Choosing the right PA
Recently the term `PA’ has been used to describe the role of a secretary. However, true executive PAs will often be doing much more than office management and administration. They are likely to be found organising their employer’s entire life - from planning strategy meetings to sending flowers for grief-stricken relatives.
It’s very likely that you’ll be working with your Personal Assistant more than any other person in your organisation. Your PA will be intimate with all your business dealings, as well as your personal dealings. A PA should be devoted to making your role as an executive free from tedious tasks and unnecessary distractions. It makes sense that you put a lot of time, thought and effort into finding one that is perfect for you.
Essentially, a PA's role is to help you function at maximum efficiency and productivity. The main focus should be on allowing you to work on the executive elements of your role. They remove much of the clutter that could otherwise monopolise your precious time. Besides managing your diary your PA should:
- Take and screen unwanted calls;
- Make your travel plans;
- Sort and reply to emails, letters and memos; and
- Manage the fine details of corporate life.
“I expect my PA to basically filter me from the junk.” Says Gabriel Szondy, Partner at accounting firm, Price Waterhouse Coopers. “My PA will clear my emails, handle my appointments and filter me from people when necessary.”
Can you expect your PA to help organise your personal life too? “Absolutely. When I’m really busy, my PA should be able to take care of things like sorting and paying my bills, and managing appointments in my private life - often they overlap”. Clearly, a good PA will go beyond the call of duty.
With experience, a competent executive PA who is familiar with the boss’s business can even go to appointments on his or her behalf.
“To me it’s personality - that’s probably the most important thing.” Says Gabriel Szondy. “I take for granted the person has the right experience and qualifications, otherwise they wouldn’t have reached the interview stage. We have to click. We need to have a decent working relationship otherwise you can forget it.”
To source a PA who is appropriate to the job role is the easy part. The challenge is finding one with whom you can build the trust and rapport that makes a great team. In a recruitment situation where the final candidates appear to have equal competency, the boss is often best advised to trust gut instinct about the person.
Some elements to look for
To get past the interview stage an executive PA should have most of the following:
- Demonstrated experience at a senior level;
- Advanced word processing and secretarial skills;
- Competency with spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations;
- Confident communication skills - the ability to talk to all sorts of people is crucial;
- A good sense of humour and an independent nature;
- The ability to be flexible and adaptable to a wide range of situations; and
- Experience in dealing discreetly with top level information
