This document summarizes an agenda for a breakfast seminar hosted by Hays and the Association of Personal Assistants (APA). The agenda includes introductions from Geoff Sims of Hays and the 2010 PA of the Year winner. It then covers essential skills for PAs, career development, writing CVs, local job market snapshots, and the Hays PA of the Year Award.

1. WELCOME TO THE HAYS / APA
BREAKFAST SEMINAR
The Association of Personal Assistants

2. 2
AGENDA
 Introduction
 Geoff Sims, Managing Director, Hays PA & Secretarial
 Laura Richardson, 2010 PA of the Year
 Gareth Osborne, Director General, APA
 Questions

3. 3
Geoff Sims
Managing Director
Hays PA & Secretarial

4. HAYS/APA BREAKFAST SEMINAR
CAREERS BEST PRACTICE
Geoff Sims
Tuesday 16th
November 2010
Winner of the PA Employer of the
Year 2010

5. 5
AGENDA
 Introduction
 Essential skills
 Career Development
 Your CV
 The local market
 PA of the Year Award

6. 6
A CAREER AS A PA TODAY
The challenges
 PAs often lack someone to look out for their career development
and may not get regular appraisals
 PAs have to juggle many tasks at once
 PAs don’t challenge their boss sufficiently because they see how
busy they are
 Many PAs don’t realise their worth
The advantages
 More respect for PAs as a profession
 Increased opportunities and salaries for PAs
 Professional networks and specialist advisers can provide assistance
 Variety of training courses exist
 Strong networking within an exclusive community

7. 7
“ PAS JUGGLE MANY
ROLES, PROJECTS,
BUDGETS AND
PEOPLE
AND MANAGE THE
MANAGER “Nikki Mason – PA to Geoff Sims

8. 8
ESSENTIAL SKILLS

9. 9
ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR THE MODERN WORKPLACE
Technical
 Advanced level of Microsoft packages inc Word, Excel and PowerPoint
 Language skills more desirable than ever as companies globalise
 PAs with degree level or equivalent qualifications are in demand as profile rises
Soft skills
 Multi-tasking
 Communication skills
 Negotiating
 Influencing
 Organisational skills
 Diplomacy and discretion
 Self motivation
 Demonstrating initiative
 Attention to detail
 Networking

10. 10
THE IMPORTANCE OF SOFT SKILLS
 The modern PA must have excellent interpersonal skills as they often
liaise with many different parties
 The ability to deal with people in a clear and firm manner but also
display empathy is vital
 Good relationships depend on awareness, diplomacy and clear
communication
 Your manager having confidence in your abilities to deliver will
determine your career success

11. 11
CAREER DEVELOPMENT

12. 12
CAREER PATH
Continue as a PA
 Increase existing responsibilities
 Manage and train other staff – admin, executive assistants
 Become PA for a more senior director
 Move to a different organisation
 Follow the boss!
Move into other areas
 Human Resources
 Marketing
 PR
 Company Secretary
 Training
 Procurement

13. 13
YOUR CV

14. 14
KEEP YOUR CV UP-TO-DATE
 Keeping your CV up-to-date ensures that you are ready to pounce
should an internal (or external) opportunity become available
 An up-to-date CV means that you will not have to produce one in a
hurry and compromise on content and presentation
 An accurate CV helps focus you on your responsibilities and
achievements, which can also help with appraisals and career
discussions
 An aid to CPD
 Reminds you of your achievements

15. 15
GET YOUR CV RIGHT
Do
 Keep it to three pages or less. Your CV must look clean and well laid out, with an
abundance of white space to enhance readability
 Use a simple font like Arial, 10-12pt, and keep formatting like italics and underlining to a
minimum.
 Bullets are extremely useful in CVs as they allow you to highlight key points succinctly and
keep the document looking tidy. Start each one with an action verb if you can ('created',
'managed', 'increased', 'improved' etc), rather than 'I‘
 Spelling and punctuation must be perfect
 The reader of your CV may not have more than a few seconds to spend scanning
applications, so including a skills section can capture their attention by making it immediately
clear what you can offer. Use real examples of responsibilities and achievements.
 Make it clear which packages you can use and your level of proficiency
Don’t
 Send a photograph, include your age or feel you have to include your marital status
 Exaggerate your abilities as you may be tested at interview

16. 16
THE IMPORTANCE OF KEYWORDS
 Multi-tasking
 Communication skills
 Negotiating
 Influencing
 Organisational skills
 Budget management
 Diplomacy
 Self motivation
 Initiative
 Attention to detail
 Problem-solving
 Diary management
Provide examples of how you have demonstrated these skills and
show it has benefited your employer

17. 17
THE LOCAL MARKET
BIRMINGHAM
MANCHESTER
LEEDS

18. 18
BIRMINGHAM / MIDLANDS SNAPSHOT
 Downturn leading to PAs supporting multiple individuals
 Redundancies have impacted salary expectations
 EA salaries range from £25-30k depending on experience and PA
salaries range from £18-25k
 Employers expect strong IT and typing skills
 Public sector demand limited to temporary opportunities

19. 19
MANCHESTER SNAPSHOT
 Economic downturn has impacted salary expectations. £25K
opportunities are rare at the moment. £20-25K is a good bracket that will
offer more opportunities
 EA salaries up to £28K. Entrepreneurial/owner managed businesses
tend to pay a little more however expect a higher calibre PA and the role
will also include organising personal affairs
 Strong IT skills, especially powerpoint are required
 Commercial Sector is picking up and Public Sector opportunities are
becoming limited
 Clients now often recruit on a temporary to permanent basis which is a
great way for the Director and PA to see if the working relationship works

20. 20
LEEDS SNAPSHOT
 Economic downturn has impacted salary expectations. £25K
opportunities are rare at the moment. £20-25K is a good bracket that will
offer more opportunities
 Employers are keen to see typing speeds of 60+ wpm
 Shorthand is being requested more frequently so doing a course in this
will help you stand out from the crowd
 Strong IT skills, especially PowerPoint are required
 Commercial Sector is picking up and Public Sector opportunities are
becoming limited
 Clients are often recruiting on a temporary basis initially

21. 21
HAYS PA OF THE YEAR
AWARD IN ASSOCIATION
WITH THE TIMES

22. 22
THE 2010 AWARD
 Record number of applications
 Impressive quality of PAs in the UK
 Winner – Laura Richardson

23. 23
2011 HAYS PA OF THE YEAR AWARD
 Applications open from January 10th
– March 13th
2011
 Judging panel:
- Geoff Sims, Managing Director, Hays PA & Secretarial
- Laura Richardson, 2010 PA of the Year
- Gareth Osborne, Director General, APA
- Susie Barron-Stubley, Managing Director, Castalia Coaching & Training
- Michelle Mone OBE, Founder, MJM International
 The process:
- Shortlist, telephone interview, face-to-face interview
- Awards ceremony

24. 24
STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD
 Demonstrate the impact you have had on your organisation
 Highlight any additional responsibilities you’ve taken on
 Show how you have been pro-active
 Show your passion and enthusiasm for the role
 RAISE PAs PROFILE IN YOUR ORGANISATION

25. 25
THANK YOU