Executive assistant Motalepule Mohlapholi, joined 21stCentury as a university graduate and within months, she became an executive assistant. She tells us how she did it.
When did you finish school?
I finished matric in Kroonstad at a school called Calculus College in 2009.
What and where did you study after matric?
I studied Industrial Psychology until I got my Honours at North West University. I am currently doing my Masters in Human Resources Development because I am passionate about people management and development. I want to understand human behaviour, especially in the workplace and align that to goals and practices to ensure fairness, productivity, cohesion, good working relationships and great performances for both employee and employers.
Where did you first work (internship)?
I started working in the marketing department at the university through an internship sponsored by the ETDP Seta, for employability purposes. I wanted to have working experience, a variety of skills and knowledge.
What do you do now?
I am now an executive assistant and I report to an executive director. Although my role is administrative and secretarial, the main aim and large part of my role is to help develop, strengthen and grow our company’s relationship with the government by setting up meetings for my manager with senior heads in government departments. This is to facilitate engagement and assist government with human resources, specifically remuneration and reward challenges. 
What’s the best and worst thing about your job?
- The worst thing is rescheduling an already booked meeting, because it is difficult to get a common date for high-level public officials.
- The best part is the variety of arising challenges in the field of HR and remuneration. Due to the high level position my manager occupies, I get exposed to high-level HR and remuneration and reward problems and customization. Every client or organisation is unique. This is my first real job, so everything is still new and exciting because it is things I was theoretically exposed to and now I get practical experience.
What kind of personality does one need to survive in your industry?
You need to have good interpersonal skills and be approachable. Communication is an absolute must. You need to be fair as well as assertive. Humility and compassion will take you far, but you need to know the business and be a people’s person.
Roughly, how much would one expect to make per month from this industry?
Very rough estimates are:
- At assistant level, roughly R10 000 per month (pm)
- At management level, R R25 000 – R35 000 pm
- At executive level, R40 000 to R60 000 pm
