Virtual Assistants ... PAs, EAs, AAs and Secretaries |
|
Page 2 of 2 Executive Assistant (EA)The PA role has developed and expanded over recent years. Large firms used to appoint their high flyers work as PA to the Chief Executive to gain experience of running the company, but now we see this more frequently in smaller firms. These PAs are referred to as Executive Assistants.EAs will carry out most of the tasks of a traditional PA, since their primary duties are still to manage their bosses’ time, to help them to be as efficient and effective as possible. However, an EA has greater responsibilities than a PA, and will have managerial or executive status. The EA will often act on behalf of their boss, helping them to carry out his/her duties. They may act as proxy in their bosses’ absence, standing in for them at meetings or sending communications on their behalf. They may also attend management meetings, brief junior managers and provide “executive input” to projects, negotiations, recruitment and other important business matters. SecretaryA Secretary generally operates at a lower level than a PA, with less responsibility and status. They may support an individual manager or a group of managers, with a similar aim to help them to be more effective, but the relationship will be less personal, the role less “front office” and the tasks more administrative. A Secretary is often more of a “back office” support role.The primary role of a Secretary can vary. If the job focus is supporting a manager, then they may manage their diary, book appointments and organise travel just like a PA. However, if it’s about providing administrative support then they may spend most of their time typing documents and general correspondence, preparing spreadsheets, reports and presentations. Administrative Assistant (AA)An Admin Assistant role is not about providing personal support. The job focus will be on business process admin and general office admin – all “back office” work. There may be some overlap with the administrative side of secretarial work, but it will be the more routine and mundane aspects.The tasks that an AA will perform will vary depending on the department they work in. If they are supporting Sales they may type quotations, process orders or prepare sale reports. If they are in Purchasing they may place orders, deal with supplier queries or prepare reports. General office tasks might include data entry, printing, mailing, scanning, copying and filing. I hope this helps your understanding of Virtual Assistants, it has mine! About The Author Denis Pelych is a professional Management Consultant specialising in e-business technology and practice. He spent many years with IBM Consulting Group and went on to establish The National B2B Centre at Warwick University. He is now a Director of Viretec Consulting and Virtual HQ Solutions, and both businesses help people to exploit IT and the internet to the full.<< More Articles |
