MIND YOUR BUSINESS
LATEST IVY LEAGUE PERSONAL ASSISTANTS DO THINKING FOR YOU
By Marina Vataj
New York Post | April 17, 2007
THE must-have accessory of the year, even for (or especially for) those who don't walk the red carpet, is the personal assistant. Oh, they're sometimes called "interns" on Craigslist, but whatever the term, you know the drill - glorified gofers: someone to fetch your laundry, walk your dog, answer your calls. Once, they only schlepped for stars. Now, having a job as a first-year trader gives you enough clout and money to hire your own personal lackey.
It's gotten so common that Yale graduate Jill Glist has started an agency with a different kind of assistance in mind. Forget about picking up your laundry; at Glist's Lambent Services, her employees pick up your life.
Lambent assistants are, quite possibly, smarter than you. Stocked with summa cum laude graduates straight out of college, they provide someone who can organize your schedule, do your taxes, plan your presentation. Call it "rent a brain."
"A large portion of our assistants come from Ivy League backgrounds, and if they're not Ivy League, they come from one of the top 100 schools in the country," Glist says. "Everyone needs some personal help, and the best person to get it from is someone who is efficient and intelligent."
The company launched a few months ago when Glist decided no one should spend time doing things they despise - unless, of course, they're getting paid. With 70 eager college grads ready to work (and network), clients simply call in with specific needs, and they're set up with their best match for a price of $35-$100 an hour, depending on the task.
"It's very important to us that there is an extensive screening process, so that we can guarantee the job will get done right and by the right person," Glist says.
The selection process - more complicated than most assistant hirings - involves a one-hour in-person interview, a dinner out and some e-mail exchanges.
Victoria Hooker, a 23-year-old, got an initial interview because she graduated from Tufts University, but still had to prove herself worthy.
"I have a broad education and speak four languages, and these are things that really help me in this field of work. Education plays a major role when you have to work so closely with someone," she says. Hooker now works as an assistant to a vintage clothing store owner, managing his home office for five hours a week.
Once, prime jobs out of college included well-paying entry-level positions at big finance or fashion firms, especially for those in-demand Ivy League graduates. But "assistant" is losing its negative status. Now, networking is more important than the position itself. Just ask Peter Cook, a 23-year-old Yale graduate who chose this job specifically for the access.
"I'm a part-time assistant for a partner at Guggenheim Productions," says Cook, who manages his client's daily schedule, arranges trips and handles mail. "It's a bedrock for someone who is an arts professional, a good way to meet and get to know the right people on a one-on-one basis."
But there are many reasons for the quick increase in the demand for this kind of service. According to Claudia Kahn, owner of The Help Company - which hires nannies, personal assistants and estate managers - it's not just that we all need some more free time, it's that we all want to be celebrities.
"People have always needed extra help, but the uproar came from the celebrity world, and we're constantly reading [about] and watching celebrities rely on assistants to arrange everything for them."
Or perhaps we just got lazy. "I have a personal assistant just to listen to my voice mails, because I think it's a waste of precious time," Glist says.