How to Be a Great Personal Assistant

A Personal Assistant is the job title describing an individual who assists a specific person (typically manager upwards) with their daily business/administrative (and indeed sometimes personal) tasks.  Typically a Personal Assistant (“PA”) will work for a senior manager or executive within a business and have a wide range of duties.PA jobs can provide a very fulfilling career with lots of varied and interesting work.

What is a personal assistant's job description?

A PA's responsibilities include organizing their manager, serving as their first point of contact both inside and outside the company, and managing administrative work. Among other things, responsibilities could include:

  • handling phone calls and correspondence.
  • scheduling meetings and managing calendars.
  • Making travel and lodging arrangements for business travels.
  • Organising events and conferences.
  • taking and typing up meeting minutes, and creating presentations.
  • managing file systems and paperwork.
  • assembling and organizing expenses.

In certain situations, a PA's responsibility might also include helping their manager with personal administration to relieve some of their time and stress. It's crucial to be adaptable, flexible, and able to work to complete tasks in a quick-paced atmosphere.

What education or training is needed for PA positions?

Employers typically demand that applicants have their A Levels or Highers as well as documentation of prior experience, usually two years, in an administrative or personal assistant role. It may be necessary for Executive Personal Assistants who work with Managing Directors, Chief Executives, and others to have more formal training and more experience in roles that are similar to theirs.

What characteristics make a great PA?

  • You will frequently be the recipient of private information that could have an influence on colleagues or the course of the company. Your boss must have faith in you to handle such information.
  • Interpersonal abilities; the capacity to establish relationships with your management, stakeholders, suppliers, and customers of the business (in particular, know their likes, dislikes, how they like to prepare for meetings, and grasp their objectives and issues).
  • ability to achieve deadlines despite shifting priorities and deadlines; flexibility and adaptation.
  • Be on time and trustworthy; your manager will rely largely on you to show there, do the tasks, and be available.
  • Being able to communicate with others in the organization that you might need to rely on or collaborate with to complete deliverables for your management. This includes having effective oral and writing communication skills.
  • Be thorough and organized, and organize your manager. Avoid surprises. Keep them informed of where activities are, journal updates, and important information.
  • As a PA, you can find yourself in an awkward situation where you need to have self-assurance to carry out activities on your manager's behalf that might not be well-received.
  • The capacity to prioritize tasks and multitask in order to meet many deadlines; planning and organizational skills.
  • Positive outlook and the capacity to take the initiative; to anticipate what your manager will need, such as briefing materials before meetings.
  • A good PA should have tact and diplomacy.

The best advice is to never stop learning, to take initiative, and to keep refining your professional skill sets. Always think about new methods you can contribute to your knowledge and expertise.For a thorough look on PA, you can check our Excellence Secretary and Personal Assistant training course

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