The PA Diaries: 5 Minutes with Chief of Staff Zoe Hill

Let’s jump straight in and get to know you a little better. To everyone who hasn’t had the pleasure of meeting you before, tell us about yourself….

My name is Zoe Hill, and I currently work as Chief of Staff at Arcade Media!

Tell us more about how you became an Assistant and your journey to where you are now?

My assistant career journey started at the age of 21 within the finance industry, I guess you could say that I kind of fell into it. I will be very honest when I say that I did not want to be an assistant but felt it would give me a birds eye view of potential opportunities.  Although the first 9 months were a little rocky I became determined to accomplish as much as I could. At the age of 25 I took on the role of Admin Supervisor, supporting a small team of assistants alongside my assistant responsibilities. After moving to front office, my team of assistants grew to nearly 40 due to cover whilst still continuing to support bankers / principles and admin-related project management work. Although I really did adore this role, after 12 years of service it was time for a new challenge and I moved to Arcade in January ’23!

What do you love most about being an Assistant?

Helping people, feeling needed, the variety of tasks, always being kept on my toes. To me the list is endless as I genuinely love what I do and everything that comes with it! I could, at this point in time, not see myself doing anything else!

What do you wish you could change about the business support industry?

Two things: 1) the feeling of empowerment 2) understanding what it means to be an assistant and the impact it  can and does have on a business!

Know your worth as an assistant. Assistant’s are a key factor to any business and any one employed as part of a firm all have the same goal in mind = keep the business moving forward.

What do you believe is the real key to success as an Assistant?

Networking and collaboration – I am such a firm believer that it is not about what you know but who you know! With that in mind, collaboration and coming together to support each other in our line of business is so important.

What has been the biggest challenge of your career as an Assistant and how did you overcome it?

Change management – probably shouldn’t be deemed as a challenge but I think it is something that should be spoken about more and taught. We, as admins, like things to be run in a particular way. We know it works, we trust the process. When we are presented with change it can knock things off balance. It was something that I did struggle with. Change isn’t something that, to me, you overcome – it’s something that you learn to understand. After learning about the emotional curve, it helps me to process the change and accept what is coming in, therefore enabling me to adapt to it.

If you met yourself on day one of your career as an Assistant, what would the one piece of advice you would give yourself?

Be positive, stay true to yourself, don’t be afraid to ask questions (like any question!!) and don’t underestimate the role that you are in!

Do you want to be featured in our longest running campaign ‘The PA Diaries’? Email us at hello@theassistantroom.com for more information.