“I love being the go-to person, not just for my boss and his team, but others in the company too, who often call me with queries.”
Describe your relationship with your boss? We have a positive and open working relationship. We get on well and have a laugh and a joke alongside the serious stuff. He is approachable and supportive. He knows I work hard and rewards that with flexibility and trusts me to work from home if I need to.
What has been your biggest achievement as a PA? Getting through the days where I feel like I am drowning in work always feels like a great achievement! It is still early in my career but I think my greatest challenges are organising large over- seas meetings or events involving lots of people. This often involves coordinating travel, agendas and catering. When the event goes without a hitch I always feel a great sense of achieve- ment, especially as the attendees are unaware of the stress and planning it has taken to get there!
LAURA WAINWRIGHT Divisional Executive Assistant, Capita
How long have you worked as a PA? Three years.
How did you get into the office support industry? My Mum is an Office Manager and I used to go to work with her in the school holidays and help out as an Office Junior. She was always so busy and I admired that. Leaving university with a degree in English, I had no clear career path, but knew I wanted to do something where I could utilise my communication and organisational skills. I graduated at a difficult time, mid-reces- sion, where job opportunities were few and far between, but I fell on my feet in my first role working with five supportive Direc- tors, alongside another PA who taught me a lot. I have worked my way up and feel like I am following in my mother’s footsteps!
What does a typical day involve? A typical day for me begins with getting my 2-year-old to nurs- ery on time! I then switch from Mum to EA and arrive at work at around 8.30. The first couple of hours involve working through emails and prioritising tasks for the day, including checking my boss’s emails for anything requiring action. I also check diaries and ensure my boss has everything he requires for the next few days’ meetings. The rest of the day can be anything from event planning to expenses, travel booking and ad-hoc proj- ects. There are also weekly tasks such as updating reports and various admin for the team. It is extremely varied.
24 JULY/AUGUST 2013 |
WWW.EXECUTIVEPA.COM
What do you love about your role? There are so many things I love about being an EA at Capita, the main things are: I love being the go-to person, not just for my boss and his team, but others in the company too, who often call me with queries. I feel relied upon and like to think I have the answers most of the time! I also enjoy the opportunity to build relationships with lots of different people.
What is the downside to your role? It has a lot of ups and downs and a quiet day is often the calm before the storm. One day I will be carrying out small tasks and the next day I am bombarded with reports and documents all of which are important and require action urgently! It can be stressful at times but that is what makes it interesting.
How do you hope your career will progress? I feel like I learn something new every day and have progressed so much personally and professionally. I would like to continue to widen my skills and knowledge and eventually support a CEO or MD and manage an office or a team of Administrators.
How many hours in your average week? An average week for me is around 40-45 hours. I don’t usually have time for a lunch break. I have also been known to log-in remotely on evenings and days off.
If you could pick another career, what would it be? I think I would stay in a support role but perhaps looking after a celebrity, ensuring I was their plus one when attending glitzy events of course!
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