What does a PA Do?

What does a PA Do?

What does a PA Do? and indeed, what is a PA. A PA is Personal Assistant to the manager, department or CEO. They provide administrative support and take care of their boss so that they can

What does a PA do? is a question that has a long winded answer as they do everything in an office.

What does a PA do?

Perform their jobs with ease and confidence. A Personal Assistant could also be called an Executive Assistant or even a Virtual PA or Virtual EA.  In this article, I will use the term PA to cover all of above.

Being a Personal Assistant (PA) is like being a fine artist. You have to have the ability to see an end product using the raw materials you have available to you. Anticipate the likes and needs of those you are looking after, without them knowing or understanding what they like or dislike. A PA has to be meticulous about their time management, planning and organisational skills and then make these tasks look smooth and effortless. Any PA unable to master these three skills will inevitably find the role as a Personal Assistant difficult. A PA should have their finger on the proverbial button of any activity their boss is undertaking at any time. Not only that, a PA has to anticipate what the boss requires today tomorrow and next month.

So What does a PA do to make sure they are on the ball?

A PAs mantra or go to question should always be “What is the next question” their boss is going to ask.  Ensure they can answer that question and then the next question their boss will ask. The standard Who, What, Where, When, Why and How questions should be applied to any and all tasks a PA undertakes.  Once a PA has mastered this tool they will start to see and show improvements in their PA ability and demonstrate how capable and competent they are in their role.

All PAs need to demonstrate consistency in their workload and be as enthusiastic on Monday morning at 9 am as they are on Friday at 5 pm.  They need to be effective and efficient in all the tasks that they undertake and become proactive instead of reactive. It is recommended that a PA schedules at least 60% of their working day. This will leave 40% of their day to be reactive. We, therefore, advise each PA to plan tasks in advance. Taking note of business deadlines and the expectation is essential. A PA will also have to remember their boss has deadlines that could rely on work they have to do.

PAs Personal Recommendations

We would also recommend that every PA take a few minutes at the end of the day to note at least five successes they have had that day. It is true to say that everyone will have a bad day at work at some point. Noting down any success they have will help any PA remember how good they are. How well they perform their job and organising their boss.

In conclusion, What does a PA Do?

When the role of a PA is performed correctly, it is a work of art. The position is seamless, timeless and a thing of beauty. Their boss will never know the amount of work, effort and organisational skills the PA will put into their role. All of this, to ensure that the boss has a perfect working environment so they can perform at their peak.

The PA is indeed the unsung hero of any organisation. It is time for all PAs to stand up and be proud of the jobs that they do. The tasks they undertake and show what a strong, determined woman can do. For more information about becoming a PA or attending a training course click here.

The PA Tips on this post are those that are highly recommended to become an effective PA. It is also vitally important that a PA keeps on track of all new technology, new ways of working and are open to any PA Tips they can glean from colleagues and even their boss.

 

Being Proactive for a PA and Secretary

Being Proactive for a PA and Secretary

Proactive PAs and Secretaries are organised and efficient

Planning your day to be proactive

When you think of a PA or a Secretary, you immediately think of someone organised, who is ultra-efficient and has their hand on the heartbeat of the department or their Boss’s Day. In effect, being proactive. Being Proactive is management speech stating that ‘a person is creating or controlling a situation rather than just responding to it after it has happened’. (more…)

Preparation for the Appraisal Process

Preparation for the Appraisal Process

Getting ready for the Appraisal Process

The Appraisal Process

Depending on your company internal calendar of events and procedures the appraisal process isn’t that far away.  Most appraisals start in March/April in preparation for the new financial year.  For a PA,

EA and Secretary this is the time when the task of organising appraisals or preparing for appraisals starts. It is, however, worth noting that the business year begins April (often referred to as the New Financial Year), so the business year has another three months to run, (the last quarter).  It is, therefore, time to start thinking about what you want to achieve in the final quarter of the financial year and what you want to achieve in the coming year.

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What Are the Major Concerns during an Appraisal?

What Are the Major Concerns during an Appraisal?

PA-Secretary-conducing-an-appraisal
Preparation for an Appraisal

As a PA (Personal Assistant), an EA (Executive Assistant) or secretary you may be asked to undertake an appraisal, this could be for junior members of staff. An Appraisal, Performance Review or Staff Review happens once a year.  The appraisal gives the employee and the employer an opportunity to openly discuss the previous years working structure.

Some General Guidelines

Conducting-an-appraisal-if-you-are-a-Secretary
Conducting an appraisal if you are a PA

Appraisals are on an individual employee’s job description. If you are conducting the appraisal you need to ensure that you are aware of the employee’s job description and not undertake a comparison with other employees.  You also have to be aware that the appraisal is on their past performance and not on what you would like them to do. That is the value of job analysis and detailed job descriptions.

A rating system may form part of the appraisal process.  The rating system could be a numerical, alphabetical system or a combination. All PAs or secretaries conducting an appraisal should be trained on the rating system used.  A good rating could result in a pay rise or promotion.  It is important that the rating system is robust, understood and utilised.

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Contact Details Email signature

Contact Details Email signature

Contact Details Email Signatures

Businesses work hard to get contact details from existing clients and new possible clients. Just take a look at your local supermarkets and insurance companies.  They all want your contact details.

Businesses also work hard to keep a client happy, loyal and hopefully become an advocate for the services or products. There is just as much hard work and time invested in finding a new client. This all has a cost to the business because:

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