If your heart is content to be a personal assistant, but don’t know how to take the first step, we are here to help!
For over 20 years, Tiger has helped countless job seekers find their dream personal assistant job. In this blog, we’ll use that expertise to show you how to become a personal assistant, step by step.
Personal assistants are found in almost every industry and every type of company, making them a very attractive role for people of all different tastes and interests. If you have the skills, personality and work ethic to thrive in a PA role, you can pursue a career in finance, media, manufacturing, fashion, the public sector – wherever your passion lies!
The popularity of the role makes it a competitive market for job seekers, so if you want to be successful in your search, you need to prepare. Let’s take a look at how you can set yourself up to be an exceptional authority and the steps you need to take to get a personal assistant job.
Learn about the role
Maybe you feel like you already know everything there is to know about a personal assistant – all in the name of, are you assisting your manager in his day-to-day work? But the duties of the authority are more varied and complex than it seems at first glance. Educating yourself about the reality of a PA career is the first step to becoming a PA.
First, think about the industries in which you would be happy to work as an authority. Now do your research on what is expected of the PA in these areas – a day in the life of a corporate banking authority may look very different to one working in television, while private PAs can find themselves working on some very unusual tasks!
Next, you need to have a good understanding of your potential salary as an authority. These will also vary between industries, and narrowing your expectations will help you plan personal budgets and prepare you for the negotiation stages of the interview process.
It’s not just the first salary you need to think about, but the potential for raises and promotions as your career progresses. There are several ways to grow professionally as a personal assistant – maybe you want to one day move into a senior assistant job to get a feel for how the business works at the senior level, or you dream of seeing the world while working in a virtual assistant role. You should research all these possible paths and make short to medium term plans to help you follow them.
Fine tune your skills
Once you have a solid understanding of what a career as a PA requires and promises, it’s time to look at your skill set, and what you can do to make it battle-ready! Successful PA skills and PA attributes include punctuality and written communication, in addition to judgment and a positive can-do attitude.
You may worry that you lack the knowledge or talent for some of these skills, but even the best PAs aren’t born with them. Each of these can be learned from scratch, or tuned regularly to maintain peak performance, and there are several routes you can take to achieve this. These include full-time diplomas, online courses, tutors and specialist seminars designed specifically for personal assistants. Read our list of the five best PA courses to learn more.
Write a perfect resume and cover letter
We haven’t forgotten the most obvious and practical step on how to become a personal assistant: applying for a job! But to give yourself the best chance of catching a hiring manager’s attention, you’ll need to have your personal assistant resume and cover letter in top shape.
Understanding the expectations of the role, and how your skills and personality are relevant to it, will have a massive impact on the effectiveness of both documents. So be sure to consider the points we’ve made so far on this blog, and for more detailed advice on writing your CV, check out our guide to writing a PA personal statement.
Prepare for your interview
Securing a job interview at the PA can be both an exciting and nerve-wracking feeling. It’s only natural to be nervous, but the key to boosting your confidence and acing a PA interview is preparation.
With the right amount of research, you can build a detailed picture of the company’s culture and values, the personalities and preferences of the managers you might work with, and the level of formality you should expect—is it suits and ties, or smart-casual?
This research will arm you with knowledge about the company you are interviewing for that will impress the hiring managers. It will also give you insight into the type of questions they might ask, and spark your own ideas for questions the PA might ask in an interview – a very effective way to show your enthusiasm.
Future-proof yourself with the latest technology
Whether you’re applying for your first job at the PA, or you’re an established professional, you should always keep an eye on the ways the role is changing. The biggest driver of change is emerging technologies, and they are coming at a rapid pace.
It’s often overlooked when explaining how to become a personal assistant, but proficiency with the latest computer software, hardware and apps can set you apart from the crowd. If you can show a hiring manager that you can calculate expenses, prepare reports and schedule meetings much more efficiently thanks to your technological knowledge, you will be an instant leader.
Start future-proofing yourself by reading our list of the five best tools for PAs.
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There is no quick answer to the question of how to become a personal assistant, so if you are serious about a career as an authority, we recommend that you read all of our blogs on the subject. The most important thing is preparation: fully understand what the role entails and requires, give an honest assessment of your current abilities, and bridge any gaps by using the many resources, courses and tools available to the Authority.
When you’re ready to start looking for your dream personal assistant role, sign up for Tiger and head over to our jobs page.
