From Suits and Mad Men to The Devil Wears Prada, there are many PAs in film and TV that may get you thinking, “I’d love to be a PA!” But is being a PA the right career for you off-screen? Would it be a good fit for your skills, talents, and interests? If you’ve been considering pursuing a career as a PA, we’ll give you an insight into what it’s really like, with our insider knowledge as a leading London PA recruitment agency.
Be on the ball
When you work in PA jobs, you’re often the right-hand to your boss, meaning you always need to be on the ball. Whether it’s managing their inbox, phone, or diary, you’ll need to have great organisation, prioritisation, and time management skills. You’ll most likely have a varied and substantial workload, so you need to be able to think objectively, multitask, and work efficiently.
Confident communicator
A large part of PA jobs involves dealing with people at all levels of the company and external companies, sometimes including C-suite and Director level. Communication as a PA includes a range of methods, including telephone, e-mail, and face to face. So, you need to be a confident, approachable, and clear communicator in all formats.
Office skills
It goes without saying that PA jobs require office-based admin skills, such as dealing with paper-based or digital systems, arranging appointments, maintaining equipment and supplies, sorting mail, etc. To ensure the smooth running of the office, you must be happy to follow instructions when they are given and pay close attention to detail in all tasks, even the ones that seem simple.
Taking initiative
As the right-hand to your boss, you may find yourself working alone and unsupervised when your boss is busy, in meetings, or on leave. As such, you’ll be trusted to get the job done and make decisions on your own. You need to be confident, flexible, and versatile to work with little or no direction, and have a strong sense of initiative to make decisions in the absence of your boss.
Unflappable personality
PA jobs can be very fast-paced, with multiple responsibilities, tasks, and priorities to manage on a daily basis. As your boss and colleagues will be relying on you, you need to have an unflappable personality, be calm under pressure, and have a “can-do” attitude. These traits are essential in PA jobs, especially those top PA jobs in London.
Qualifications
You won’t normally need special qualifications to work in PA jobs, but you will be expected to have a C or above in Maths and English at GCSE level. To gain an edge over other candidates, you may want to take a business administration course. As your job will involve a large amount of typing, you’ll normally need to take a word processing test before being recruited for office-based PA jobs. It’s also important to continue developing skills while working in PA jobs to secure your next role.
Whether you’re looking for your first PA job, your next temporary PA opportunity, a permanent PA job, or your dream role as a top London PA, then get in touch with our team at Love Success today. At our leading London PA recruitment agency, we can help you find PA and office support jobs in the capital.
Love Success is a leading PA and secretarial recruitment agency in London.
Our recruiters can help you find secretarial jobs, office support jobs, and top PA jobs in London.
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