when
the actors arrived. It never occurred to Liza that
accomplishing this was something of a feat.”
—Linda Brumfield, former Celebrity Personal Assistant
Your
celebrity doesn’t care how you get something done so long
as you get it done. From getting the florist to work all
night to getting the concierge to keep his mouth shut,
celebrity personal assistants need strong skills of persuasion
to be able to work the ‘small miracles’ stars seem to
require on a daily basis.
As
a celebrity personal assistant, you are at least part
miracle-worker, and this requires being able
to convince others to help you out when you need it.
While this may come naturally to some people, others
will need to learn techniques and practice them in order
to be persuasive when your celebrity needs something.
A
lot of persuasive communication is psychological,
and involves understanding the needs, motivation and
drives of others in order to convince them that whatever
you’re suggesting is in their best interests. There
are tons of theories about how the best way to go about
persuading people is; the most important thing is to
find a technique that works for you.
Anyone
who has a background in sales, politics, law
or psychology may already have many of these
skills, having used them on a daily basis or studied
them in school. In fact, if you are interested in this
subject you may be able to take a single course in interpersonal
communications at your local college as a night course
or as part of a degree program.
For
those who cannot find a course available nearby or want
a less expensive option, two helpful books are Get
Anyone to Do Anything and How to Win Friends
and Influence People.
Style
and Etiquette Skills
You
may want to brush up on style and etiquette skills,
even if it’s as simple as how to dress at different
functions. As a celebrity personal assistant you’ll
be expected to interact and move comfortably in the
realm of wealth and fame. You may end
up attending movie premieres, art openings, etc. with
your celebrity, or he or she may expect you to plan
a party of their own (see Section 2.3.1 of the guide
for tips on this subject).
Remember
that you will often be the first point of contact
for people who wish to get in touch with your celebrity,
and as their representative, your appearance
and demeanor must be impeccable. Your celebrity may
even ask for your advice on social interaction,
and as their assistant, you’d better either know the
answer or have a quick and effective way of finding
out.
Etiquette
and style knowledge may even help you in interview situations,
and overall, they are an asset to anyone’s skill set.
Take some time to familiarize yourself with some of
the etiquette resources listed in the guide and bookmark
them for future reference. You will probably want to
read at least one book on the subject from start to
finish as well, so you are not caught off guard.
One
warning about your personal appearance: it is
generally advised that celebrity personal assistants
and other types of ‘household managers’ try to maintain
a look that is neat and classy without being alluring
or attractive. You don’t want to steal attention away
from your celeb (nor should you try to!) and also, the
‘significant other’ of your celebrity may experience
jealousy, especially if you are the opposite sex of
your celebrity—or at least of the sex he or she is attracted
to!
This article is
an excerpt from the fabjob.com How to Become a Celebrity
Personal Assistant.. Visit www.fabjob.com
for information.
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