Lily Shippen Recruitment Agency | Becoming a senior level PA

Being a Personal Assistant can be a rewarding career choice but like most jobs, is one that takes a lot of time, energy and dedication to become the best in the field. It can be difficult to get into if you don’t have the right experience on your CV. The likelihood of being capable and trusted to support a Chief Executive Officer of an International firm within your first years of starting off as an assistant is quite rare but with the right skill set, personality and determination, there are ways of getting there quicker.

We spoke to one of the best candidates in the market who has worked within Financial Services and private offices for several years. Farai Mhende has worked for prestigious firms such as leading Hedge fund TT International and Jupiter Investment Management and supported demanding bosses in her time. Throughout her career, Farai has constantly gone above and beyond her job title to deliver for her bosses and here is her insight into how she did it;

What made you want to become a Personal Assistant and how did you get into it?
I am naturally a very organised person and in one of my first roles as a Team Secretary, I worked closely with the CEOs PA. I watched in awe as she was involved with every facet of his life. She organised everything for him and I remember thinking how exciting it looked. She was essentially his right arm and I was really fascinated by it all.  It was then that I knew I had to work extremely hard up the ladder to become a Personal Assistant!

What do you enjoy the most about being a Personal Assistant?

The variety and complexity of it all.  I don’t think there is a real job description for a Personal Assistant. You always have to be ready to do whatever whenever.  It’s a very exciting world and no two days are ever the same.

How have you bettered yourself throughout your career? Have you taken on additional courses or degrees to help you stand out from other candidates in the market?

I recently started a degree in Politics & Economics.  Because the role of PA is so varied you naturally absorb a lot of information within the sector you are working in.  For example, I have been working in the financial industry since the start of my work life.  Over the years I have picked up that both politics and economics play a big part on how decisions are made within this sector.  Aside from doing this degree because I am genuinely interested in the subjects, I know that having this knowledge will make me understand more of what my boss ‘really’ does and it will really make me stand out to recruiters as and when I move on!

What are the biggest challenges that you face with being a PA?

There are a few!  For example, if your boss is having a bad day it is almost certain that they will take it out on you.  It’s nothing personal but you really have to have a thick skin sometimes, to put up with it.  Another is your personal life.  You can have one, but you have to plan it around the person you work for!

How have you built strong relationships with your bosses throughout your career?

Trust.  The PA/Boss relationship is an important one.  A PA will come across a lot of information that is highly confidential and of sensitive nature.  No trust means you won’t be able to do much outside of the core PA role, which in turn means you will be stuck in a dead end job as your boss is limited as to what they can give you to do. 

What would be your advice to someone who wants to become a Personal Assistant?

First of all, the role of a PA is pretty much 24/7.  If the sound of that puts you off, then this is not the role for you!  Being a PA requires order and involves a lot of organisation.  If you are capable of doing these then everything else will fall into place.  Being a PA is stressful the majority of times but the rewards of the job make it worthwhile.  Don’t be put off by what certain people perceive the roll to be e.g “just a typist/just orders stationery etc!  Hold your head up high because without you, your boss would not know what to do.  You are a carbon copy of your boss and have great responsibility.  PA’s are very important people – always remember that!

What skill set do you need to possess to be a successful Personal Assistant?
Common sense – without this, the role would be near impossible to do. Become a people person – knowing people and being a nicer person will help in getting certain jobs done quicker! No matter how stressful things become, always remain calm.  If you start to panic, your boss will start to panic too and this is not a good combination!  If at times it all becomes too much, and I guarantee there will be quite a few of these times, take a two minute walk and put your common sense cap on.  You will be surprised at how clearer things become when you have taken yourself outside of the situation, if even for just a couple of minutes! 

Click here to view Farai’s LinkedIn profile