So you’ve gained a new temp PA role, congratulations! However, joining a new workplace as the newbie can be incredibly daunting—even if you’ve worked in temporary PA jobs before. There’s a whole new role to get to grips with, a new office to navigate, and new work processes to learn—and you need to pick it all up quickly if you’re going to make a good impression as a temp.
With our years of experience as London’s leading PA recruitment agency, we’ve helped many temp PAs settle into their new roles. If you’re about to start a new temporary personal assistant job, we’ve got some top tips to help you get settled quickly and have a positive impact in your time at the company.
Accept that you don’t know everything
Many personal assistants are perfectionists who like everything to be ‘just so’, meaning it can be tough to enter a new environment and be in the dark about certain things. It’s important to accept that you won’t pick up everything on your first day, so don’t beat yourself up about it. Settling into a new role is a steep learning curve, even if you’ve temped for many years. Your new colleagues won’t expect you to know everything immediately either, so don’t give yourself a hard time!
Get to know key figures
Make it a priority to get to know the figures who will help you in your new role. If you’re in an office support job, the receptionist and personal assistants of all the executives will be valuable friends to have in the workplace. If you’re working as a PA, get to know those working in receptionist jobs, as well as other assistants and office managers—they’ll be the ones who know the inner workings of the office better than anyone else!
Ask questions
If there’s something you’re not sure about, just ask. Don’t try to wing it or assume it’s supposed to be done a certain way—ask plenty of questions, and consider carrying a notepad or keeping your phone’s memo app open to keep track of the little quirks of your new office.
Seek out a mentor
Temping jobs are perfect opportunities to make new connections, and you should look to find a mentor as you’re getting settled in your new job. Your mentor might be your actual boss, they could be the PA of a more senior executive, or they could be another senior colleague who you’ve developed a rapport with. If you’re offered a permanent PA job after a successful temporary role, your mentor will be even more valuable in helping you progress within the company.
Remember: you won’t be new forever!
Although it’s important to use your first few weeks to soak up as much information as you can about your new job, you should also remember that you won’t be the newbie forever. As the days and weeks pass, and you become more confident in your role, you should be looking to make it your own, and seeking ways to have a positive impact on the workplace in general.
For all the latest job opportunities for temporary PAs, get in touch with the Love Success team today!
Love Success is a leading PA and secretarial recruitment agency in London.
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