What are the best personal assistant courses?
There is no single starting point on a personal assistant career path, and successful PAs can find their way into the role in very diverse ways. However, for those people…
On New Year’s Day, we typically make our resolutions for the year ahead – eat healthily, drink less, go to the gym, get a new job, get a promotion, earn more money. But, more often than not, life goes back to normal on January 2 and your resolutions go out the window!
Perhaps you’ve been in a job for a while and now you need a change, or feel you deserve a promotion, or maybe you have been putting off the job search and now it’s time to get on top of it. Did you graduate last year and take a bit of time off, and now it’s time to take the next step and start your career?
Whatever the reason, it is easy to make these decisions in your head, but it is just as easy to put off doing anything about it. It’s often scary thinking about your future and next steps, but how will you find yourself the perfect job if you aren’t proactive? Here are some tips that will hopefully point you in the right direction and allow you to achieve your goals and keep that resolution!
Have the right attitude
Now you have made the decision to make a change in or start your career, you need to be positive and have a good attitude about yourself and what you’re trying to achieve. Don’t think of it as an inconvenience; think of it as an exciting challenge. Make goals and stick to them and you’ll start to feel more confident.
Which direction?
If you’ve just graduated, you will have been thinking about where you’re headed, but may not have yet decided on which profession you’d like to go into. Or have you been in the same industry for a year and feel it’s just not for you? It’s important to think about what you want to get out of a job, and what you are actually good at or enjoy. Write a list and then look at it, thinking about different industries and roles, and what might be suitable for you. If you’re a real people person and like a fast-paced environment, perhaps sales is something you’d look into. Maybe you love organisation and diary management? A PA role could be up your street.
Set career goals
Think of the year ahead and what you want to accomplish and when. Make realistic goals and write them down. What do you want to have achieved in six months’ time? Do you want to have had a promotion? Do you want to have improved your work performance and therefore make a better impression on your manager? Whatever your goals are, make sure they’re realistic and attainable. You’ll only get disheartened if you make unattainable goals and don’t reach them.
Revamp your CV
If you’ve made the decision to take the next step with your career, then it’s vital that your CV is up to date and up to scratch. It is a very competitive market out there and you need to make sure that you stand out from the crowd. To a potential future employer, until they have met you, you are words on a piece of paper, so you need to ensure those words are enticing enough to make them want to meet you. Think about the roles you are applying for. What experience and skills do you have that will put you in good stead for this role? Have you made sure these are clearly outlined on your CV, and have you listed everything that is relevant? If you are applying for a PA job, for example, make sure you list everything that an employer would want to see from a PA. Do you have experience in diary management, office management, arranging travel and minute taking? If so then make sure these are clearly stated on your CV. If you are applying for a few different roles, you may need to tailor your CV so it complements that role. Once you have a good, solid, well laid-out CV under your belt, you’ll be heading in right direction to get to goal number one!
Recruitment agencies
It’s all well and good searching on job sites for the right role, but you can often be trawling through for hours, sending lots of applications, to no avail. Signing up to recruitment agencies will increase your chances of finding a suitable role. Recruitment agencies should always be willing to offer career advice and upskilling to brush up on your skills. Always keep in touch with your agency, bringing them up to date on your progress and enquiring about any suitable roles they may have. Keep an eye on their jobs pages as well which will be updated regularly.
Ace your interview
If you have followed the steps above, then you should now be at the stage where you’re being put forward for interviews. This may be something you are used to if you’re further into your career, or it may be completely alien to you and therefore very daunting. What sort of questions are they going to ask you? What questions should you ask them? How should you present yourself in the interview? When you have got this far, you really don’t want to let yourself down. If an agency has put you forward for the interview, give them a call and ask if they have any advice for you. Make sure you do your research on the company and have some good, sensible questions for them about the role. Think of some questions that they may ask you and prepare some potential answers. Remember to be polite and enthusiastic, go in with a strong handshake and show how eager you are to work with them, and how they would really benefit from having you on their team.
—
There is no doubt about it – the new job resolution is not an easy one, but it is definitely achievable if you put your mind to it and put the effort in! Tiger can help you on your journey – get in touch today!
