For many top-level executives, a great PA is an absolute must. They are the pillar of your everyday activity ensuring that you are where you are supposed to be when you are supposed to be there and generally ensuring that your calendar, your timetable, your communications and your day to day work life runs smoothly.
For your business to be successful, and for you to get the most out of your working day, surrounding yourself with the right people is key. Aside from the obvious organisation and communication skills, there are qualities that you should look for to ensure that you get the very best out of your PA. Attic Recruitment give their tips on the qualities that you should look for when recruiting your Senior PA.
Flexibility
While there are many skills needed to be able to be an efficient and effective PA, there will be times when a degree of flexibility is required. As much as you don’t want to insist that your PA is tied to your side each and every day (remote working possibilities negate the need for them to be sat outside your office all day, every day), there will be times when you might require them to work late, attend a function or work away with you for example.
Forward Thinking
As a busy senior executive, your days are no doubt filled to the point where there are often not enough hours in the day. The last thing you need is to be presented with problems that, to be quite honest, could be resolved before they even reach you. A forward-thinking PA that can resolve problems before you learn about them is a valuable asset. Bringing you the solution and not the problem will make a huge difference to your work life.
Adaptable
With so many advancements in technology, remote working and a more dynamic environment, times are certainly changing and constantly evolving. Rather than the Senior PA that places themselves outside your office and just performs the tasks or duties set out in their job description, now roles are more fluid. It may be that you run a work environment where if someone is off sick you call on others to fulfil their duties. What you want is someone that can adapt to change and that is happy to be called upon to pitch in if the need arises.
Positivity
Running a business in the modern day is a lot different to how things were a couple of decades ago. Staff are more transient and are looking for a positive working environment in many cases. They aren’t drawn so much by the title or the money, they want to come to work to enjoy their job and feel uplifted and positive. If this is the work environment that you are trying to create then you need someone that has a positive outlook and that will bring some personality to the team you have built. A positive mindset is also great when faced with challenges.
Intuition
It may seem a bit of an odd quality to look for but while you are looking for someone with personality that is positive and forward thinking, you also need someone that knows when you need things to be quiet and serene. Someone with good intuition for judging the mood is something that will help you to find the balance between having a fun and motivated working environment and somewhere that you can actually focus on the work at hand.
Often the motivational fit for a role and the profiling of the candidate is more important than the skills that the candidate possesses. While many skills can be trained, the mindset is more difficult to train. Whether the person is the right fit should be the key consideration when finding the best Senior PA for you.
