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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10 Tips and Tricks for Keeping Your inbox Organised

You know the feeling of frustration when your inbox gets cluttered and you can´t find a thing. If you receive hundreds of e-mails each week, you know how easy your inbox can get messy and how difficult it can be to make it organised again.   Here are 10 steps on how to keep your inbox clean and organised:   Delete. Delete. Whenever you see an e-mail from an unknown sender, look at the Subject line. If you see unknown and funny characters with no sense at all, the e-mail is spam and you should delete it immediately.   Use ...

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8 Steps to Managing a Crisis at Work

Work is a place like every other and like good things, bad things can happen as well. The worst thing you can do when crisis happens is to blame someone else. Even if that someone is to blame. When things go downhill, it can be the right time for you to prove your skills, resourcefulness, compassion and calmness. These four qualities can make the difference between an employee who does his job and an employee who is leader material. But to take responsibility does not mean that you should dig deep and hide silently while waiting for your computer to ...

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13 Steps to Find your Perfect Job

 Throughout the course of our lives we spend a lot of time working (some may say too much!) However this will seem like no time at all if you are doing something you love. All should aim to discover their ideal occupation; life is too short to spend nine hours a day doing something you hate.    8 Questions that will help you to find out what jobs you should try These questions are all about defining your ideal job, not letting your job define your career. Write your answers down to identify what you’d like to do, what you’d ...

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8 Ways to Promote Yourself Online Effectively

Want to boast a bigger social media footprint? Do these 8 things to boost your social presence. Put yourself out there and promote yourself online today!    Become a guest writer Consider becoming a guest writer or contributor for a popular e-zine or blog. Become a guest contributor at PA Privé > contact us > hello at pa-prive dot com.    Create Online Profiles Check out > Google profiles, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.    Build a positive presence online There are plenty of benefits to new media, if you maintain a positive presence. Your online social networks enable you to build ...

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10 Practical Tips To Simplify Your Life

There are a few certain habits that can really simplify your life. I believe simpler is better, and that’s why I’m doing my best to get rid of excess stuff in my life. Happiness lies in small, little things, so why make life so complicated? Simplicity reduces heaviness in your life and makes it happier and lighter. Here are ten incredible habits to adopt to make your life simpler and happier.    Live in the present Forget about the past and don’t think about the future. Live in the present! Learn how to enjoy the present moment and be thankful ...

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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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