What You Need to Know About a Personal Digital Assistant
What You Need to Know About a Personal Digital Assistant
Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) are handheld computers that are small in size so it can be brought when a person needs to go places. Also known as a “small computer,” “palmtop computers,” “palm tops,” “palms” and “palm pilots,” the PDA enables someone to do things that can be done using a personal computer.
Today, more and more manufacturers come up with newer models that have modern and updated features. These changes come in sizes, colors, and audio capabilities of the PDA. In fact, in the market today, most of the models have colored touch screens, higher definition of and audio components, and lighter, slimmer appearance.
Majority of which can also be double as a mobile phone, a portable media player with high storage capacity, and can even serve as a web browser because they can have access to the Internet through built-in intranets and extranets, through wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), and through Wireless Wide-Area Networks (WWANs).
PDA 101
Although there are so many guides in using PDA, it greatly helps a lot if the user finds time to know its history and the movement of its progression. Did you know that the very first PDA was released 21 years ago? In May 1983, the CASIO PF-3000 released by GO Corp. penetrated the market and made the breakthrough. But, its fame did not materialize until John Sculley, the Chief Executive Officer of Apple used the term “PDA” at the Consumer Electronics Show which was held in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1992, referring to the “Apple Newton.”
What makes that PDA a hit is that its touch screen means of entering any data, the large capacity of data storage through the memory card, and wireless connectivity such Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and IrDA. One unique feature about PDAs is that its software enables it to have a customized calendar for appointments and scheduled activities, an organized “to-do-list”, an easy to use address book that has large capacity of memory for saving names and other details of contacts as well as a program that lets you take down some notes.
But, what makes it truly a hit for many people is its touch screen feature. Even the first batches of palms have touch screens for user interaction. This feature only has a few numbers of buttons that serve as shortcuts for specific programs. Although touch screen phones can operate using the bare hands, manufacturers came up with a “stylus” to make the touch screen feature more effective. Here, interaction is made easier and faster by just tapping the screen itself for the menu choices to appear. And just by tapping the screen, the stylus can easily activate the buttons you need for any program to work.
Aside from the touch screen feature, PDAs also have stroke recognition wherein there are a predetermined number of strokes which corresponds to the characters needed to be used. Other PDAsespecially those that are being used purely for business purposesoffer thumb or scroll wheels as well as full keyboards to make entering the data and navigation easier and more accurate.
For the personal digital assistant to work, it needs an operating system or OS. This is predetermined depending on the maker of the PDA.
Common PDA operating systems include the PalmSource’s “Palm OS”, Microsoft’s “Windows Mobile Professional” and “Classic” for Pocket PCs, Apple Inc.’s “iPhone OS”, and Research In Motion’s “BlackBerry OS” among others.
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What is A Virtual Personal Assistant
If you are having a hard time managing your affairs, you should get a personal assistant. These days, there are two names namely the personal assistant and the virtual personal assistant.
The personal assistant is there everyday doing the tasks that you tell them to do. Examples of these are answering the phone, checking the mail, filing your paper and so forth. A virtual personal assistant can do the same thing using various methods of communication such as the web, telephone and fax. The only thing it cant do is make your morning coffee.
Another difference with the virtual personal assistant is the he or she is not a temporary or full time employee. This person is hired on a contractor basis so you only call upon them when they are needed. This enables you to save money when you can do certain things on your own.
These individuals are paid on an hourly fee which could be from $15 to $40 depending on their geographic location.
Just to give you an idea, someone who is based in Los Angeles, California will charge a much higher hourly fee compared to someone who works in Austin, Texas. One way you can save money is to agree to pay a certain amount of hours per week.
Should you always get a virtual personal assistant from out of town? The answer is no because sometimes you need them to be familiar with the places where you are residing.
The best place to find a personal virtual assistant is online because these people do their business using the web. You can of course put an ad in the newspaper or bulletin board and specify there what are the duties and responsibilities that they will be doing.
In the next few days, you should screen the applicants just like how you will do it when you are hiring someone for a job.
But what should be the criteria when you hire a virtual personal assistant? Naturally, this should be based on their work experience. But you should look deeper into the personality of the person so you know how their work attitude. The best one to get should not always be the most experienced but the one who takes interest in your line of business and will do their best to help it grow.
To see how well they will perform, give them a small project to do and see how well they perform. If they do a good job, then this person is worth hiring. If not, check out the other applicants.
You have to maintain a good relationship with your virtual personal assistant by keeping the lines of communication open so you will know a little bit about them.
You should also provide them some feedback so they can improve if there are a few mistakes. But dont forget to give praise when they did a superb job.
The internet has made the world a smaller place because you can talk to anyone regardless of where they are in the world. The personal virtual assistant could be from somewhere in the United States, Europe or in Asia. The most important thing is that the person is able to perform his or her task just like regular personal assistant.
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What are the Usual Personal Assistant Jobs and Where to
What are the Usual Personal Assistant Jobs and Where to Find One?
If you are looking for personal assistant jobs, you need to make sure that the job is really for you before you commit yourself to anyone who will get your services. Did you know that with the advent of the Internet, such jobs can be turned into a home based biz? With only a few hours of your time, you can already earn from being an assistant of someone from the other side of the globe.
If you are going to do this on a home based set up, these are the usual tasks that your employer may ask you to do.
Hotel and airline reservation.
Billing concerns and complaints
Scheduling of meetings and other important events
Planning of family gathering or vacations
Reminders of important tasks and dates
Organization of appointments
Sending out direct mailing pieces or seasonal cards to clients
Researching of important topics needed by the superior
Inquiries regarding different information as required by the employer
Are you up for the challenge? The abovementioned are the usual tasks that you may be assigned as a Virtual PA or even on an office based set up. You need not worry about other tasks like the house chores of your boss. The most likely personal tasks that you may be asked to do are the following.
Manage the office budget and household finances.
Hiring of people that may be needed to the business and even the household staff.
Accompanying your boss, their loved ones and relatives to important appointments like at the doctors office, in buying gifts and other personal errands.
Go to the person or contact the person your boss should be meeting with if they would be late or can no longer make it to the meeting.
The Earnings
Your salary will depend on the services you choose to give and to what industry your boss work at. And when you do this on a home based set up, your salary will depend on the number of hours that you spend on the tasks. You will be paid on a hourly basis even if you have finished your tasks for two days or you did not finish the assigned tasks for the day. You just have to make sure that if the latter occurs, you will be ready to make up for it on the coming days.
Finding Jobs
On an offline set up, you would have to go through the usual process of going through an agency to find you the right company and the right job. You can also opt for referrals or finding gigs through leads.
It will be easier when you do this online. There are a lot of web sites where you can sign up to and apply for the available PA jobs. If you have become accustomed to the whole process, you can even acquire a lot of employers at a time. Just make sure that you will be able to give your best shot at every task given to you.
Finding personal assistant jobs can be easy. This is true as long as you have the will to do it and the capacity to carry out everything that will be assigned for you to do. Just be sure that before you apply to any PA gigs, you are well equipped with the skills and you can commit to the time that youve agreed to work for an employer.
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Training for Personal Assistant
A personal assistantthe one in-charge for the daily organization of the employer’s overall scheduleshould have invaluable leadership skills and strong initiative in doing things. These are very important because the employer relies and depend on what the personal assistant has prepared.
Another major qualification in being a personal assistant is mastery of skills in terms of organization and socialization aspects. Although there is no specific training to become an efficient personal assistant, it pays to undergo some sort of briefing to know what it’s like to be one. Here, people who have plans of becoming a personal assistant would have an idea what are the key essentials needed for one to be hired immediately and of course, how to be efficient for a specific type of boss or employer.
Aside from that, a personal assistant should be able to do two or more tasks at any given time. This is very vital especially to those bosses who have very hectic schedule. A personal assistant should also be able to remain calm despite stressful situations because there will always be time when she or he will be blamed for the things that went wrong along the way.
Other qualifications include being business and Internet savvy, being computer literate especially to basic operations, having knowledge in accounting and bookkeeping, basic phone etiquette, and people skills especially in dealing with people during negotiations and meetings.
To be able to become a good personal assistant, one has to know the tasks and responsibilities for the position. Knowing these will somehow train you to becoming an efficient and reliable personal assistant to your employer.
Preparing for the job
Once you have listed down all the qualities a personal assistant must have, it is now time to know if you have those skills needed for the job. If you think you dont and still would want to pursue a career in this position, then you can train yourself to possess those skills.
It is best to start with the nature of the job you will be related to. If you will be working for an employer who runs a business, you must master the skills and efficiency of a secretary. This is because you will be asked to do all the scheduling and bookkeeping for the business. If you will become a personal assistant to a politician, you should also master the skills of organization and people skills because you will be dealing with people from all walks of life.
If you plan to work as a personal assistant for a celebrity, you must be very well prepared in dealing with pressure. This is because you will be involved in the very busy and complicated world of show business. If you will be working for a person with medical condition or disability, you must be very well informed in dealing with the boss who is also a patient.
Overall, the best possible way of becoming a good personal assistant is by training one’s self by actually doing it. You can do this at home like helping your parents in the business or managing the household. You can also train yourself to become an efficient personal assistant by dong volunteer works in various establishments or you can join organizations to form network. Here, your skills can be honed and prepare you for the job that you wanted.
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The Qualities of a Personal Assistant
People who are always on the go need someone to watch their back. In business, we call that individual a personal assistant. But this job is not for everyone which is why there are certain qualities that you have to look out for when you are hiring one.
First, that person should be a jack of all trades. This means he or she is used to multi-tasking. The successful candidate must have a flexible work schedule that goes beyond the nine to five job. You can call them up at anytime, be able to work on weekends, holidays or even overnight if necessary. If this person is not able to do that, then you better hire someone else.
The personal assistant should be internet savvy and computer literate so certain projects can be typed up, research can be done and a presentation can be made. If you are using some programs that the personal assistant is not familiar with, then this person has to learn it quickly in order to adapt to your needs.
When you hire a personal assistant, it is best to get someone with experience so more or less they know what to do in the position. You just have to brief them on how things are done where you work.
The candidate has to be very dependable especially when you are not around because he or she represents you. If a judgment calls needs to be made, the personal assistant has to step up and do what needs to be done. Having such a quality shows this person is self-confident and has the leadership potential to handle more responsibility in the future.
They should show that they are trust worthy so everything you say that is concerned with the business does not leak out of the office.
What does a personal assistant want in return for what you expect from them? Simply put, fair pay because no one is going to work beyond 8 hours everyday and only get paid minimum wage. If you have to travel and you need this person, be prepared to shell out their travel and living expenses.
From time to time, give them tickets to a party or a show if you are not around. As you can see, money is not the only thing that a personal assistant looks for when looking for a job.
How do you look for a personal assistant? By putting down on paper what is their job description and then posting an advertisement saying that you are in need of one. If your company is quite big, you can announce for an opening first within the organization before opening this for outsiders.
Once you have a list of potential candidates, you can now go through the screening process. Those who pass the initial interview and exam can be scheduled to meet you. To help you decide which candidate you think is best, have someone from the company interview this person with you.
If you want to see them in action, let them do something and if you are happy, keep them on a probationary basis first before you decide to regularize them.
At the end of the day, the personal assistant is another employee. If this person does not perform as you expect, they can easily be replaced.
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The Job Description of a Personal Assistant
A lot of people employ a personal assistant. But what does a personal assistant really do? What is his or her job description?
The personal assistant is called by many names. They can also be referred to as executive secretary or executive assistant. He or she works closely with the manager then coordinates with the various departments.
But most of the time, this person deals with administrative and secretarial tasks like answer the phone, enter, welcome the visitors, make appointments, deal with deliveries and faxes, make schedules, take dictation and minutes, produce presentations, do background research, organize meetings, liaise both internally and externally, arrange travel accommodations, organize paperwork and make decisions in the absence of others.
In order to be an effective personal assistant, you should be able to know the company and the business inside and out. This will allow you to get in touch with the right people when you are instructed to. Given that you handle matters that are important to the company, you should be trustworthy and exercise confidentiality and discretion at all times.
The personal assistant may sometimes be instructed to do other duties. This may involve handling accounts and budgets, carrying out a specific project and take some of the managers load which means being given the opportunity to be involved in the decision making process. Some companies do that while others dont and just stick to the basics as mentioned.
Celebrities, professional assistants and politicians are just some of the few examples of people who need a personal assistant. Small businesses also do and the average salary of a personal assistant these days is $37,000.
If you think about it, there is no specific educational degree that lands you the job of a personal assistant. It just happens which is why a company who feels the need for one will probably hire someone internally before posting a job posting.
In order for the two to work together, both the manager and the personal assistant should have good rapport otherwise nothing gets done.
Should you consider being a personal assistant, keep in mind there are some drawbacks. For one, you will have to work 40 to 80 hours or more especially when your boss has a late night meeting or tells you to accompany him or her to a business out of town. You may be on call 24/7 so you may have to rush from one place to another even late at night or the in early hours of the morning.
But there are benefits for being a personal assistant. You get to meet other celebrities and high level executives that could lead to better job opportunities. You get to attend business dinners or even parties. Those who travel get to work and go on vacation at the same time which often includes free travel and an expense account.
Working any job even that of a personal assistant has its ups and downs. Those who can take it will be able to stay in this position for a very long time while others who have tried but could not stomach it will look for a better job role. For you to succeed here, you have to be trust worthy, hard working, can work under pressure and have a strong work ethic.
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The Duties of a Personal Assistant
Through the years, the term “personal assistant” has evolved. Technically, a “personal assistant” or “PA” is a person who attends to the things that busy and successful people cannot attend to. He or she is specifically hired to assist another person in his or her personal activities, schedules, and tasks every single day.
But with the modern and complex office and business setting today, the roles and duties of personal assistants have been also redefined. Before, personal assistantsGirl or Boy Fridayonly attend to very specific tasks. But now, their job description can be compared to what the secretary does, or even more. This is because the personal assistant has to be there always no matter where the boss or the employer goes. He or she has to be there to attend to all the things that the employer needs to make the workplace and the job easier and more efficient.
All in all, a personal assistant is person who is trusted by the high-ranking person in the corporate world. He or she is a junior employee whowith the directive and instructions of the bossassumes the duties and role of the chief-of-staff in any executive office or of any executive personnel.
Preparing for the PA’s duties
The major qualification for becoming a personal assistant is reliability. Since a high-ranking person will rely on almost everything when it comes to work on the personal assistant, he or she must be skilled enough to do the tasks ahead.
If you want to be a personal assistant, the first thing that you should do is to determine which type of working environment you would want to be. With the complex work setting now, everyoneat least those that have high ranking positions and popular figures in the society such politicians, celebrities, communications executives, entertainment moguls, business tycoons, and the likeneeds a personal assistant.
If you want to be effective in becoming a personal assistant, it is a must that you know before hand whom would you want to and what type of tasks would you want to perform. Consider this, if you are a personal assistant for a politician, you will be involved in various political affairs such as dealing with people from all walks of life.
If you will become a personal assistant for a celebrity, you will be living a glamorous life by attending various functions or social events and even dealing with the fans. In a corporate or business world, you will be involved in everything that has to do with the business or the company of your employer.
After finally deciding whom would you want to work for, it is now time for you to do a research on the duties of a personal assistant so you would have an idea what it is like to be in their shoes.
Before finally deciding if you are fit for the position, you must know that a personal assistant is: good in appointment and schedule keeping; fast in running errands; reliable in scheduling for travels locally and internationally; knowledgeable in book keeping and managing accounts; computer literate for correspondence through email, scheduling tasks, typing documents, and preparing presentations; a master of language skills; excellent in managing a small office or even the household; and keen in planning and organizing meetings and other events such parties.
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The Right Attitudes for a Person to Carry Out Personal
The Right Attitudes for a Person to Carry Out Personal Assistant Services
What are the scopes of personal assistant services? Do not undermine this job because it entails a lot to be successful in this venture. You need to be a jack of all trades if you are a PA. And if you are a boss, it might really take some time and a lot of scrutiny before you can find the right candidate for the position.
Finding the Right One
If you are a business owner or a very busy executive and you want to lessen the pressure and tasks off your shoulders, this is the ideal set up that you can opt for. But finding the right PA whom you could trust confidential business matters to is not a piece of cake. To start with, you should look for the following qualities for the right candidate.
1. The right PA must be open to sudden schedule adjustments. It cannot be helped, especially in the corporate world, to extend work hours beyond the usual 9-5. So you must first ask applicants if they are up for the challenge and are willing to take that extra route at times. You need to find someone who will be there for you, to aid you at crucial business moments and to be there for you whether at good or bad times.
2. You must also look for one who is sociable. There are times when your PA has to meet important people whom you are transacting business with. Your assistant sometimes has to take them to places, to take a look around the area or be entertained while on the waiting process. This can also be possible when you are doing business with these people and they would like to have a break or experience the nearby view for a while.
3. A good PA is someone who is flexible and easy going. Such person must be able to relate with others with ease and confidence. They must not be irritable because that will not do you any good as a boss. They must set good example to other employees. They must keep them composed at times when you seem fed up with work.
4. Choose someone who can handle pressure well. Whatever business you are dealing with, it cannot be helped that there will be times when the going gets tough. Your PA must be able to relate with you and keep up with their job even if pressure is already getting into you.
5. Your PA must be able to multi task. It will be very helpful for you to have an assistant who is adept on different tasks. Select the person who is a master on different programs on the computer. They must also know how to work using the Internet and other office equipments like the fax and phone lines.
6. It will also do you good if you will choose a person who has a good background. This applies not only on their personal lives but more so, on their work history. Opt for the person who has good time management as well as organizational skills.
All these skills and attitudes will make up the overall characteristics of a person to be able to perform different personal assistant services at the top of their game. So make sure that you check this list twice before hiring a person for the task.
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The Four Must Have Traits of Personal Assistants
Personal assistants are vital to busy bosses whatever industry they belong to. The tasks may vary according to what type of superior they have. The salary will also depend on the kind of trade where the superior is involved with.
You may be used to celebrities having their own PAs. If you have been exposed to the corporate world, you should know that all the executives on such setup have their own PAs. The duties of the assistants will greatly differ on the tasks of their bosses.
They may differ on the industry where they thrive. The salary may also be different depending on the business and their employers. The tasks, of course, also vary. But a personal assistant must have the following skills to be able to cope with the challenges that their job poses each working day.
1. Brilliant communication skill. As a personal assistant, you would have to interact with the people whom your boss is transacting business with. You would have to set up meetings with them. It is your duty to accommodate them when they arrive at certain locations where your boss will be conducting meetings with them. You have to relay to these people important messages in ways that you will be clearly understood. This way, you will be helping your boss carry out the tasks that they could no longer bear by themselves. And that is also their main reason why they would hire an assistant.
2. Pleasing personality. You should appear bright, attentive and at the same time, pleasant. It cannot be helped that sometimes, certain guests will arrive at the office at times when your superior doesnt want to be disturbed. You have to tell the guests in the manner that they will not be offended about the situation. You need to stay calm amidst all turmoil. Your composure will help your boss a lot in times when they feel that business is tough and everything seems so incontrollable.
3. Good with problem solving. There are times when you have to decide things on your own. There are simpler situations and problems that your boss does no longer need to be concerned about. And it is your duty as their assistant to judge the situation accordingly and do the necessary action. Also, your superior may ask you for your advices at times, especially when they deem you as expert in such situation. You should be able to assess the problem and give out the right words and suggestions to help alleviate the problem in your own little way.
4. Hardworking. As a personal assistant, it cannot be helped that your services will still be needed beyond work hours or even on your rest days. This usually happens when the boss thrives in a business where transactions happen almost every day and they have to deal with a lot of situations and people all at once. You are your boss shadow. They will be able to work better with your aid. For this reason, you must be ready to extend your patience and service way beyond the agreed hours and days of work.
All the abovementioned skills are must haves for personal assistants. You must value your job and you must really love it in order to last. The payoff will surely be good once youve gotten used to how things work in such environment.
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