Personal assistant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A personal assistant, personal aide, or PA for short, is someone who assists in daily personal tasks. For example, a business person may have a personal assistant to help with their correspondence and run errands. The role of a personal assistant has expanded as the business environment has required more responsibilities. Today, a PA may be responsible for screening incoming calls, checking emails, reviewing documentation, sending mail, doing research, scheduling reservations, booking meetings, etc.
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[edit] The need for personal assistance
The more high-profile a person is, whether he is a celebrity, professional athlete, minister, politician, attorney or entertainment executive, the more necessary it is for him to be able to concentrate on performing the most important tasks included in his career. The proper management of his lifestyle can favorably or adversely affect his success and prosperity of his career.
The more efficiently and effectively the celebrity performs the important tasks involved in his work, the greater the benefit to his career endeavors and any business enterprises he might own. He should be able to concentrate on those important tasks if he is relieved of some other duties involved in his job which, whilst still needing to be performed, can in reality be done by somebody else on his behalf or under his supervision. In other words, the celebrity needs assistance, and that will be provided by at least one assistant.
[edit] Personal assistance for non-celebrities
Personal assistants are no longer only available to the extremely wealthy or celebrities. Assistants who help with the management of schedules and errands for families in which both parents work are often called household managers. People who cannot afford to hire their own personal assistant to run errands or answer phone calls full time can hire a "Concierge Company" or part-time assistant to help manage their lifestyle.
Most companies offer secretarial personal assistance as well as basic assistant services like research, scheduling, travel arrangements, and more. Costs of a part-time employee can end up exceeding how much it would have cost to hire a full time employee. Other companies charge a flat monthly fee for personal assistant services, based upon the number of requests you think you will place each month. In addition to the personal assistant services that are provided with the membership, other incentives such as local discounts, concierge services, dining recommendations and overall knowledge and expertise may even outperform the skills of a regular personal assistant staff member.
[edit] Role
Some think the role of an assistant is to walk toe to toe with his employer down the red carpet; to participate in interviews and to become his employer's best friend and enjoy the perks that are stereotypically associated with being a celebrity. Others feel it is a position for sycophants and errand runners who go and get newspapers and scoop the dog poop from the front lawn. Both the former and latter are at face value wrong.
The PA's role is about leadership. The PA takes responsibility for much of the organization and coordination of his employer's lifestyle and business needs. It is a task that calls for tact, diplomacy and effective communication and organizational skills. A good PA makes an enormous contribution to his employer's effectiveness and requires numerous professional skills to be successful in this role. Today's PA must be “the barber, the baker and the candlestick maker......” [1]
[edit] References
- ^ excerpted from the book, by Dionne Mahaffey Muhammad, Beyond the Red Carpet: Keys to Becoming a Successful Celebrity Personal Assistant.
