Knowing your boss’s likes and dislikes can be the major difference between you being a 'good PA' and a 'great PA'. To be the most successful PA possible, half of the battle lies in anticipating the needs of your boss in advance.
This starts from your very first interview with them; if you’re able to get a sense of their likes or dislikes from the start, then you’re well on the way to being a successful PA for them. This is also a chance to see if your working styles align with theirs. You may be the sort of PA who thrives on knowing every detail of your boss’s life, however, if your boss likes to keep information at a minimum, you may have to adjust your expectations or working methods to try and work out what their likes or dislikes are!
Likes and dislikes that can help you manage their day effectively can include: knowing what drink they like in the morning, do they want a PA/EA to arrive before them, how do they like to travel and is there a particular seat they like to be sat in during transit? Your boss may also have a preference of type face used for emails, a particular response time to emails, a specific way they file emails, and their diary to have specific break periods between meetings! All these details are pivotal in ensuring your boss’s day runs as smoothly as possible, and could develop in you being trusted and fully utilised as a PA. Having these likes and dislikes noted as part of your PA toolkit will set you apart from the rest!
