How to Become a Celebrity Personal Assistant

Hollywood’s bigwigs may seem completely put-together 24/7, but what we don’t see on a day-to-day basis is the amount of work it takes to keep them on their game.

Personal assistants are responsible for keeping Hollywood’s biggest names on time, on schedule, and on their A-games around the clock.

As a celebrity assistant, you’ll get to travel, rub elbows with the rich and famous, and have a fast-paced, exciting lifestyle. But before you start, make sure you’re able to sacrifice time with your family, pets or significant other before looking for a celebrity PA job.

Here are some tips on how to make it happen:

Make a plan

Becoming a celebrity assistant requires a long-term strategy. Your clients may have high expectations and hectic lives, so it is a good idea to think ahead of time about how you can build the best portfolio to meet their needs. By making a strategy, you can increase your chances of eventually becoming a celebrity assistant.

Develop your skills

Celebrity assistants can have a very fast-paced job with a wide variety of responsibilities. The many demands of the job often require excellent organizational skills. You can practice these skills by keeping well-organized schedules, calendars and files.

Get experience in event-planning

Learn how to keep your cool under pressure and time limitations, and get comfortable with solving problems at the last minute.

Become tech savvy

You may be managing your celebrity’s email account, social media, and personal calendar, so you’ll need to know your way around technology. The more tech skills you can offer them, like website management or graphic design for their lifestyle blog, the better.

Consider an education

Becoming a celebrity assistant does not require a college degree, but one might be helpful. If you choose to get a degree, those in subjects like business or communications may help you develop some of the necessary skills for the job. You may also choose to take classes related to the types of celebrities you would like to work with, such as music, screenwriting or acting, to help you better understand the industry.

Brush up on your people skills

Be able to handle anyone from the snootiest celeb to their social climber friends. Practice being patient, using good communication skills and dealing with anyone and everyone with a polite smile, whether that’s at work or with a not-so-favorite family member.

Get relevant work experience

Before becoming a celebrity assistant, you will need to have other work experience. You can work in areas like sales, public relations, customer service, communications and hospitality. For example, you could be a hotel manager, administrative assistant, nanny or secretary.

Improve your resume

Include all the skills and experiences that a celebrity could want for their personal assistant. Emphasize your organization skills, customer service ability, and capability under tight deadlines.

And finally: Look for and land a celebrity PA position

Move to an area popular with celebrities.

Network as much as possible to make professional connections. 

Use a staffing agency.

Nail the interview.