The role of a Personal Assistant will vary, dependant on the nature of the business they are a part of and the industry in which they operate. Due to the varying nature of their roles, there are 5 key core skills that all Personal Assistants will benefit from.
Communication Skills
Personal Assistants can all benefit from focusing developing their communication skills. Their ability to clearly communicate with employees across all levels of an organisation is essential an essential skill for Personal Assistance to hold. Business executives will have different communication styles, and an essential skill of a Personal Assistant is being able to adapt their communication style to suit.
Flexibility
Skilful Personal Assistants are able to swiftly adapt to different situations within the workplace, changing their approach to meet different requirements. Due to the varied nature of the role of a Personal Assistant, flexibility is key to being productive and effective within the role. Instead of working within a particular field and sector, Personal Assistants will usually be required to encompass a variety of different roles. They will be asked to complete a wide range of tasks, including finance tasks, marketing tasks, operational assistance, adminsitrative tasks, management assistance and strategic advice.
Organisational Skills
Due to the varied and diverse role of a Personal Assistant, they will usually be tasked with managing a variety of tasks and projects simultaneously. Therefore, effective organisational skills are crucial for Personal Assistants. Being able to efficiantly balance their time and attention between different tasks is vital for a Personal Assistant.
Emotional Intelligence
Personal Assistants can benefit greatly from having enhanced Emotional Intelligence. Emotional Intellgence is useful within the role of a Personal Assistant, as being able to empathise, actively listen to and connect with people on a personal level will prove to be useful in building and maitaining effective working relationships, allowing them to collaborate with colleagues more easily and thus producing better quality outcomes. This is an essential skill, as Personal Assistants will encounter and collaborate with a wide variety of people in their day to day roles.
Resilience
Resilience is a vital skill that a Personal Assistant should hold. During the day to day role of a Personal Assistant, they may be faced with a numerous different pressures and a variety of personalities to work with. Resilience is a vital skill for any profession, however it is essential that Personal Assistants posses a high level of resilience, in order to be most effective within the role. To find out more about what it takes to be a Personal Assistant, please visit our Role of the Strategic Executive Assistant - CMI Level 5 course page.
Information correct as of 07.09.2023.
