Website Avalon Outsourcing
A personal assistant (PA) typically carries out administrative work on behalf of one individual, unlike an administrator who tends to look after a team. This individual is usually a manager or executive in a commercial, not-for-profit or public sector organisation. The role of a PA is to free an executive’s time from administrative duties so that they can spend maximum time on strategic tasks.
Personal assistants often act as the manager’s first point of contact.
Personal assistant responsibilities
A personal assistant’s typical duties include:
acting as a first point of contact for callers, dealing with emails and phone calls by responding, passing on messages or highlighting them for their manager’s attention
managing diaries and organising meetings and appointments, often controlling access to the manager/executive
booking and arranging travel, transport and accommodation
organising events and conferences
reminding the manager/executive of important tasks and deadlines
typing, compiling and preparing reports, presentations and correspondence
managing databases and filing systems
implementing and maintaining procedures/administrative systems
liaising with staff, suppliers and clients
collating and filing expenses
miscellaneous tasks to support their manager, which will vary according to the sector and to the manager’s remit, eg completing some corporate governance reporting (to ensure that the business is being run properly and complying with legislation and regulations) or conducting research.
PAs can also work for wealthy families or individuals. If this is the case, the work of the PA may also extend to maintaining the home or personal life of their boss, such as ensuring MOTs are up to date or hiring cleaners. Whether you work for an organisation or an individual, you may need to work irregular hours from time to time to support your manager.
The job title for this kind of role, and its seniority, will vary according to the employer. In some organisations, the job titles ‘personal assistant’ and ‘executive assistant’ are interchangeable. In others, an executive assistant is more senior than a personal assistant and will take on more responsibility, such as some corporate governance or team organisation work. In some organisations, a PA role is an entry-level job; in others, it requires a great deal of experience and is paid accordingly. Depending on the employer, too, a personal assistant role may be combined with that of an administrator or it may be a more senior position to which administrators can progress.
An office manager also provides a wide range of administrative support (see What does an office manager do?) but does not focus on assisting one individual like a PA does.
The term ‘secretary’ or ‘personal secretary’ was previously used for personal assistant but it is now perceived as old fashioned and is rarely used for this role. Our secretary job description explains what a secretary does.
You may also see the term ‘personal assistant’ used to describe individuals who support people with disabilities with day-toPersonal assistant skills
Discretion and trustworthiness: you will often be party of confidential information
Excellent oral and written communication skills
Organisational skills and the ability to multitask
The ability to be proactive and take the initiative
Flexibility and adaptability
Tact and diplomacy
A knowledge of standard software packages and the ability to learn company-specific software if required.-day tasks in their homes.