PAs - The backbones of business

A secretary used to be a status symbol, a bit like the company car or an office on the executive floor; they were reserved for the favoured few.

Luckily for both sides however, technology has broken down the need for perfect touch-typing to be the pinnacle of ambition and the secretaryís role has more often than not morphed into the altogether meatier proposition of a Personal Assistant or PA.

ìA good PA is a professional in their own right and can expect to earn a middle-management salary,î says Rachel Jones, associate director, London, at Search Consultancy, one of the UKís fastest-growing total recruitment solutions agencies.

ìThe job of a secretary used to involve lower level tasks such as taking a message for the manager she supports. This type of responsibility has now evolved and a PA is much more often now expected to take the initiative to resolve the issue, carrying out further investigation or delegating responsibility within much wider boundaries.

ìVery often the secretary will also assume a project management role; keeping their boss informed but taking decisions daily to see projects through to completion with a minimum of supervision.

ìIn short, the scope for a PA to personally keep the home fires burning for a busy executive working out of the office is par for the course.î

As a result a good PA can expect to earn from 25k up to 45k for an executive assistant role, according to Rachel.

Itís also not uncommon for the PA to progress onto a management role in their own right. Office or facilities management is a common progression, but some also build successful careers in event or project management as a result of the skills and contacts they have amassed.

Rachel adds: ìA good PA will command the respect of her boss and her peers and very often things would fall apart far more quickly if the PA falls sick than a member of the executive team. Itís multi-tasking; PAs juggle responsibilities effortlessly and take a huge pressure off of the individuals or teams they support.î

In terms of qualifications or skills needed, there is no set requirement, says Rachel.

ìThere is no one qualification which unites PAs, and good secretarial skills are largely taken for granted. Itís more the personal characteristics which will propel someone to the top of their profession - and make no mistake, good PAs are headhunted as much as any other manager,î she says.

ìThe market for good PAs is extremely healthy and looks likely to continue to grow as managers continue to take on broader and broader roles.

ìWhen managers admit they couldnít do their jobs without their PA to back them up, they are not being coy or flattering. In our experience at Search, they are being entirely truthful. And their PAs know it too.î