A personal assistant CV is assessed on trust as much as on capability. The employer is deciding whether to give this person access to their diary, their inbox, their confidential correspondence and often their personal affairs. That means your duties need to demonstrate judgment, discretion and sustained reliability, not just a list of supported tasks. This page shows how to write personal assistant duties for a CV, with examples at both stepping-up and experienced level.
How to Write Personal Assistant Duties on a CV
Start with who you supported. Name the seniority of the role, such as managing director, financial director or head of department, because that single detail sets the level of everything else on the CV. Say how many executives if it was more than one.
Then show what you were trusted to do without asking. Drafting correspondence for signature is different from drafting and sending it. Booking meetings is different from declining them on the executive’s behalf. This is the clearest evidence of seniority available to you, and it is what separates a PA CV from an administrative one.
Finally, evidence discretion and longevity. Length of service with one executive is itself a strong signal in this role, because PA relationships that work tend to last. If you supported the same person for several years, make that visible. For the underlying role description see personal assistant duties.
Best Personal Assistant Duties for Your CV
- Managing the executive’s diary and resolving competing priorities.
- Screening calls, emails and requests and deciding what requires attention.
- Drafting and responding to correspondence on the executive’s behalf.
- Preparing agendas, papers and briefing notes ahead of meetings.
- Coordinating board, committee or management meetings and distributing papers.
- Attending meetings, taking minutes and tracking resulting actions.
- Following up commitments and deadlines with senior staff.
- Arranging domestic and international travel, visas and itineraries.
- Processing expense claims and reconciling corporate card statements.
- Maintaining confidential files, records and contact databases.
- Acting as the point of contact between the executive and stakeholders.
- Coordinating events, functions and executive visits.
- Managing personal administration where the role includes it.
Stepping-Up CV Duty Examples
If you are moving from an administrative or secretarial role into a PA position, emphasise the executive-facing work you already do, even where the title did not reflect it.
- Managed diaries and scheduling for two senior managers alongside general administrative duties.
- Prepared meeting papers and took minutes at monthly management meetings.
- Screened incoming calls and correspondence, handling routine matters independently.
- Arranged domestic travel and accommodation for departmental staff.
- Processed expense claims and reconciled supporting documentation.
- Maintained confidential personnel records with no breaches.
- Deputised for the executive assistant during periods of leave.
Experienced CV Duty Examples
With established PA experience, lead with seniority supported, scope of authority and evidence of trust over time.
- Provided dedicated support to the Chief Financial Officer of a listed company for five years.
- Managed a complex diary across three time zones, resolving competing executive priorities daily.
- Drafted and issued correspondence independently on the executive’s behalf.
- Declined and rescheduled meeting requests using delegated judgment on priority.
- Coordinated quarterly board meetings, preparing and distributing papers to fifteen directors.
- Arranged international travel including visas, itineraries and contingency planning.
- Reconciled monthly expenses and corporate card statements to company policy.
- Tracked executive commitments and followed up actions with senior managers to completion.
- Maintained confidential commercial and personnel information with no breaches throughout tenure.
Demonstrating Discretion Without Breaching It
This is the particular difficulty of a PA CV: the most impressive things you handled are often the things you cannot describe. The solution is to describe the category and the standard rather than the content.
- Instead of naming a confidential transaction, write supported the executive through a confidential corporate transaction, maintaining strict information control.
- Instead of describing a sensitive personnel matter, write handled confidential personnel matters requiring absolute discretion.
- Instead of listing private details, write managed personal as well as business administration for the executive.
An employer reading these understands both what you handled and that you know not to say more, which is itself the qualification.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Omitting the seniority of the person you supported.
- Describing tasks without showing what you decided independently.
- Revealing confidential detail to make a bullet more impressive.
- Writing a CV that reads as administrative rather than executive-facing.
- Leaving out length of service, which signals trust in this role.
- Copying a job advert instead of describing your own experience.
- Failing to mention systems used for travel, expenses or board management.
Related Job Duties and Templates
For the full description of the role, read personal assistant duties. If you are preparing for interviews or writing an advert, see the personal assistant job description. For CV duty wording across office roles, use Admin Duties for CV, and browse related positions under admin and office duties.
FAQs
How do I write personal assistant duties on a CV?
Name the seniority of who you supported, then show what you were trusted to do without asking. Instead of managed the diary, write managed a complex diary across three time zones, declining and rescheduling meetings using delegated judgment on priority.
What are good examples of personal assistant duties for a CV?
Strong examples include supporting a named senior role for a stated period, drafting and issuing correspondence independently, coordinating board meetings and distributing papers, arranging international travel with contingency planning, and tracking executive commitments through to completion.
How do I show discretion on a CV without breaching confidentiality?
Describe the category and the standard rather than the content. Writing that you supported a confidential corporate transaction while maintaining strict information control tells an employer what you handled and simultaneously demonstrates that you know not to elaborate.
Should I include how long I supported one executive?
Yes. Length of service with a single executive is one of the strongest signals available in this role, because PA relationships that work tend to endure. Several years supporting the same person says more about trust than any list of duties.
What should I avoid when writing PA duties on a CV?
Avoid omitting the seniority you supported, describing tasks without showing independent judgment, revealing confidential detail, writing bullets that read as general administration, and leaving out the systems you used for travel, expenses and board papers.