An essential part of succeeding in a new workplace is understanding your core responsibilities because it allows you to be resourceful. But what happens when you find position offerings for a personal assistant and executive assistant in your dream company simultaneously, and you don’t know which one to choose?
How do you determine the positions that suit you best? Both jobs’ roles and general skills are similar, but they are different at their root. Additionally, the role of a personal assistant varies from company to company, whereas most executive assistants carry almost identical similarities.
Here, we’ll go over everything you need to know about the two positions, their overlap, their similarities, and how to determine the one that best suits you. Here we go:
An executive assistant is a high-level administrative professional whose primary focus is on business-related tasks. The executive assistant usually works for a business corporation, where they support a member of the senior management like the CEO.
Their work is to free up the CEOs’ time to allow them to focus on their highest work priority. Their responsibilities include:
Scheduling and preparing meetings and stand-in for the CEO sometimes
Conducting research, gathering and analyzing data and reports
Preparing documents for review and presentations by the board of directors and executives
Implementing office organizations systems
Making event and travel arrangements for the executives
Handling the manager’s day-to-day details, e.g., filtering routine calls, faxes, email, and other correspondence
Overseeing projects and supervising clerical works on some occasions
Answering phone calls and taking the messages
An executive assistant also conducts basic accounting and bookkeeping tasks sometimes. Therefore, to consider an executive assistant excellent at their job, they must show extreme proactivity, a go-getter attitude, and a strategist mentality that finds and takes advantage of opportunities without guidance.
An executive assistant also knows how to optimize operations and audit systems to identify and eliminate inefficiencies. Every executive assistant needs to have a solid understanding of the businesses’ goals, the industry operations, and the alignment between their role and the fulfillment of these business needs.
A personal assistant provides administrative support to individuals and occasionally to the broader team. These professionals help individuals and managers focus on pertinent issues and decision-making by creating a better work/life balance. Their responsibilities include:
Keeping their manager’s appointment calendar and diaries and controlling access to the manager
They act as the first point of contact between the manager and other correspondents.
Organizing projects and compiling the report for presentations
Making travel arrangements for business transportation and accommodation
Typing, minute taking, and filing
Liaising with staff, suppliers, and clients
A miscellaneous task like completing a report for the manager or conducting research
Running personal errands, shopping, paying bills, etc. for the manager
A Personal assistant’s principal function is to free up the manager’s time to focus on doing what they love and want and less on what they don’t want to do. Even though these assistants are attached to a manager, they are usually of lower rank than the executive assistant.
The key difference between a personal assistant and an executive assistant lies in their responsibilities. For instance, an executive assistant works with higher-level managers like the CEO, company directors, and high–level staff.
In contrast, the personal assistant works for lower-ranking managers, other employees, and other individuals like celebrities. A company’s executive assistant roles involve much greater responsibility as they have to take control of their workload.
They are also hands-on in project management, a role they play effectively, making them more of a business partner. These additional responsibilities are not assigned to a personal assistant, as they are limited to providing only administrative support.
The executive assistant also knows the company’s objectives and goals and decides on behalf of the CEO, which the PA cannot do. The Executive assistant might run personal errands for the CEO, but it’s not within their mandate. Hence, it sometimes leads to friction between them and the employer.
Finally, some executive assistants start as personal assistants and rise the ladder. Some go as far as occupying managerial positions. This depends on who you are assisting. The reverse is not always true for the Personal assistant.
Whereas the roles are different, we should note that the executive and personal assistants share mutual skills. For instance, both positions require similar skills, like superior organizational skills, knowledge of commonly used office software, complex interpersonal skills, and trustworthiness.
Both employees are there to save time for the person they are working for by taking on delegated tasks. Here are the similarities in skills that both an executive and a personal assistant needs to get the job:
Organization and time management skills. Both employees must be able to multitask on multiple projects at once. They should also know how to manage a busy schedule and complete the task efficiently.
Trustworthy regarding information. The assistants should be discreet with confidential and sensitive business and personal information.
They should have a computer and other operational skills like strong proficiency in managing software like MS word, MS excel, calendar software, email, etc. The assistants should also be up to date with technology and time-saving tools. Time management skills are especially critical because the position holder manages their time and the person receiving the assistance.
Flexible. Both assistants should be flexible enough to jump between tasks and even take up those deemed urgent.
They should be able to work under pressure and still maintain a high level of professionalism in their undertakings.
The assistant should have an eye for detail and always be willing to support the work or personal life of others.
They are to be strategic planners and go-getters ready to work without being asked in most cases.
Resourceful. This means that the assistants should have an intangible and intuitive ability to make that which seems impossible possible. They should always expect risks and be ready to take the most appropriate action using all the available resources. In short, they must be dependable.
The choice of which assistant you need highly depends on you. Pick a personal assistant if you need someone to handle your personal life. But if you want someone who will mainly handle business tasks at a higher level, an executive assistant is the best fit for you.
What If you want to occupy any of these roles? What does one consider? The first thing you should consider is your interest. Examine what makes you happy and then proceed to other factors like:
Culture. The two roles come with a set of rules which you should look into before making a choice. For instance, if you are working as an executive assistant, it might be worth noting that the managers will expect you to dress professionally.
This contrasts with the personal assistant position, where you’ll dress casually because the working environment is more casual. However, if you are a personal assistant in a company, the company will expect you to adhere to the same standards as an executive assistant.
Career growth. Check if you want to move into a distinct line of business or want a long-term career. If you are looking to grow career-wise, any of these roles is the place to be.
Responsibilities. Suppose you find pleasure in helping people manage their personal lives than in making business decisions. In that case, you find fulfillment in working as a personal assistant. For those who love the flexibility, a personal assistant job fits you perfectly as you’ll find the time to fix it into your busy schedule.
Environment and schedule. What type of working environment excites you? Do you prefer to work in an office where you manage events and organize things? Or do you prefer to be in a place that lets you move around as you perform tasks? If you prefer the former, an executive or a company’s assistant will make you happy. Become a personal assistant if the latter choice is for you.
Managing your life by controlling your time, especially if you have so much on your plate, begins with hiring an excellent personal or executive assistant. While their roles may seem similar, they are not interchangeable.
So before you settle on which kind of assistance you need, first think of the aspect of your life that you need help with. Decide whether it’s business or personal life, then settle for the right candidate.
If you are applying for a position, don’t let choosing to work either as a personal assistant or executive assistant be daunting. Instead, select the option that promises to help you become invincible in the workplace.
Besides, you must make a fulfilling career from your choice, meaning you need every information to help you choose the right fit. Luckily, this article sums up everything perfectly: adventurous individuals consider personal assistant jobs while office workers consider executive assistant positions.
Sources:
What are the Responsibilities of a Personal Assistant | Learn