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How Spanish Translation Can Become a Door Opening Skill for PAs

Personal assistants exist in a unique position of authority, working closely with senior team members and directors, while taking control and responsibility of numerous tasks. Beyond administrative duties, the workload of a PA can require a host of organisational and practical skills. But even with this abundance of skills, a personal assistant can still become more skilled. Certain abilities and qualifications will open doors to more niche and better paid PA roles. One way of accessing new employment opportunities is to become proficient in a foreign language. According to translation service company London Translations, Spanish is currently the second most ...

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How to Organise the Perfect Office Christmas Party on a Budget

Budgets and Christmas parties don’t naturally go hand in hand, but for smaller companies finding the balance between staff appreciation and expenses is a fine one. A Christmas party is an important event for team bonding and boosting staff morale. This means that whatever you provide it needs to be memorable for the right reasons.   Here are a few tips to organising the perfect office party on a budget:    Music: hiring a band VS an iPod playlist For bigger companies, or ones who can afford to hire a band to make the night extra special, there are numerous ...

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Latest Job Vacancies

*Click through for more PAs career advice* WATCH THIS SPACE – NEW GREAT VACANCIES COMING SOON! click on the job listings for more information Executive Assistant £40-45K | City of London  Executive Assistant £45 | London  Executive Assistant £40-43K | City of London       ...

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Online Reputation-Networking

Today we’d like to give you some advice on how to use the mighty world wide web to your advantage. Social media can be fantastic at helping you build a network but beware things can go wrong in a click! Employers are more aware of your online presence than ever. So, wherever you are in your career, and whatever career you’re in, your online reputation is vital to your future. This guide provides advice on making your online self just as professional, impressive and sophisticated as you are.    Google Yourself The first step is an obvious one: have a ...

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Prepare for New Opportunities

Hopefully you’re reading this having had a fabulous holiday; and hopefully your tan is nicely topped up too! But now, with a huge number of opportunities popping up every day, it’s a great time to look for a new job.   So, here’s Tate’s handy summary of the things you should be thinking about before your next interview.    Preparation These simple bits of preparation could make a big difference, but are often overlooked: Test the route – candidates still regularly arrive late to interviews, so practice your journey carefully Do your research – interviewers often cite candidates’ lack of ...

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PA of The Month: Helen Rees

  Helen Rees is the PA to the Chief Executive at Marwell Wildlife Zoo. She is an avid supporter of the zoo and an animal lover. Sometimes she has unusual zoo’ tasks, like holding a press call to their famous Humboldt penguin Ralph.    1. How did you arrive at your position? I have held a variety of PA and admin roles in various organisations, from Southern Arts (the former arts funding body for the south of England) and local authority arts venues, to the regional office of the Audit Commission. I also ran a community youth music project for a couple of ...

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PA of The Month: Sonia Polacci

Sonia Polacci is PA to the Owner and Fashion Stylist at a Cashmere company, which is developing new business projects in UK. She has worked across a range of industries which include Travel, Hospitality, and now Public Relations.    How did you arrive at your position? Before reaching my current position, I worked as a PA in Tourism environment for more than fifteen years, first for a Tour Operator and then for a Travel Agency both with worldwide destinations. Even if this kind of job was a continuous challenge with unexpected events always on the agenda, I wanted to enhance ...

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How and When To Use Private Planes To Make The Most of Business Travel

How and when to use private planes to make the most of business travel Private planes are known for being the height of luxury travel. With your own personal airspace and spacious cabin, the comfort and personability of private air travel is unmatched. But is it only for the wealthy and bigger businesses? With business travel there is an element of pushing to get the best for less, like getting free upgrades to first class, while ensuring that staff are in the best shape when they arrive at their destination.   Is your personal comfort worth it for business travel? ...

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Diary Management Tips for PAs

Managing a busy diary is no simple task – as every PA will know.  Some boss’ diaries are so complex, they employ two PAs, one to work on the diary – the ‘diary PA’  – and one to do everything else. In some industries, such as banking, the diary can be as much as 80% of the PA’s work. A good diary manager needs to decisive yet flexible.  Flexibility in the diary is something that a number of PAs are afraid of – they live by the ‘once it’s fixed, it’s fixed’ approach and woe betide anyone who asks them to ...

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