Personal assistant: who, why and why? Notes from a recruitment expert. Overview of the Internet profession personal assistant to an executive

Perhaps not a single modern director, manager, boss can imagine his work life without a personal secretary. Firstly, having an assistant is very prestigious. Secondly, a truly competent and responsible secretary becomes the “right hand” of the boss, an irreplaceable person in the enterprise and, most importantly, a guarantee that you will always be on time, will not forget anything, and will always have your finger on the pulse. Agree, this is very important in the frantic pace of modern life. And, finally, you can always redirect an unwanted phone call to the secretary, instruct the assistant to communicate with an unpleasant client, or ask the assistant to organize a personal celebration. Very convenient, isn't it?

Secretary, assistant, office manager, personal assistant: common features and differences

As you noticed, the same office worker can be called differently. Does the essence of the duties performed change depending on how the position sounds? Let's figure it out.
In a word " secretary" denotes the position of a person hired by an individual or company to conduct office work, assist with correspondence, organize meetings and events, carry out personal instructions from an executive, answer telephone calls, etc. In general, secretary is a very multifaceted and general term that includes many possible job responsibilities. Therefore, recently the use of such concepts as assistant secretary and office manager has become generally accepted.
In charge referent usually include: conducting telephone conversations, business correspondence, organizing executive business trips, document control, receiving visitors, filing cases, working with office equipment. By and large, the assistant secretary is a technical performer. That is why applicants without higher education, special skills, or even work experience are often hired for this position.
But for work office manager Special knowledge is required, for example in the field of office management and document management. The responsibilities of such a secretary are much broader than those of an assistant.
Personal assistant must have even deeper skills, personal and professional qualities, because assistants are those people who remember everything and always, on whom the success of a manager’s business meeting or anniversary celebration depends, and who accompany their boss almost always and everywhere.
By the way, it is worth noting the fact that in work books (subject to official employment, of course) entries “assistant manager” or “assistant” are rarely made. Most often, such a position is written as “manager’s secretary.”

What are the requirements for potential secretaries?

If you are looking for a secretary job, you should know at least the basic requirements that employers place on applicants. Of course, each individual case has a lot of nuances, and each manager sees his secretary in a special light. For some, it is not at all important to have a higher education, other bosses place knowledge at the forefront, for some it is only important what kind of coffee the secretary brews or what he (she) looks like. By the way, here's what's important to know. An employer can tell you for a long time and diligently about what he needs from a secretary and what you will do, but readers of MirSovetov should not pay attention to these speeches. Believe me, many responsibilities will be placed on your shoulders, much more than what is described in the job description and what you were told. This is done so as not to scare off a potential employee. The calculation is made that in the process of work it will be easier for you to “throw” a new responsibility or assign special assignments to you (not a single boss will tell you at an interview that you will have to remind him of the birth dates of his wife and mistresses, but in practice this will be the case).
So, the basic requirements. I applied for a secretary position twice, and both times were very similar:

completed higher education (well, what kind of manager would like the fact that his assistant will be absent from the session at the most inopportune moment?);
work experience (optional, but highly desirable);
good appearance;
ability to work with office equipment, knowledge of computer programs, Internet skills;
communication skills, competent speech, ability to express one’s thoughts orally and in writing;
knowledge of one or more foreign languages;
age from 18 to 35 years;
, responsible approach to completing assigned tasks, desire to learn;
the opportunity to work without set standards (hence, employers are rarely interested in “family” women applying for the position of secretary).

As I already said, this is a very general list of requirements for a potential reference and each employer has its own. You should never refuse an interview if you see some item on this list in which you are not very strong. Believe me, your other strengths will quickly cover all your weaknesses.

My career story

When I graduated from university, I had neither work experience nor confidence that I could quickly get a job in any company. Therefore, when I called the first advertisement that came my way with the text “Required for a manager’s secretary at a beer and non-alcoholic plant” and I was immediately invited for an interview, I was extremely surprised. I was even more surprised when, after the interview, I was offered to go to work that same day. Naturally, I agreed. The salary suited me, yesterday’s student, I liked the director, and the work seemed dust-free. Much was new to me, I didn’t know much, and I had to learn from my own mistakes, because there was no one to help or suggest. I was very grateful to the team and the director for the fact that they treated my mistakes with understanding and did not judge me harshly for mistakes and shortcomings. In principle, I coped with all the main responsibilities “excellently”: negotiations, business correspondence, issuing travel certificates, receiving guests, working with office equipment, tea and coffee for the director and his guests. In general, I did not carry out any extreme assignments, I did not deal with personnel issues, I was on schedule and had a legal hour for lunch. Gradually, I began to discover the “behind the scenes” of the life of senior officials of the enterprise. I achieved respect solely through my actions, although I will not hide that there were also colleagues who were simply embarrassed to tell me something unnecessary or offensive, because I was closest to the boss, and everyone was afraid of him.
I worked as the director's secretary for almost a year, after which I was promoted and transferred to another department. When I left the post of secretary, I knew a lot and was sure that if I had to start all over again, I had experience and a wealth of knowledge. A resume with the specified position of secretary to the manager, sent out several years later on the Internet, did its job and I was invited to work as a personal assistant to the director in a large commercial structure. My work experience and knowledge of foreign languages became the main criterion for my victory in the competition for the vacant position.
As I expected, the position of a personal assistant was radically different from the position of a regular secretary. I didn’t have to answer general calls, make tea for the boss, photocopy documents or sign envelopes for sending correspondence, which is what I was used to doing at the plant. I was immediately “plunged” headlong into the boss’s personal life, organizing all his meetings and events, and carrying out special assignments (for example, picking up a gift for his friend’s anniversary or telling a colleague bad news). My measured life schedule has changed dramatically. I had to work 10 hours a day without lunch or coffee breaks. On holiday days, sitting in the office until late, signing cards, was considered normal, and working on weekends was a natural process. I accompanied the director to events, organized his trips abroad, with partners, bought and sold, and dealt with hundreds of stupid reports. The most important thing is that I adjusted to the boss’s constantly changing mood, and in order to avoid his anger, I tried to do my work as quickly, efficiently and perfectly as possible. I was great at organizing and was constantly asked to organize things. I was a translator when foreign partners came to the boss. In general, what have I not done as a personal assistant? Now I remember this place of work with gratitude, despite all the nerves, minor troubles and reproaches. It was a real school of life, which completely liberated me, taught me how to communicate with people of different levels and ranks, and gave me an invaluable store of knowledge and skills.
Comparing two places of work, two positions, I can say with confidence: being an ordinary secretary is boring and routine (although to each his own, of course), being an assistant manager is interesting, educational, useful. After the school that I “graduated” from, I easily got promoted, they began to offer me interesting positions, and invited me to wonderful projects. Working as an ordinary secretary, I never received those positive emotions that accompanied me throughout my work as an assistant director. I believe that it was not in vain that I walked this path from beginning to end, polishing all my initial knowledge and strengthening new skills. I found myself, I became an irreplaceable person, I earned the respect of the team and my boss. It was worth it, really.

I have more than 14 years of experience working in administrative positions. During the period of my professional development, I mastered the main administrative positions: secretary-assistant, secretary-translator, personal assistant, personal assistant, head of the administrative department, head of the administrative support service (overseeing the first reception, document management group and vehicle fleet). In smaller organizations, this tends to be the traditional “set” of organizational development or administrative support functions.

Despite such a wide range of administrative positions, I essentially spent 90% of my main employment as a PA (personal assistant). Moreover, I would like to note that it was precisely the “PA soil” that nurtured my abilities for other affiliated administrative positions.

Therefore, I will give my advice on how to become successful in this profession with knowledge of the matter.

Why all this?

First, let's figure out why you should take the position of a personal assistant.

You must understand that you are going to serve another person (in all the noble senses of this wonderful word). Treat it like asceticism, if you will. That is, during working hours, His interests will be higher than yours - you will become His shadow, and working hours themselves will tend to become irregular.

Why is it worth making such sacrifices? One of the undoubted advantages of working even with an “evil genius” is the well of knowledge from which you will generously be allowed to draw the thoughts, experience and talents of His Guiding Majesty (by tuning in with him, you will be able to adopt all this to the extent that your own gifts are sufficient ). This is exactly the motivation that, as I now understand, subconsciously controlled me. Experience of working in a multitasking rhythm, constant rush and time pressure, solving sometimes impossible tasks, searching for answers to the most tricky questions - this is training of all your professional facets, which after some time will help you win the laurels of a leader in the professional Olympics.

What questions should you ask your employer in your first days on the job?

All of us, one way or another, have undergone a job interview at least once in our lives. Many books have been written on this subject, in which the authors recommend using certain psychological techniques, teach you to read the body language of your interlocutor, present yourself competently, keep a “brand,” etc. I think, if desired, all these wisdom can be studied. We will not dwell on this. Suppose you have passed a competitive selection, settled the financial side of the issue, received the promised social package, and tomorrow in a starched blouse you are expected in the Company of Your Dreams as a personal assistant (or in another position with the functions of a personal assistant to an executive).

And now it’s your turn to ask the employer questions, the answers to which will determine your mutual working life. Alas, nothing is written about the need to ask questions during an interview and in the first days of work in the above-mentioned brochures, booklets, and recommendations for applicants. That is why I will bring to your attention some of them.

Let me make a reservation right away: these tips are generalized and are for advisory purposes only. In this regard, they should be applied in the context of a specific profession and a specific position - sometimes it is completely pointless to ask your future boss some of these questions, because carrying out these instructions is simply not part of your job responsibilities.

So, when applying for a job, I would suggest you ask the employer the following sets of questions:

1. Time management.

1.1. At what time does the manager plan to start his work day and work meetings?

1.2. Are there regular work meetings (for example, with heads of departments) that you need to know about and notify participants about?

1.3. What time does the manager have lunch? Is it fixed, is it variable and can be used for business negotiations?

1.4. What time of day is best to devote to meetings on personal issues; at what time the manager is busy and it is better not to disturb him; Until what time does the manager usually schedule meetings?

1.5. Does the manager have regular personal tasks and meetings that you need to know about in order to control time management regulations: sports; the need to pick up children from kindergarten/school; the manager lives outside the city, and he needs to leave before a certain time so as not to spend the whole evening in a traffic jam, etc.

1.6. For the convenience of planning a manager’s working day, I suggest using a weekly meeting schedule. Naturally, this table is also advisory in nature and can be changed. In such a form, you can enter scheduled weekly meetings in advance, highlighting them in color. And to the schedule of a particular week you will only have to add one-time meetings, i.e. variable information. See Example 1.

2. Working moments.

2.1. Do your responsibilities include the execution/control of the execution of any permanent reports, digests, or collections of materials?

For example: every day by 11 o’clock you need to prepare a digest of the main business media; print exchange rates for the current day; daily monitor budget execution together with the financial director, etc.

2.2. In which production meetings does the manager plan to use your philological skills as a translator? You need this understanding in order to eliminate in advance the weak points in your vocabulary in one or another specific area.

After some time, you yourself will already know / understand / intuitively feel which employees the manager can hire at a given time, and which ones it makes sense to postpone to another day.

There are visitors who are “time sinks” - these are those people, most often at an advanced age, whose professionalism and many years of experience do not allow the manager to interrupt the sometimes empty and unrelated monologues of these personnel. So, in this case, it is you who must take on the function of a diplomat. You can tactfully note that the manager has the next meeting planned, and Mr. N., alas, has only 20 minutes at his disposal. As a rule, such restrictions work.

2.4. Find out what types of transport the manager prefers on business trips. In my practice, there was a boss who did not fly airplanes in principle; in this regard, all logistics of movement had to be arranged using any other available means.

Specify the preferred level of class of the means of transportation: train - SV (whether the entire compartment is purchased, whether it is for men, whether it is for women, or whether it is a business seated carriage, etc.); plane - business or economy (options are possible: when flying abroad, in order to save money, you can quite limit yourself to economy class, since the level of aircraft and service on board is quite high; and in the country it makes sense to take exclusively business class); car (executive class cars, minivans, need for an escort, etc.)

2.5. Discuss with your manager which visitors and telephone calls from which people may be of an exceptional nature and require immediate notification.

In my practice, there was a boss who, despite the importance of any event or meeting, always answered the phone and interrupted the meeting if his daughter called. You should definitely know about these nuances so as not to get into a sticky situation. Such “extraordinary persons” may include wives, children, security guards, ladies of the heart, strategic partners, etc.

2.6. It is advisable to find out the length of your working day.

I don’t mean its formal definition in the Internal Labor Regulations or your employment contract, but the real need to stay late and arrive earlier. Ideally, you should “accustom” the manager to the fact that at 18.00 you can ask him the question: “Mr. N., do you still need my help today?” In this way, you will develop an understanding with your manager that you are a person whose paid working day ends at 18.00, but, in an exceptional case for your beloved boss, you are ready to assist him as much as necessary. If you do not deliberately separate your work and rest time, believe me, you will “sit” at work until sunset without much need. This truth has been verified by many years of personal experience.

Your employment contract may indicate an irregular working day, for which, by the way, according to the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, you are annually entitled to additional paid vacation days (at least 3) to the usual 28 days (Article 119). Please note how Art. 101 defines the concept of an irregular working day - this is “a special work regime, according to which individual employees may, by order of the employer, if necessary, be occasionally involved in the performance of their labor functions outside the working hours established for them.”

3. Personal life of the leader.

It is best to ask questions in this block not on the first day of work, but as the manager shows confidence in you. Some answers you will discover on your own, some you will still need to get clear answers from your boss.

3.1. To organize tourist trips for your manager and his family members, you will definitely need copies of passports, children’s birth certificates, photographs, salary certificates, and perhaps, for visiting exotic countries, health certificates.

My practice has shown that vacation planning for top officials and members of their families is most often of an emergency nature - that is, time for preparation, booking apartments, obtaining visas, etc. always in short supply. In this regard, I strongly recommend that you obtain the above documents as far in advance as possible, so that in the event of the physical absence of the person leaving at a critical moment, you do not lose the trip (for example, a manager is on a business trip, his wife is getting a massage, and you need to buy the last 2 tickets to the Galapagos Islands within 20 minutes ). Believe me, if Operation Vacation fails, it is unlikely that anyone will be interested in the reason for your lack of operational documents...

Therefore, take the initiative into your own hands and, if possible, think through the necessary packages of documents in advance. For example, I always have at the ready a stack of applications to various consulates and embassies, certified by the head, and a set of different-sized photographs on different backgrounds, in different formats.

All the same documents, naturally, must be kept “in reserve” for all members of His Imperial Family.

3.2. You need to inquire from the Manager about the need to pay for his work / personal / wife / children / dad / mom mobile phones.

Sometimes the lack of control over this seemingly elementary issue can lead to a natural disaster. In my practice, alas, there was such a case: the accounting department didn’t pay, I didn’t control it, the result is a boss on a desert island without a phone or the Internet, but with a huge vocabulary, which he gladly demonstrated to me 2 days after connecting... Keep your hand on pulse Especially if the manager plans to stay in the roaming zone for a long time.

I would recommend preparing an appropriate power of attorney that allows you to check the balances of the manager and all members of his family, and sending this document to telephone operators in order to control telephone expenses on a daily or weekly basis.

3.3. As a rule, top officials and members of their families use a myriad of plastic payment cards in their financial arsenal. For some, the manager pays for purchases on the Internet, others are used to pay for entertainment expenses, others are activated only when traveling abroad, etc. In this regard, you need a clear understanding of which cards are used for what purposes; in what currency; card expiration dates; the possibility of their use and points of representation abroad. If necessary, you can ask a question about the possibility of replenishing your card and the possibility of withdrawing cash (believe me, in practice there are such cases). In this regard, a power of attorney will again be required to carry out certain banking operations.

For ease of use, I recommend creating a consolidated file in which to classify cards by type (Visa, Master, etc.), validity periods, coverage currencies (euro, dollars, rubles), accessories (personal card of the manager, card of the wife, children, etc. .d.). I believe that such a system will allow you to quickly navigate issues of non-cash payments for your boss.

3.4 To summarize and systematize a huge amount of information about the manager, his visas, international passports, insurance periods for a car, house, cottage, etc., invite him, together with you, to draw up a simple table, the so-called checklist, thanks to daily viewing of which, you You will be able to avoid expired visas, unpaid insurance, forgotten regular payments, etc. Moreover, such a proposal should arouse in the manager a positive attitude towards your professional ingenuity and systematic approach to the profession.

3.5. At the very beginning of your career, be sure to check with manager N about birthdays, memorable dates, dates of the creation of organizations, etc., which you must keep under control. In this case, you are not just a “reminder” in your phone, but a real creative person. In my experience, it is necessary to remind the manager about the upcoming event at least 3 weeks in advance and independently offer at least 3-4 gift options. In solving this problem, the main criterion for successful implementation is your imagination and the financial capabilities of the employer.

3.6. It would be a good idea to ask your manager about his personal passions and hobbies. Perhaps he will be pleased if you have information about the latest theatrical releases, reserve 2 tickets to the Teatro alla Scala, or keep him up to date with the latest developments from Honda. As one of my esthete managers said: “I can forgive my subordinates for any work mistakes and opuses, but I will never forgive professional lack of initiative and general ignorance within the work area!” In general, be proactive and aware! Your manager is your workspace.

Naturally, each of these blocks can be supplemented, increased or decreased in the number of questions, based on the specifics of a particular position. I will repeat once again that these theses are not postulates at all and are applied depending on the workplace and the requirements of the manager. But in any case, if you discuss at least some of these points at your first working meeting, believe me, your manager will be pleasantly surprised by your holistic understanding of the profession of a personal assistant and your attentive attitude towards his modest person. For you, these answers will contribute to the exceptional performance of your official tasks.

Gaining respect from the team for yourself and your position

So, let’s hope that we managed to overcome most of the sharp pitfalls in the relationship with the manager at the initial stage. Let’s take a deep breath and move on to the next lesson, which we’ll call “Whose Helper Am I?”

The position of assistant manager does not at all mean that the circle of your communication and your responsibilities is limited only to the execution of instructions from your immediate supervisor. For example, a secretary-assistant combines the functions of an assistant to several other managers. And each of them, naturally, believes that you are only his personal assistant! This situation is especially noticeable in small enterprises, where it is impractical to maintain a large staff of assistants, an office and a personnel department. Therefore, all these functions are assigned to the assistant secretary.

But what to do when your CEO urgently asked to buy a gift for a partner, the financial director is waiting for the daily summary report, and at the same time the chief accountant puzzled you with reproducing the balance sheet. Over the years of being in the profession, I have defined for myself several basic rules that help me manage to do several things at the same time without compromising the work process.

Rule 1. “Golden”.

You are an employee. And your employer is your immediate supervisor; most often - the general director, managing partner, etc., less often - the head of a department. And it is to him that you report directly, and it is his instructions that must be carried out first. Therefore, it is better to plan your work schedule and the order of tasks performed by informing your manager. On the one hand, your manager will see what job responsibilities you perform, on the other hand, you will always be able to independently regulate the order of functions performed, based on the priority of the task.

There is nothing strange in the fact that you will come in / call / send an SMS with a question about how urgently the manager needs to complete an order; in conditions of multitasking and the presence of at least 2 managers - this is a normal working mode in which you set priorities.

Rule 2. “Silver”.

Your colleagues and managers are those people who are involved in the work process just like you. And just like you, they care about the results of the common cause. And all their instructions to you are the same tasks, the quality and speed of execution of which also determines the success of the company (we will consider exceptions in Rule 3). That is, if, when hiring, your manager discussed with you the possibility/need to perform the functions of an assistant to the financial, commercial director, etc., then this means that these employees have every right to ask/demand you to perform this or that task .

And, believe me, most often these employees are not interested in what you are puzzled by at the moment. They have a task, and it is your direct responsibility to complete it. The ability to navigate work processes, understanding the company’s business, and a clear organizational structure are your real helpers in this difficult task. If you work in manufacturing, then, naturally, sending an urgent fax to the company that supplies your plant with raw materials is much more important than stitching things together in the personnel department. But I want to repeat again, the skill of prioritization is acquired with experience. Therefore, at first, in order to avoid irrational actions, I strongly recommend that you refer to Rule 1 - use the experience and authority of the manager in resolving certain issues.

Naturally, there is no need to go to extremes. There is no need to report every step you take and every task you perform to your manager. The assistant must be sufficiently independent and organized in his work. But, I assure you, if during the first 2-3 months of work you periodically ask a question about the order of execution of this or that task, such rules of action will only benefit you and your manager. And also your other indirect managers will be clearly aware of the sequence of tasks delegated to you.

Rule 3. “Copper”.

Here we will talk about the exceptions that were mentioned in Rule 2. These exceptions are vampire employees. Like vampires from science fiction stories, they deprive you not of blood, but of precious working time and the opportunity to work in normal mode with high efficiency. “Vampire” colleagues often see you as their own helpers and assistants; they ask you to copy the fitness club schedules, buy a one-way ticket for your beloved mother-in-law, look on the Internet for inexpensive camps for children, bring coffee, etc.

In this case, you need to learn to resist such onslaughts. Your weapon in this fight is not garlic and an aspen stake, but politeness, categoricalness and a smile. It is these attributes that successfully disarm such annoying colleagues, who believe that it will not be difficult for such a young and agile girl to do part of his work and help in solving personal problems. Basic phrases that can be used to put presumptuous employees in their place:

“Unfortunately, performing these functions is not part of my job responsibilities.”
“Now I am carrying out Ivan Ivanovich’s instructions, but if you insist, I will certainly inform him that ordering firewood for your country house is a priority task for our company.”
“I believe that there is some misunderstanding in the company regarding my position: I am the personal assistant to the Chairman of the Board of Directors. Alas, my authority does not include your department's report. You can discuss my job responsibilities with my immediate supervisor,” etc.

Attempts to shift other people's worries onto your shoulders must be stopped so that they do not take away your time and energy from performing your immediate responsibilities. Such people not only steal time from you, but also harm the success of the company as a whole.

If it is not possible to cope with the toothy vampires on your own, seek help from the Light Knight - your manager, to whom you can clearly explain that the employer spends 80% of your time (and your salary, accordingly) on these employees.

I can do everything and I'm bored!

Let’s imagine for a moment that you have been working as an assistant in one organization for several years. The main tasks have been mastered, you know your job responsibilities like the Lord's Prayer, the speed of their execution has been brought to the maximum, working with your manager brings you satisfaction, relationships with colleagues are friendly, with such a degree of subordination that everyone can work comfortably and conveniently...

It is these “comfortable and convenient” that, as a rule, carry with them an internal feeling of stagnation in the profession. Sometimes it happens that this feeling is erroneous and premature, but this substitution of concepts is typical only for non-professional helpers. We are real professionals! Therefore, we will deal with the situation when the feeling of stagnation has a basis. In other words, what to do when this feeling penetrates your bright head?

Option 1. Become a movie prototype of an unburdened secretary, languidly filing his nails, saying with pompous importance: “There is no boss and there never will be!” That is, it is completely mediocre to bury your talent for the profession, intelligence, knowledge, skills and become another hero of jokes about “secretaries”. It's just stupid to be bored! Do you think there are no such assistants?! You are mistaken - there are a lot of them! But we have agreed: only real professionals read this magazine! Therefore, this option does not suit us at all.

Option 2. Talk to your manager about possible additional responsibilities you could take on.

For example, when I was studying to become a PR manager, working as a secretary-assistant, my supervisor and I agreed that, due to the lack of a marketing department and a press service, I would write texts for the website, news, and cover various events in the press. It was a real mutually beneficial cooperation: I polished the knowledge acquired at the university, the manager saved money on PR! This option successfully relieved me of the above-mentioned feeling of stagnation in the position of an assistant and allowed me to gain experience in the profession of PR manager.

What else can you take on if you are clearly bored from office work within strictly defined limits, a minimal list of tasks that you have long outgrown, and endless tea and coffee? Invite your manager to take part in a charity project, organize a children's party for his child, etc. You will be surprised! When someone “outside” suddenly invites us to take responsibility for some parts of our lives, we feel happy! Remember! This is a marriage proposal (when you are actually promised to share your worries), this is admission to a university (here teachers enter the arena and promise us a brilliant career), and a new employer (who demonstrates the monetary equivalent of your achievements) - we always feel joy during such events. Yes, of course, responsibility is always exciting, but it’s also wonderful when we receive feedback, sometimes expressed in dry words: “You’re doing great. I didn’t expect it!” or “Thank you. Great job." But aren’t these the key bonuses of our profession? It's up to you to decide.

Option 3. Sign up for courses. These can be either classes dedicated to improving your professional level (English, shorthand, rhetoric, etc.), or classes based on your interests (dancing, driving, fitness).

At one time, working at a bank as a personal assistant to the first person, I also got “bored” after the first 6 months. My supervisor was an extremely observant person and soon suggested that I get a second higher education in banking. This option is exclusively suitable for those assistants for whom intellectual and personal growth is important, who love their profession and want to develop within it.

Some people often confuse boredom at work with general emotional decline. In this case, universal melancholy at work is a consequence, not a cause. Then a passion - a hobby - will help increase your vitality and break up your monotonous life.

Option 4. Change jobs. Change company, manager, profession, etc. Provided that the only negative factor that mars your service to the profession is boredom, I would recommend using Option 4 only if Options 2 and 3 have completely failed.

The CEO of a company has many responsibilities. As the organization develops, this range of responsibilities expands. There is a lot of “turnover”, on which the manager has to spend time instead of solving problems aimed directly at the development of the company. This reduces the efficiency of the specialist. Some tasks that do not require high qualifications can be delegated to the assistant to the general director.

Position of assistant general director: main characteristics

It is difficult to define the position of assistant general manager. The fact is that the scope of responsibilities of this specialist is determined based on the needs of the general director. An employee's activities can be focused on one aspect. Let's look at the positions in which assistants work in practice:

Clerk. This specialist is responsible for working with documentation. His area of responsibility includes calls and various daily tasks.
Personal assistant. Specializes in organizing the CEO's working day, business meetings and conferences. The specialist also accompanies the manager on business trips.
Deputy General Director. An employee has the right to make decisions on a limited range of issues.

As a rule, in reality, an assistant combines the functions of several specialists. In large companies, the CEO may have two assistants. For example, one organizes the manager’s working time, and the other deals with paperwork.

The assistant belongs to the category of managers. He reports directly to the CEO. Requirements that are usually presented to an employee:

Higher education in a relevant field (for example, legal).
Three years of work experience.

As a rule, other employees report to the assistant general director. He has broad powers: from the right to issue orders to control over the work of various departments.

IMPORTANT! Appointing an assistant is not at all overkill. This measure allows the manager to focus on solving problems that require high professionalism and creativity. “Turnover” is delegated to the assistant. This significantly increases the efficiency of both the CEO and the company itself.

Legal regulation

The activities of the assistant general director are regulated by regulations:

Methodological recommendations.
Charter.
Employment agreement.
By orders of the leader.
Job description.

What are the responsibilities of an assistant general manager?

The responsibilities of an assistant general manager vary depending on the size of the company. In small companies, employees are responsible for monitoring the work of couriers, managers, and the life support of office activities. In large organizations, the CEO usually has two assistants. One personal assistant organizes the manager’s working day, the second takes care of all other matters. The list of specialist responsibilities can vary significantly. In any case, the responsibilities must be specified in the job description. Let's look at a sample list:

Organization of negotiations, including by telephone.
Reception of correspondence.
Organization of meetings and meetings: preparation of related materials, monitoring compliance with regulations, drawing up minutes, shorthand.
Control over the execution of instructions from the general director.
Submitting papers to the manager for signature.
Reception of the general director's visitors.
Organizing business trips (for example, booking rooms, ordering tickets).
Ensuring the effective work of the general director.
Drawing up a working day plan.
Information support for the general director.
Participation in meetings and business meetings.
Organization of business meetings.
Organization of presentations.
Preparation of expense reports.
Execution of personal orders.
Creation of databases, virtual presentations using a PC.

An assistant is the person closest to the CEO. Often his working day is not standardized. An employee solves a wide variety of problems, so he must have the appropriate personal qualities.

Employee rights

The Assistant to the General Director is vested with the following rights:

Familiarization with the projects and decisions of the manager regarding the activities of the assistant.
The right to receive necessary information.
The right to make decisions within the scope of official authority.

The assistant to the general director can be given greater powers. For example, an employee may have the right to sign documents.

Responsibilities assigned to the assistant

The responsibilities assigned to the assistant must be specified in the job description. The employee is responsible in the following cases:

Failure to follow job instructions.
Actions that violate the laws of the Russian Federation.
Causing damage.

If an assistant has committed misconduct, an investigation is conducted before liability is imposed. It is needed to establish the degree of guilt. Key company employees are participating in the investigation. Based on its results, a document is drawn up. Depending on the degree of guilt, a penalty may be imposed on the employee. The assistant may also be fired.

What personal qualities are required from an assistant?

A personal assistant is tasked with a wide range of tasks. Some specialists work in one area, but this does not apply to an assistant. He is required to multitask and be versatile. Let's consider the personal qualities that an assistant general director must have:

Proactivity, working ahead.
The ability to foresee further developments of the situation.
Preventing complications.
Versatility.
Adaptation to a rapidly changing environment.
Fluency in one or more foreign languages.
Ability to work with information flows.
Ability to maintain confidentiality.
Ability to systematically analyze a situation.
The ability to offer several solutions at once.
Intermediate to advanced PC skills.
Knowledge of the basics of time management.
Ability to coordinate the activities of multiple employees.
Diplomacy.
Communication skills, ability to resolve conflicts.
Operational work with large volumes of information.
Good memory.
Ability to prioritize.

The assistant must be competent and resistant to stress. Knowledge of related specialties (for example, knowledge of the basics of jurisprudence) is desirable.

When does a CEO need a personal assistant?

An assistant is hired if the general director is assigned a large list of responsibilities. Even if the manager copes with the existing tasks, a large part of the “turnover” can slow down the work. It is to handle the day-to-day affairs that an assistant is hired. As a rule, these employees are invited to large companies. CEOs of small organizations can handle all the work on their own.

Assistant manager is a position that is present in the personnel structure of almost any Russian large or medium-sized enterprise. Often, specialists occupying this position are viewed as secretaries with a very limited range of functions and responsibilities. But this is a completely incorrect approach to understanding the specifics of the position in question. The assistant manager can be vested with the widest range of powers. The requirements for his qualifications and competence can be very high. What are the specifics of the position in question? What are the typical rights and responsibilities of an executive assistant in a Russian company?

Specifics of the position

What kind of position is this - “assistant manager”? What are the responsibilities of such an employee? In most cases, the position “assistant manager” refers to a secretary. In rare cases, this phrase denotes the position of deputy director - but this is typical, as a rule, for small companies. In more or less large businesses, the duties of the personal assistant to the manager are reduced mainly to secretarial functions. Which one exactly? First of all, this is office work, working with correspondence, solving problems related to organizing various meetings and other events in which the head of the company is directly involved. The duties of the manager's secretary (assistant) also almost always include answering phone calls in the office.

In some cases, the corresponding position is differentiated into several types. Thus, secretaries who perform primarily technical work—receiving phone calls, processing correspondence, etc.—are called assistants. In turn, those specialists who are responsible for organizing events and office work are called office managers. There is a point of view that for a position such as an assistant manager, the responsibilities and powers are assumed to be broader in comparison with typical secretarial ones. In particular, these may be expressed in the need for personal presence at events in which the manager takes part - corporate parties, business negotiations, holidays. In this case, the assistant may be responsible for the presentations prepared by the manager, or for the image component of his boss’s participation in the event. It may be noted that in work books the position of assistant manager is most often designated as “secretary”.

Requirements for an assistant manager

Let's consider such an aspect as the typical requirements for candidates for the position of “assistant manager”. The duties expected to be performed by an employee in the relevant position require certain skills and qualifications. Their specific list is largely determined by the job specifics of the secretary’s activities. So, if the activities of an assistant manager will primarily correspond to the position of a supervisor, then the requirements in this case will not be so stringent: secondary education, minimal work experience, basic skills in working with a PC and office equipment. In turn, if the competence of the executive assistant includes some managerial functions, then the list of requirements in this case will be larger, and the job responsibilities will require a higher level of qualification of the candidate for the position of secretary.

A typical set of skills that an executive assistant should have in most cases is: knowledge of common foreign languages, proficiency in popular computer programs for working with documents, images, and presentations. An important aspect of the qualification requirements for an executive assistant is personal qualities. These include politeness, attentiveness, goodwill, responsibility, and readiness to solve new problems. The preferred age range of a candidate for the position of assistant manager in many organizations is 18-35 years old. But, of course, there are enterprises that especially value the experience of an employee, and therefore willingly hire people who are much older.

Many companies, at the same time, prefer to recruit specialists without much experience for work that involves performing functions that are typical for an assistant manager. This may be due to the specifics of the business segment in which the company operates. In some cases, it is better to train an employee to work in a company that, relatively speaking, opened Russia’s first production of microprocessors for smartphones and tablets, from scratch, with immersion in all the necessary nuances of such a high-tech business segment, than to try to explain to an experienced person that old methods of solution tasks in some cases do not work.

Main Responsibilities

Let us consider in more detail the responsibilities that characterize such a position as assistant manager. We noted above that these largely boil down to secretarial functions. But this is not always the case. It often happens that the assistant manager of a company, especially if we are talking about a large organization, is involved in making key management decisions. He can accompany negotiations in which the boss participates - and not only in the technical aspect, but also join in the relevant dialogues, express opinions and advice.

In some cases, a manager can delegate some of his functions to his assistant - for example, in terms of informing the enterprise team about any significant management decisions. Of course, an employee in the position in question often performs work related to ensuring the comfort of his boss’s activities - in terms of ensuring that his office has an optimal microclimate, there is always, so to speak, fresh tea, so that the main equipment used by the manager is stable. functioned.

Operating mode

So, we now know what the job responsibilities that characterize such a position as an assistant manager are. Our next task is to study the specifics of the employee’s work regime in the corresponding position. Of course, in the general case, the assistant performs his duties according to the schedule established by the Labor Code, that is, within the framework of an 8-hour working day, 5 days a week. But in practice, significant deviations from the corresponding regime are possible. Similar scenarios may be typical for a position such as an executive assistant with additional responsibilities.

The fact is that a specialist working in this position can be involved not only in the affairs of his company, but also in solving problems not directly related to internal corporate activities. Thus, an assistant with the appropriate powers can be sent on business trips, to seminars, and conferences. An employee can also carry out certain intermediary responsibilities between his supervisor and managers working in other organizations - for example, in terms of document flow or the implementation of joint projects. The work schedule for solving such problems, of course, may be far from what is provided for by the Labor Code. In fact, it becomes irregular, often longer than the standard 8 hours.

Let's look at what a job description for an assistant manager might look like. The structure of the relevant document, as a rule, begins with general provisions. They may indicate that the assistant manager belongs to the category of specialists. Thus, already at the level of a local source of law, a company can record the fact that the person in the position in question is not a manager (not a deputy director). Most likely - a secretary or, for example, a personal assistant to a manager with additional responsibilities.

Assistant job description: general provisions

The “General Provisions” of the job description may also contain language reflecting the qualification requirements for a specialist. For example, that an assistant manager must have a professional education and some work experience. Sometimes the same part of the job description specifies the area of business in which it is desirable for a person to have experience in conducting activities.

The “General Provisions” set out the key competencies of the employee. They can be expressed in requirements for knowledge of the management structure of the enterprise, the internal and external policies of the employing company, the principles of the company’s communications with authorities and other organizations, standards characterizing office work, rules of business communication, as well as internal labor regulations in the company.

Job responsibilities of an assistant

The next key section of the instructions is “Job Responsibilities.” What are its specifics? This section mainly records the functional responsibilities of the assistant manager. These can be: planning the boss’s working day (in terms of meetings, calls, interviews), organizing technical support for the manager’s work (in terms of ordering transport, organizing business meetings), participating in business trips, business negotiations, maintaining minutes and other documents, ensuring interaction between managers enterprises with other structures of the company, maintaining communications with government agencies.

Assistant rights

The job description always includes the rights that the assistant manager has. Responsibilities provided for by the specifics of the position are always complemented by corresponding preferences. So, what rights does an employee have in the position in question? Interestingly, the responsibilities of an assistant to the head of an enterprise are quite correlated with them. For example, the right to sign and endorse certain documents arises in connection with the need to periodically work with such sources. An example of another right of an employee in a corresponding position is to request from immediate management, as well as from other specialists of the company, the necessary information for inclusion in documents. The assistant manager also has the right to demand that the boss provide comfortable working conditions. The job responsibilities of a person in the relevant position may involve the periodic sending and receiving of documents - and these procedures must be carried out using various technical means. The Secretary has the right to expect full access to such.

Assistant Responsibility

So, we have studied what the responsibilities of an assistant manager are, as well as what the range of his rights may be. But in most job descriptions for specialists in the profile in question, there is one more section - “Responsibility”. What wording may be present in it? The assistant manager is most often responsible for: improper performance of duties provided for by the instructions in question, but within the limits set forth in the Labor Code of the Russian Federation; offenses committed by him in the course of his activities - again, within the limits of Russian legislation; for causing harm to the company - within the limits established in the Labor and Civil Codes of the Russian Federation and other sources of law.

Resume

So, we have studied the specifics of such a position as assistant manager, the responsibilities and requirements that characterize this position in the personnel structure of the enterprise. The specialist performing the relevant work most often performs secretarial functions, but may have significantly broader powers. In rare cases, the concept of “assistant manager” corresponds to the position of deputy director, but this is typical mainly for small enterprises.

In the “classical” interpretation of the phrase “assistant manager,” the work of a person in the corresponding position can be close to the functions of an assistant, a clerk, or, for example, an office manager. In the work book of an assistant manager, most likely there will be an entry “secretary” or “assistant”, although much, of course, depends on the corporate standards adopted in a particular organization.

The need to invite specialists of the profile in question to work characterizes the activities of the managers of most Russian enterprises. The effective work of a top manager depends on how well his assistant will solve his problems - seemingly secondary from the point of view of practical enterprise management, but in fact extremely significant for the organization. The work of the secretary is the most important in the communication structure of the team, which is headed by the head of the company.

Note that many companies practice the appointment of several assistant directors at once. However, the status and powers of each may vary. One specialist may be responsible for secretarial functions, another may be an office manager, and a third may accompany the manager at events. At the same time, HR managers can practice the interchangeability of employees within the relevant areas of activity.