Info Articles

Dust settles and business as usual

As the dust from the Brexit vote starts to settle and we make the most of a late burst of good weather, it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on how the job market has changed in London in the last couple of months, and what impact that is likely to have on your job prospects coming into the last quarter of 2016.

While some companies have been forced to cut more experienced roles, many are now looking to replace more expensive salaried roles by hiring graduates with 1 or 2 years’ experience. This is the most sought after group of candidates by companies looking to recruit for Executive PA jobs in London according to leading PA recruitment agencies.

Some of the biggest news stories focus on issues of gender stereotype and while it is good that gender bias is exposed and making the headlines, why is it that a woman’s competence is so often defined by these things? The temp worker at PWC, Nicola Thorp was judged by her footwear not by her ability to do her job.

While the skills of a good secretary or PA are transferable between industries, offices and in theory, bosses, in reality it is more often than not the chemistry between PA and boss which makes the role a success. When a PA is in tune with their boss, they can anticipate what they need before they need it, what meetings need to be scheduled, who they want to talk to and to a certain extent what decisions they are likely to make.

In today’s ever more competitive jobs market there is a growing awareness that the secretarial role, rather than just being a long term career choice in itself, can also be a vital first step on the career ladder for many highly qualified and highly motivated candidates.

Transferable skills

Forward planning is the key, so start early!

As soon as you book your vacation:

When Lizzie called on RMS Recruitment, one of the leading recruitment agencies in London, to help her make her next career move, she had spent nine years working in Sports Marketing, including two years in Australia – not the obvious work experience that usually propels you to Personal Assistant to the Founder of a premium retail brand!

What was your first reaction to the proposal to interview for the job at The White Company?

No sooner have we packed away our winter woollies than we find ourselves fast approaching midsummer and taken completely unawares by the mini heatwaves which can be stifling in London. These heatwaves are short joyous affairs when Londoners seem to smile more and linger longer outside cafes and pubs. They are slightly tainted by the need to still go to work when we would rather be donning flip flops and shorts before heading for the nearest green space armed with little more than a pair of sunglasses and a good book. 

EQ or emotional intelligence-what is it?

Generally speaking, EQ is a measure of how your behaviour can affect the way others around you view you and respond to you, as opposed to IQ which is a measure of your intellect, and is usually much the same at 15 as it is at 50. Most importantly there is not much, if anything, you can do to improve your IQ, whereas EQ is a flexible skill-set that can be learnt and improved with practice. EQ is a metric a lot of recruiters actually do look for in a potential candidate.

Graduates need to think beyond traditional career paths

Sometimes it seems that every time we pick up a magazine or newspaper it is only to read about how hard it is for graduates to find a job in the current climate. With more than 1 in 5 graduates out of work and 84 applicants for every job in London, the statistics can look pretty bleak at times. But there are still plenty of reasons for optimism and we’ll take a look at why the role of PA could be just the answer you’re looking for.