How to Vet a Personal Assistant Before You Hand Over Your Keys
By Friday PA
Knowing how to vet a personal assistant comes down to six steps: get a detailed written profile, interview them yourself, check references, run a full background check on the person you choose, hold a meet-and-greet that's really about fit and make sure the assistant is choosing you too. Training matters just as much, because a background check tells you who someone is, not how they'll work.
Picture the first morning you leave someone alone in your house. You've handed over a key, written the alarm code on a sticky note and pulled out of the driveway. You want to spend that drive thinking about your day, not wondering whether you picked the right person.
Hiring a personal assistant isn't like hiring someone for a weekend project. (If you're just starting to think about it, our complete guide to hiring a personal assistant in Nashville is a good companion to this post.) You're handing over your keys, your alarm code, your calendar and maybe your kids' pickup schedule. That's a trust decision, and trust isn't something you should have to take on faith. So here's how we do it at Friday. Before you ever meet a Friday PA, we already have.
Why does vetting matter so much for in-home help?
Vetting matters because the person you hire will be alone in your home, around your family and your private information, usually when you're not there. The stakes aren't just "Will they do a good job?" They're "Will I feel completely at ease when I'm at work and they're at my house?"
I've talked to so many families who put off getting help for years, not because they couldn't afford it or didn't need it, but because they simply didn't know who to trust. If that's you, I get it. The goal of a good vetting process is to take that worry off your plate entirely.
How to vet a personal assistant: should I start with a résumé?
Start with a detailed profile, not a résumé. A résumé tells you where someone has worked. It doesn't tell you how they work, or what kind of work actually lights them up.
Every PA who joins the Friday network fills out a very extensive profile first. We ask about their past experience as a personal assistant or house manager, all the way down to what they like to do and what they don't like to do. That last part matters more than people expect. If you need someone who's happy to spend Thursday afternoons on returns and dry cleaning, you don't want the assistant who told us errands drain them. They might be wonderful at organizing a pantry, but they won't be wonderful for you.
Here's something you can try even before you start a search. Write two lists: the tasks you most need covered, and the tasks you'd be perfectly fine never handing off. Then, when you talk to candidates, ask them to tell you which items on your first list they genuinely enjoy. Their answers will tell you a lot.
What should I ask in a personal assistant interview?
Ask questions that get you stories, not adjectives. Anyone can tell you they're "very organized" or "great with people." What you want is a real example from a real home.
Before any client ever talks to a PA candidate, I interview them personally. If you asked me how we keep the quality of Friday PAs high, I'd tell you it's our interview process, full stop. A conversation shows you what a form can't: how someone communicates, how they handle a tricky question and whether they light up when they talk about the work.
Here are the questions I'd ask any personal assistant:
- Walk me through a typical session with a past client, start to finish.
- Tell me about a time something went wrong in a client's home. What did you do?
- How do you like to communicate with clients, and how do you adapt when a client prefers something different?
- What's a task you'd rather not take on regularly?
- How do you handle confidential things like door codes, documents and guests?
- How do you decide when a task is really done?
Listen for specifics. A story about reorganizing a family's pantry around their actual breakfast routine tells you far more than a list of strengths ever will.
Do I really need a background check?
Yes, always, and on the specific person you're hiring. References show you patterns. Did they show up on time? Did they follow through? Would that family hire them again tomorrow? A background check covers what references can't.
At Friday, every candidate is asked up front about anything a background check could turn up, and the PA you choose is fully checked through Checkr before their first day. I want to point out that "asked up front" piece, because I think it matters. It sets an honest tone from the very first conversation, and it filters out surprises early, for everyone.
What's the meet-and-greet really for?
The meet-and-greet is for fit. By the time you meet someone through Friday, you already know they're qualified, so you're not grilling them on skills. You're answering a simpler question: would I be glad to see this person walk through my door every week?
We send you up to three hand-picked profiles, each with a photo, a short video introduction and their experience, plus a note on why we think they'd fit your household. Then we set up the meet-and-greet for you over Zoom, so there's no back-and-forth scheduling. Good things to talk about: your home's rhythm, pets, kids' schedules, how you like to communicate and one or two real tasks you'd hand off in the very first week.
Does the assistant get a say?
Yes, and this is one of my favorite things about how Friday works. After the interview, the PA also decides whether the client is the right fit for them. It isn't only "Do I want to work with this assistant?" It's also "Does this assistant want to work with this family?"
I think that's super important, especially if you want a relationship that lasts for years instead of months. An assistant who's genuinely excited about your household will stay longer, care more and go further for you than someone who said yes because they needed the hours. Mutual choice is the start of a long relationship.
Is a clean background check enough?
No. A background check tells you who someone is. Training tells you how they'll work in your home. That's the gap Friday PA Certification fills. It covers communication standards, confidentiality, household excellence (yes, including how to fold a fitted sheet), administrative skills, vendor management, travel and safety, with real performance assessments, not just quizzes.
The part I love most is that it gives you and your assistant a shared definition of done before day one. When you both agree on what "finished" looks like, you stop double-checking, and that's when the relief really kicks in.
What should personal assistants know about being vetted?
If you're a PA going through a process like this, here's what I'm looking for, honestly.
Be specific about what you love and what you don't. It isn't a weakness. It's how we match you with families where you'll thrive. Bring stories, too. "My client wanted wallpaper, so I found an installer on TaskRabbit who did a phenomenal job, and now I use him for everything" tells me you're resourceful in a way no bullet point can. And ask about the family. You're choosing them as much as they're choosing you.
Frequently asked questions
What should a personal assistant background check include?
At a minimum, identity verification and criminal history, ideally through an established screening company. Friday uses Checkr for a full background check on the PA you choose.
At a minimum, identity verification and criminal history, ideally through an established screening company. Friday uses Checkr for a full background check on the PA you choose.
How long does it take to vet and hire a personal assistant?
With Friday, you'll review up to three candidate profiles within about two weeks, and most families go from the first call to their assistant's first day in about three weeks.
With Friday, you'll review up to three candidate profiles within about two weeks, and most families go from the first call to their assistant's first day in about three weeks.
Should I hire a personal assistant from an app or through a service?
Apps are quick for one-off tasks. For someone who'll be in your home every week, you want deeper screening, a personal interview, a background check, proper W-2 payroll and a replacement guarantee.
Apps are quick for one-off tasks. For someone who'll be in your home every week, you want deeper screening, a personal interview, a background check, proper W-2 payroll and a replacement guarantee.
What if the personal assistant isn't the right fit?
At Friday, your placement fee includes a replacement within 90 days if the match isn't right. Here's what that looks like in practice.
At Friday, your placement fee includes a replacement within 90 days if the match isn't right. Here's what that looks like in practice.
Can I interview the assistant before I commit?
Yes. You'll meet your top choice in a virtual meet-and-greet, and if it isn't the right fit, we go back to the search at no extra cost.
Yes. You'll meet your top choice in a virtual meet-and-greet, and if it isn't the right fit, we go back to the search at no extra cost.
If you've been putting off getting help because you're not sure who to trust, that's completely normal, and it's exactly the part we're here to take off your plate. You can see how the whole process works, or get started in about five minutes.
