The Complete Guide to Becoming a Successful Personal Assistant

From answering important phone calls to organising everyday tasks, personal assistants - also known as PAs - provide key administrative support to every company. Many now do this job virtually as Virtual Assistants, which fulfil personal assistant responsibilities from home.

Some might see this position as a thankless job, but the truth is, these assistant roles are as essential as any, serving as administrative backbones for companies across the globe. Many large companies require personal assistants and are necessary to accomplish key business goals on time.

If you feel like you’re up to the challenge and want to provide core administrative support to your current company, here’s an in-depth guide to personal assistant responsibilities, and what you can do to put yourself a cut above the rest.

Personal Assistant Job Description - What Do They Do?

The specific duties of a personal assistant greatly varies depending on the field and department you’re in. Here are some of their common daily tasks that lead to a smooth administrative experience.

Being a strong first point of contact for your company’s clients

To be a personal assistant means to serve as the first point of contact for many of your business' clients. You’ll be handling direct phone calls and emails, making your professionalism the first impression they’ll have of your senior management. 

 During formal conferences, you’ll be in charge of setting the scene in conference rooms, so make sure you’re familiar with professional etiquette. This includes providing water, coffee and/or tea to your guests, and welcoming them into the building.

High-level organisation for high-profile individuals

Phone calls with clients usually lead to appointment scheduling, and key administrative responsibilities for personal assistants include organising meetings, activities and databases for your team. This can range from arranging appointments with important clients to organising business trips for major events.

These tasks require strong knowledge of office management systems and working closely with both your fellow teammates and clientele. PAs may also need to process company expenses, which would require strong accounting expertise and Excel knowledge. 

Serve as the Information Nexus

Personal assistants must ensure they have quick access to critical information at all times. Providing them accurately and efficiently to your managers can determine how fast company decisions can be made. 

“What were our expenses in the past year? “What’s the agenda for the next three weeks?” These are some questions personal assistants must have answers to at their fingertips - a necessary business acumen that will be exercised on the daily.

The Key Skills and Qualities of a Personal Assistant

Expert Interpersonal Oral and Written Communication

In any personal assistant job - virtual or in-person - hard skills like multitasking above are fundamental to providing key administrative support to your company, but soft skills such as interpersonal communication and general charisma is what truly gives you the edge over your competition. 

Remember - you serve as the first point of contact for many of your company and your clients; so knowing what words to use in the first email/call or the moment you first meet may shape their overall relationship.

Accounting and Financial Reporting

Whether it be preparing reports of your company’s financial expenses or classifying your manager’s contacts and databases, possessing key accounting and organisational skills is a must for personal assistants. The better you are at them, the faster you can process information and have them ready and reliable for your colleagues when required. 

Keeping Things Confidential

As a personal assistant, you may gain access to many confidential company documents. This can include databases of company secrets or personal data of your colleagues. Keeping these secret and safe will be an everyday duty, as any security breach can cost the company dearly. 

How To Become a Personal Assistant

The administrative duties of personal assistants may sound daunting, but do not fret - here are some ways you can get ahead of the curve. Many of the above qualities can be learned on the job, but getting formal qualifications and honing your administrative skills would definitely put yourself higher up the scale.

Get Down to Business Administration

Taking Business Administration courses will train you on a wide variety of business fundamentals, such as accounting, data analyses, and marketing strategies. While not everything you learn in these courses may be symmetrical to the PA role, it’s always a net positive to learn more about business practices in general. That, and a business qualification will always sit pretty in your resume.

Upskill on Microsoft Office and Company Tools

Organising the schedules and information of both your managers and clients can be a monumental task. Improving your grasp of technical skills, such as collating them on Excel spreadsheets or through your company management systems will optimise your workflow significantly. 

Having things organised will also make it easier to keep company data secure, ensuring no stray piece of information gets leaked. 

Being highly proficient in Excel is also an easily  transferable skill, with “proficiency in Microsoft Excel” being found in almost any personal assistant job description. If you’re looking to learn something more novel, there are many other project management tools you can use to fit your administrative work style best.

Upgrade Interpersonal Capabilities

Knowing what to say to your managers helps with building strong relationships in the office, but knowing how to say it well will solidify it. Improving your professional communication skills is also another transferable skill that’s important in every profession, making it a necessary upgrade for any aspiring personal assistant. Servcorp’s skilled team of Virtual Office Assistants is a great benchmark to set your standards on if you’re looking for top-tier professionalism.

Career Path and Growth Opportunities For Personal Assistant Roles

Expanding Your Horizons

The amalgamation of skills you learn from being a personal assistant is great leverage for your career growth. 

Highly transferable skills such as your interpersonal communication capabilities, accounting, and content management system knowledge will be highly regarded in several other administrative jobs. These include being a Secretary, Executive Assistant, or Marketing Coordinator among many others. Doing well in your personal assistant role may also open opportunities in managerial positions, such as being a Project Manager.

Why is it important for Businesses to have Personal Assistants?

Personal assistants work hard to provide core administrative support to every team. The performance of a personal assistant can translate to the overall efficiency and speed of a business - since personal assistants handle the administrative tasks, managers can focus on making important and informed decisions for the company to progress forward. 

With the corporate landscape evolving faster by the day, it’s imperative for companies to execute their agendas faster than ever before. Thankfully, getting top-quality administrative support is now easier than ever before through Servcorp’s Virtual Office packages and coworking spaces which provide professional services without the stress.

Frequently Asked Questions