Personal Assistant
(Female, Age 23) from Bloomfeild, NJ
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 23 who works as a Personal Assistant in Bloomfeild, NJ. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
| Job Title | Personal Assistant |
|---|---|
| Salary | $35,000 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | Bloomfeild, NJ |
| Years Experience | 3 months |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
| Years in Career | 0 |
|---|---|
| Education | (not answered) |
| Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
I am a personal assistant to a CPA in a small firm. I act as his right hand man and do everything from entering client data to picking up his kids at school. I did not study accounting. I have a BS in photography. After working as a commercial photographer I decided to persue a job that would not drain my creative energy so I can do art in my spare time.
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
See above.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
none
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
I feel that I am well paid but I should get health benifits.
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
I work very closely with my boss (the owner) and another one of his assistants. I like that I’m not stuck behind a desk all day but I don’t like having to be constantly on-call for my boss. It’s not a 9-5 job and often I am asked to work later.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
The job is located in an office. I like having my own space but I dislike how the office itself is organized.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 1
Benefits: 8
Hours: 7
Co-Workers: 5
Supervisors: 3
Job Title: 2
Level of Responsibility: 6
The Actual Work: 4
A day in the life of…
Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:
| 5am to 6am | |
| 6am to 7am | |
| 7am to 8am | n/a |
| 8am to 9am | n/a |
| 9am to 10am | commute to work |
| 10am to 11am | Check emails and make sure everyone in the office has supplies and files they need for the day. |
| 11am to 12pm | Filing documents, entering client data, and anything else needed. |
| 12pm to 1pm | lunch |
| 1pm to 2pm | Meeting with boss about monthly goals. I took notes, typed them up to file. |
| 2pm to 3pm | Answering phones, running errands, general office work. |
| 3pm to 4pm | Same as above. |
| 4pm to 5pm | Same as above. |
| 5pm to 6pm | Taking care of kids. |
| 6pm to 7pm | Cleaning office and prepairing for next day. |
| 7pm to 8pm | n/a |
| 8pm to 9pm | n/a |
| 9pm to 10pm | n/a |
| 10pm to 11pm | n/a |
| 11pm to 12am | n/a |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
craig’s list (internet)
What was the application process?
There was a series of intense interviews.
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
There was an initial phone interview followed by a very long interview in person. There was also a final phone interview and discussion of the what the job entails.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
How would I go about researching a speicific problem; do I work better unsupervised/in a team/remotely; can I work extra hours; what are my strenths/weaknesses; why am I the best canidate for the job?
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes and no. I was hired at the hieght of tax season so there wasn’t much time to train me properly but I did learn a lot in a short period of time.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
Yes. Training involved spending a lot of time observing the other assistant and having one-on-one training with my boss.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Attending a University helped by getting to know many different people and getting a well-rounded education.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
Yes. Most interships in any field involve being a personal assistant.
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Interview your employer as much as he interviews you. As a personal assistant, you will spend a lot of time with your boss so it’s very important that you can work with and for that person. Also- think about your needs and goals.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
An important skill to have would be the ability to listen carefully and anticipate what your employer’s needs are. They expect you to practically read their mind.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Yes. There is no major in college for a personal trainer but you need to have a well rounded education and be able to take on a variety of projects.
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
See first question.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
No. I think this job is just a segway to something else.
What are your current career goals?
I want to figure out how to utilize my creative talent to support myself.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
This is a very demanding job. It involves a lot of self-sacrifice and patience.
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | Personal Assistant | 3 months | 35000 | Act as right hand for boss. It involves everything from entering client data into Quick Books to picking up his kids from school. |
| Prior Job 2 | Photographer | 1 year | 28000 | I was the principal photographer and director of the intership program. I photographed products and prepaired images for the web as well as trained and tutored interns. |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:3.2
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
3.6 | Drexel University | B.S. in Photography |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
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