10 Tips for being a Better Executive Assistant

Executive assistant is an established professional with operational and managerial skills. The executive assistant is a role for people with excellent communication skills, advanced computer literacy and the ability to learn new technologies very quickly. Usually, executive assistants work closely with CEOs and senior executives and because of their accountability and proximity to key employees, they are often considered as key elements of the organisation.   Answer as soon as possible. This means that you should answer your e-mails, calls, requests right away even if it means that you will only confirm receipt and decide later on.   If someone asks ...

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A PA’s Guide to Confidentiality

As a PA or EA, your ability to handle confidential subjects, issues, emails and documents is essential. And increasingly, PAs are asked in job interviews how they approach the issue of confidentiality. This guide offers insider knowledge that will help you to handle all things confidential with confidence.   Confidential emails and digital files The issue of confidentiality is especially pertinent when it comes to handling emails and electronic documents. You’ll probably have access to your manager’s emails, and in most cases, you’re probably the first port-of-call in reading them and responding on their behalf.     Here’s how you ...

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Organise the Perfect Office Christmas Party

  Being shouldered with the responsibility of organising your office Christmas party can often be a thankless task and you are under huge pressure to make sure everyone enjoys their one big office day/night out of the year. How you go about organising the food, refreshments and entertainment for a Christmas party will depend on the tastes of the people coming and the organisational culture of the office, but there are some basic rules that you must follow to make the party memorable for all the right reasons and to avoid it being remembered for the wrong reasons. However,with some key skills you ...

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12 Quick Tips for Obtaining Your Next Promotion at Work

Have you ever been promoted? If so, congratulations. If not, there might be something you can do about that.   Follow these simple workplace tips to help you gain a promotion and impress at work.   Go the extra mile Giving up just five or 10 minutes at the start and end of your day will barely impact on your schedule, but will definitely be noticed by your superiors who may just be looking at who is deserving of promotion.    Create an action plan The next step is to create an action plan.  You should plan to close any gap ...

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It’s Time to Prepare for Christmas

And we don’t just mean buying presents! As a PA, there’s a lot to think about it in this busy period.   So, here are a few helpful tips on handling Christmas parties and holiday handovers.    Holiday handovers A relaxing Christmas break can easily be spoiled if you fail to get your holiday handover concluded smoothly, so consider the following: Start the handover early – there’s always a hitch or two, and starting early avoids any last minute panic Be realistic – don’t work yourself into the ground trying to fit everything in before you finish Write clear instructions – ...

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7 Apps to Increase Your Productivity In The Office

Today’s range of smartphones are immensely powerful. There are millions of apps at our finger tips, but which ones will work for you?   Atech Support, the UK’s number one IT support company, has found 7 apps that will boost your productivity in the office.   From to-do lists, task automation and text editors for those quick Word document edits – this list is full of exciting apps that will certainly assist you in your day-to day activities.   Microsoft Office Mobile (iOS and Android)   Did you know that you can get the full Microsoft Office package free on ...

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How to become a Virtual Assistant

The role of an assistant is typically linked to being the right hand woman – as they tend to be female, although not strictly, of course – of a high powered executive, always by his side or behind him, and sometimes something of a shadow. However, as anyone in the profession will tell you, being an assistant is more than these analogies give credit to, and much of the work involved requires a high level of methodical and intellectual skill, which is why performing them remotely as a Virtual Assistant is entirely possible. There are many reasons why becoming a ...

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How to Become a Celebrity Personal Assistant?

Being a personal assistant to a celebrity can be a demanding job. Often these individuals are expected to handle grueling tasks for many hours of the day however, the work also comes with a lot of perks. Discounts, free items, the opportunity to work with famous people and a lucrative salary are enticing enough for personal assistants to continue working in their field. Your best bet is to begin your search with placement agencies. Most good agencies do not charge any registration fee at all. They just go thoroughly over your background keeping in mind whether your personality is similar ...

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Personal Assistant Job Description

Whether it’s in taking on a new role or in updating your CV, it’s important to be precise with the personal assistant duties that your role has or will involve, while also being exact as to the extent and regularity of these. With a role varied and demanding as that of a personal assistant, you might think such a task near enough impossible. However, it’s because of this that you need to make the effort to establish the guidelines for prospective employers to be aware of how much you’ve done, while also being explicit as to these boundaries when starting ...

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Moving Up On The Assistant Career Ladder

Even in the world of personal and executive assistants there exists that all important professional ladder that we’re all constantly told to keep climbing. Despite the fact that many of us will work in environments where we’re surrounded by people who are all but consumed by the desire to ascend, ascend, ascend, it’s also important to remember that there’s nothing wrong in wanting to further yourself in your chosen career.   If you’re looking for some advice on how to move up in your own career ladder to a more senior PA role, here’s some advice on how to get ...

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