CareersCareers
Claire Hearley
Personal Assistant
"I’m currently a Personal Assistant, so a typical day is really dependent on what my director has going on. There’s a lot of general admin – diary management, expenses, scanning and emails, but also attending meetings to take minutes, organising lunches and booking travel, so it can be really varied day to day. I particularly enjoy expenses as it’s really satisfying to get all the details in order, as well as using the franking machine because that’s just fun!"
Any career advice?
Don’t assume that your favourite subject has to be your specific career path. I studied History so assumed I’d have to end up as a teacher but that didn’t really interest me. Every subject has transferrable skills so just look into the types of task you enjoy and find a career that utilises those!
School
I went to quite a high pressure, all-girls secondary school, so it was a bit of a weird experience! My favourite subject was always history, which is what I then studied at university along with some Ancient Greek. I enjoyed the variety of school and then really enjoyed the social options at university! I was in a few clubs but mainly went to socials with the History, Classics and LGBTQ+ Societies. I got to meet loads of interesting people who I’m still friends with now.
Into work
Before working at GBRf I was a seasonal shop assistant, putting stock on shelves but mainly working on the checkouts at Christmas. I also did some History and English tutoring while I was at school and at university.
Training and qualifications
I have a History degree. I’m not currently undertaking any formal training, but the option is always there if there’s something I want to look into.
Outside of work
I play a lot of video games, both in person with my friends and online with a really nice group of friends who live in New York. I also live in London so we do a lot of hopping on buses, seeing where we end up and playing tourist! Aside from that, I like hanging out with my cat and my girlfriend.
