If you have been considering a role as a PA, then it is worth understanding the role fully before you start to take the first tentative steps on the road to becoming a personal assistant.
The job can be an extremely hard one, with a great deal of responsibility involved. But it can also be extremely rewarding, both financially and in terms of edification and job satisfaction.
A PA is someone who manages the time of a company director or someone in a certain position within a company. Sometimes it may even simply be for individuals who have no time to organise their personal lives. In all cases, the result will be the same – whilst there may well be certain secretarial roles involved, the actual job is far more about managing time and, ultimately, managing the person themselves.
Not everyone is built to become a PA. You need to be sure that you can cope with pressure, that you actively strive to make the most of every single job, no matter how trivial, and that you are personable since a great amount of your time will be spent dealing with others. Traits such as punctuality will also be extremely beneficial.
Other skills can be learnt and many looking to become a PA will undertake an Executive PA course. Such courses offer candidates the chance to have the physical skill set needed, from an ability to touch type to the understanding of key computer programs a PA might need. The right courses will also improve organisational skills and give candidates the ability to use shorthand.
Whilst general courses such as a Sage course or even a payroll course will be beneficial for those looking for less intense roles, whether they be clerical or otherwise, professional PA courses will be a must for those who want to really succeed as a professional personal assistant.