Habits of highly effective private PAs to HNWI

To say that being a personal assistant to a private individual is demanding would be an absolute understatement! As an exclusive household staffing agency, we understand that supporting a principal in their private life can mean that you’re on call at all hours of the day and must sometimes do the impossible. If you want to become a private or talent PA, you must stay on top of your game and work as efficiently as possible. We’ve put together a list of habits that the best private PAs have developed.

Write everything down

Whether you work off diaries or electronic calendars and memos, a great private or family office PA will make sure every little detail is recorded somewhere. You will deal with an immense amount of information and incoming requests, and it’s likely that something will slip under the radar and be forgotten if it’s not documented. This is also best practice as you never know when you might need these records in the future!

Have a bag packed to go at all times

This side of being a private PA to HNWI can be both exciting and daunting, as you may be asked to accompany your principal on a trip at a moment’s notice. By having a bag at the ready, you can be out of the house and into the private jet as quickly as possible. Alternatively, this could result in a disastrous situation where you’ve hurriedly packed your bag and forgotten something important, like your passport or the itinerary. Word to the wise – remember to repack the bag once you return home!

Keep your ‘little black book’ of contacts up to date

The longer you’re in the private sector, the more contacts you will accrue through working with suppliers, businesses and the network of your principal. At Tiger Private, our consultants have experience working within the private sector before they joined our private staffing agency, so we know that these contacts are invaluable! For example, if you know you have a great relationship with the best florist in town, make sure you’re the first to know when they move locations or go through internal staff changes and update this information. In addition, make a note if your go-to suppliers go on holiday and ensure you have a secondary point of contact in their absence.

Take time out to recharge

This may seem difficult considering the taxing nature of the role, but try to take a few minutes every day to relax and unwind. Whether it’s a meditation session before bed, or an opportunity to take five minutes in the day to yourself, it’s essential to take regular breaks to relax. Even though you spend all your waking hours looking after someone else’s needs, it doesn’t mean your wellbeing as a private PA isn’t important!

If you’re looking for a private PA or secretarial jobs in London and around the world, we can help! Submit your details online, or look at our live job listings to kick-start your career.

Author Tiger Contributor Tiger Recruitment Team