Personal assistants have always been portrayed as these attractive, well dressed and highly intelligent employees who are more or less known as the ‘right hand’ of their boss. But what are the exact duties and responsibilities defined in the personal assistant job description?
A personal assistant, also referred to as a PA, is someone who needs to have all the knowledge and managerial skills to assist an administrative authority in compiling, planning, monitoring, and executing various tasks that are required to be done within a scheduled duration. In fact, they need to be so efficient in their job that even if their reporting head, or the boss, is not present, they should know exactly what needs to be done. This is why the personal assistant is also known as the ‘right hand’ of the boss. The following section contains all the necessary information which is essential for you to know if you need to be the right hand of your reporting head.
Duties and Responsibilities of a Personal Assistant
A PA is someone whose duties and responsibilities are not just confined to being a ‘trusted secretary who handles schedule’, he or she is more than that! He or she is a mind that gels with the plan of the boss, he or she is the hand that works to convert those plans into actions, and he or she is the supervisor that makes sure that what came out of the mind and was backed by the efforts is executed just the way it was intended to. A PA is required to do anything and everything that would assist the boss while they are present or absent. In fact, some of the people solely depend on their PA’s to synchronize their daily activities. I mean haven’t you heard that line, “You can talk to my PA regarding this!” Mentioned below are some duties and responsibilities that a PA is required to do.
- Handling the daily activities of the manager or the executive they are working for. This includes handling phone calls, meetings and appointments.
- Keeping the boss updated about the recent updates like emails, letters and information of similar nature.
- In case the job involves traveling, a personal assistant is expected to make all the necessary arrangements and accompany the boss, if it is required.
- Preparing correspondence on behalf of the boss.
- Apart from these responsibilities, this job also demands to take care of small yet, important matters like managing the accounts, checking on the stationery, writing minutes, taking dictations and so on.
- Many times, a personal assistant is also expected to handle unofficial work of the principal, which usually happens in case of ministers, millionaires, or, movie stars.
Education and Qualification Required
There is no specific educational requirement as such to apply for the post of a personal assistant. All you need to do is to possess the knowledge and the dedication that is needed to perform the aforementioned duties and responsibilities. These skills include planning, organizing, multitasking, excellent communication skills, flexibility, alertness, good memory, and professionalism in handling things. However if you are working in a big company or an organization, to improve you career prospects and growth, a diploma or degree in Business Management would prove to be useful.
Studying subjects like secretarial practices, office studies and business administration, along with those that are directly related with the functioning of the business (English: Publication) would be an added advantage. And of course, your previous work experience also plays an important role. The salary varies depending upon the organization that they are working with and the degrees of responsibilities that are given to them. Nevertheless, sources reveal that the monetary benefits range from $40,000-$70,000 annually.
Now that you are aware of what skills and qualifications you should mention in your personal assistant resume, I hope this article takes you a step closer to a successful career. Start preparing and all the best for the future.