How to Start Your Career as a Personal Assistant in the UK?
posted:4 years agobyAwatef Hamdiin Career Development
Some people are engaged in many projects and have a busy schedule. To run all these tasks at a single time, they consider hiring a personal assistant. This job sounds interesting for people who want to be the right boss's hand. Being close to managers is not only the work of secretaries. A personal assistant is the closest and even the most critical secret agent that keeps the business track going. Are you interested in this career? Let's find out how to become a personal assistant.
What is a Personal Assistant?
As it tells from its name, a personal assistant is the one who assists a manager and tackles all the personal tasks that make a manager updated with all the details. A personal assistant is known as a PA. This job is usually operating in personal business projects or social media accounts that boost the traffic of that project. Being a personal assistant is not an easy job. There are many requirements that applicants should fulfill to get this position.
A Personal Assistant Job Description:
Job description usually sums up the requirements that employers are demanding for the job. A personal assistant is not a secretary and differs from a regular office clerk. Many specifications make this job different from all these mentioned administrative positions. A personal assistant has many tasks and duties that a manager usually performs. A personal assistant is hired to substitute the manager's absence and take some easy tasks such as preparing files, answering phone calls, responding to emails, and taking notes during meetings. That's why employers who wish for a personal assistant insist on specific terms and conditions.
1.A good representative: managers always look for applicants who can represent them remotely. The first condition required in a job description is to find someone who can tackle multiple responsibilities for managerial tasks. Take a look at Optimizing personal brand for getting a job in 2020
2. Business-oriented applicant: Employers who have business operations obviously demand someone with business knowledge and skills.
3.Qualified applicant: a personal assistant should be qualified in business or technical tools, with the tendency to master office work.
4. An honest, loyal applicant: employers usually look for a close assistant who knows all their secret projects. That's why they invite applicants to more than a single job interview to decide which one to choose and how to choose the right person. Honesty and loyalty are a must for this job. Take a look at; Frequently Asked Administrative Assistant Interview Questions and Answers
5. Experience (if possible) Although the post of personal assistant requires a little previous education, this work is fundamentally inter-related with many specialized fields and may require additional training.
Roles of a Personal Assistant:
The roles and responsibilities can differ from one company to another. In general terms, a personal assistant should know the manager's operations and take the daily tasks that revolve around supervising small details, so that managers cannot afford the time. let's take a look at these roles:
1.Administrative support: a personal assistant should be available for office and online responses and scheduling appointments.
2. Traveling facilities: a personal assistant should be available for booking traveling programs, preparing accommodations, or any distant service.
3. Consulting: a personal assistant should be able to consult managers about any favorable option or recommendation to develop the project or the manager's social media accounts.
4. Getting rid of negative messages or rude comments: part of the personal assistant work is to deal with negativity and avoid the spread of rumors or negative vibes that can affect the project or the company's image.
5.Explaining/ informing: repetition can be strict for managers. That's why a personal assistant is essential to pay attention to all the frequently asked questions and kindly answer them or repeat the same explanations repeatedly.
6. Growing an online audience: managers usually want to boost their online presence to introduce their company or projects to many people. That's why they resort to personal assistants who can manage all their social media platforms and grow it's As here are many repeated and frequent
Skills of a Personal Assistant:
-Excellent communicative and technical skills: a personal assistant should know how to communicate with the manager and the rest of his/ her employees or visitors quickly and effectively.
-Flexibility: a personal assistant should be very flexible in meeting the demands of the job.
-Problem-solving skills: a personal assistant should know how to solve problems and how to answer the frequently asked questions. If there is no right solution, a personal assistant should not improvise to invent any solution. He/she should directly inform the manager or any other responsible employee.
-Organizational skills: a personal assistant should be a very organized person and remember where things reside or where they are put. You may also check Skills Required for Clerk Jobs That Make You a Good Candidate
A Personal Assistant Salary:
Salaries are different in every place or every professional sector. The duties of a personal assistant often go beyond secretarial functions, including dealing with office duties, such as ordering equipment, mail and paperwork, and coordinating schedules between people. The estimated salary of a personal assistant in the UK can go up to £25,522 per year.