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It’s a kind of business Darwinism. The environment changes, businesses downsize, laptops become essential equipment for every executive. The traditional secretary who types, files and answers phones gradually fades from the landscape and in her (or his) place emerges the new breed: the super-secretary.
This new breed is better, faster, smarter. More commonly known as the personal assistant (PA) or executive assistant (EA), their role is often as demanding and diverse as that of their employer.
“They’re basically as much a part of the management team as the CEO or any of the other senior executives,” says Lyn MacGregor, a director of recruitment firm Hamilton James Bruce.
“They have access to the confidential information, they organise the CEO on a personal level and on a business level, they’re very involved in the board and in staff issues – politically as well as from an HR point of view. They’re the gate-keeper to the CEO and an integral part of that top level of management.”
For 15 years Ms MacGregor has been recruiting support staff to senior levels for clients, including several big firms such as AGL and Colonial. While some things haven’t changed – she estimates that 98 per cent of PA’s are still women – some things have changed radically. “The biggest change has been from traditional secretarial skills to the role of coordinators and communicators,” Ms MacGregor says. “Handling the media is often an important part of the job, and senior executives will ask for someone who can handle themselves not just in the boardroom, but with journalists as well.”
Potential employers look for someone with their own network at the highest level, with other PAs or EAs to senior executives; someone with solid industry knowledge and experience who can act as a sounding board as well as organise a diary.
“It really is a management job, and the very senior ones would often have training in management or HR as well,” MacGregor says. “It’s a real partnership.”
Ms MacGregor says in Sydney a good, young PA would earn around $50,000, while at the highest level an EAs salary might be as much as $100,000. In Melbourne we’re not quite so lavish but Robyn Cartwright, who has been running her own recruitment company for 20 years, says $65,000-plus is not uncommon for PAs at the very senior level. With a client list including Coles Myer, Amcor, Multiplex and PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ms Cartwright has developed a good idea of what works at the top and says a degree or formal qualifications aren’t part of the equation.
“There isn’t a lot of training,” she says. “I look for experience, attitude, intelligence, a high level of literacy and diplomacy. CEO’s often ask for someone with a degree but what they’re really looking for is someone who’s intellectually bright.”
Ms Cartwright says candidates with a high level of formal education often just see the role as a stepping stone. Indeed, a recent survey by Recruitment Solutions found 50 per cent of secretaries planned to be the boss themselves.
She says she looks for people who understand and value the role for what it is. “Sometimes it’s a dual role,” Ms Cartwright says. “There might be an element of recruitment, staff supervision, admin, bookkeeping. A PA might be asked to handle special projects, like overseeing a review of the company’s insurance policies. Or it could just be as a right-hand person.”
That means the other crucial factor is a good match of personalities. “Each role is individual,” Ms Cartwright says. “Success in the role depends so much on how the two people get on. They spend a lot of time together and there has to be respect, trust. They have to be on the same wavelength.”
It is, she says, a unique relationship, closer than any other within an organisation. It is a challenging role and often a stressful one. “When I was young I always remember the MD’s PA as a bit of a battleaxe,” Ms Cartwright laughs, “and I think that’s changed. Charm, people skills are much more important.”
Barbara Jones started working as a secretary in her early 20s. Now in her late 40s, she’s PA to the managing director of Multiplex Constructions, Victoria. “I am the gatekeeper, but the open face too,” she says. “I need to represent him (the MD) in a positive, open manner.”
Making sure an “open door” policy is maintained while still making sure her boss has time to do his job is one of her daily challenges. “I keep him informed of what people want, so before someone comes into the office, he’s prepared,” Jones says.
“And there’s a bit of psychology in there too. Knowing if he’s having a good day or bad day, maybe saying to someone, ‘just give him a couple of hours’.”
November 2002
