by FabJob Guide to Become a Celebrity Personal Assistant: /celebrity.asp
10
Steps to a Fab Job as a Celebrity Personal Assistant
As a celebrity
personal assistant you can earn up to £100,000
per year, and enjoy an incredible lifestyle that
most people can only dream about. In return for
screening fan mail, answering phones, and planning
parties, celebrity personal assistants are allowed
to enter an exclusive world and live like a star.
After all, celebrities
need to buy groceries and schedule doctor's appointments
just like everyone else, but unlike everyone
else they also have movie shoots, important meetings,
and volumes of phone calls to make. The personal
assistant makes sure that everything gets done,
allowing the celebrity to enjoy a semi-private
life. A good "CPA" functions as coordinator,
accountant, and just about anything else that
a famous person might require. They offer organization
and peace of mind to those who need it the most.
CPA perks often
include tickets to sold out concerts, first-class
air travel, expensive gifts, and great gossip
about what other celebrities are really
like. Does this sound like a great day at work
to you? If so, here are 10 steps to breaking into
this growing field of employment, based on the
fabjob.com
Guide to Become a Celebrity Personal Assistant.
1. Choose a
Type of Celebrity
Actors and rock
stars are not the only ones who need personal
assistants. You could decide to assist professional
athletes, politicians, directors, bestselling
authors, wealthy families, motivational speakers,
dot-com millionaires… basically anyone with enough
money can hire someone to be a personal assistant.
It's probably best to work for someone in a field
you're interested in, because the more you know,
the more you have to offer. Potential employers
will find you more appealing as a new hire.
2. Develop Your
Skills
CPAs need to know
a little bit about everything, and know where
to find out more. Celebrities are currently looking
for internet-savvy, technologically competent
employees who can show them how to transfer information
from their palm pilot to the computer, send an
e-greeting to Mom, or keep track of their personal
finances.
Most celebrities
are also interested in your typing skills, etiquette
knowledge, and party planning or gift buying ability.
Above all, celebrities need to know that you will
not reveal their intimate secrets to the National
Enquirer, so make sure you get used to practicing
the art of discretion as well.
3. Get Some
Training
There is currently
no formal long-term education program to become
a personal assistant, but you can develop many
of the necessary skills in related programs, such
as computer courses, household management courses
(for butlers and household managers) and event
planning courses offered by community colleges.
4. Get Some
Experience
One great way to
learn the skills of being a celebrity personal
assistant is to be a non-celebrity PA first. You
may even discover that being a personal assistant
to a non-celebrity is more your speed if you really
enjoy organizing but don’t like the stress of
the celebrity lifestyle.
5. Find a Job
Opening
Networking is an
important first step: let everyone know that you
are a CPA who is looking for work. Think about
all of the people you know, family and friends
alike. In that vast network, is there anyone who
is closer to a celebrity than you are? You can
also meet celebrities through volunteering, working
as a production assistant on a movie set, and
job listings.
6. Contact a
Celebrity
Although you may
not speak with the celebrities themselves, you
can usually get in touch with their publicist,
agent or even their current personal assistant.
Even if they aren't looking for an assistant immediately,
they may have an opening in the future or know
someone who does. There are many books and websites
available that list addresses and contact information
for celebrities.
7. Avoid
Common Mistakes
It would be great
if you could just strike up a conversation with
someone like an agent and get an immediate referral
to a celebrity. However, most people who are starting
out don’t find it easy to say the right things
off the top of their head. This is when having
a script can be a tremendous help. A script is
simply an outline of what you want to say. To
sound like a professional avoid disclosing too
much personal information about yourself, sounding
too eager, or mentioning that you are hoping to
launch your own showbiz career. Instead, focus
on what you have to offer the celebrity.
8. Join an Agency
Most CPAs agree
that this is a great inroad into the industry.
Once you’ve located one,
send a brief email query asking who you should
contact about becoming a CPA for one of their
clients. Sign up with as many agencies as possible.
9. Ace the Interview
According to Jonathan
Holiff, former personal assistant to several celebrities,
"Assuming you have the skills and the temperament,
it really comes down to a personality match."
You will more than likely have to go through a
number of interviews before you get to meet your
celebrity. Don’t let it faze you; just be honest
and direct with everyone you meet. And when you
meet your celebrity? Don't gush. Concentrate on
being professional and establishing an immediate
rapport with them.
10. Join Professional
Organizations
There are professional
organizations that assist celebrity personal assistants
with their career development. Once you start
working as a CPA, you will be able to join these
organizations and they will become an invaluable
source of support and information.
by FabJob Guide to Become a Celebrity Personal Assistant:
/celebrity.asp
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