There is no great month than April to talk about the power assistants create when they work together. In April, we honor administrative around the world for one full week. What does that tell you about the importance of the role?
For more than two decades I have been teaching assistants about the benefits of working together. While I often hear about the challenges and issues assistants have with their peers, assistants can find strength in community and unity. [Read more…]
To Whack Wordiness, Delete Wobbly Words
This is part of a series by editor Barbara McNichol to provide tips for writing like a pro.
To take extra words out of your writing and add clarity, the easiest approach is to attack wobbly words. What do I mean by wobbly words?
Well, they’re words that are vague, indefinite, and don’t add much to the meaning of a sentence. In fact, they can add word clutter your paragraphs and detract from what you strive to say.
In their classic guide The Elements of Style, Strunk and White call word clutter “the leeches that infest the pond of prose, sucking the blood out of words.” Count the following six wobbly words among the word clutter culprits! [Read more…]
As a career-minded assistant, it’s easy to get to a place where you wonder, “Where do I go from here?”
Advancing as an assistant can take many different forms. For some, it involves climbing to the next level, becoming a “senior” support staff member or an administrative manager. For others, it means moving into a support position for a higher-level executive, assisting a CEO or CFO for example.
Regardless of what path you’re on, if you’re interested in moving up the ladder as an assistant, there are several strategies to better position yourself for success. These tips will help demonstrate your higher-level abilities and support your bid for promotion when the time comes.
Master the Fundamentals
As Joan says, “You have to master the fundamentals!” You can’t expect to move up if you aren’t already fully and completely (even exceptionally) competent with the basic duties and responsibilities of the role. If you’re still struggling with time management, organization, professional presence, and communication, focus on amplifying your skills in these key areas.
There’s no substitution for mastery. Proficiency isn’t enough. Become an expert in everything you do. [Read more…]
I thought I’d keep this bonus blog on the lighter side. With the onset of spring, now would be a good time to do a little cleanup. Here are a few ideas.
Spruce up your work area with fresh flowers
Purge files; clean up computer files
Rearrange furniture
Inform your team of new concepts
Negotiate your workload
Gather information on new office products
I mentioned the 43 folders method in my Core Administrative Skills Always Need Improving post and a lot of you wanted more information on this method. This information is in our Executives and Assistants Working In Partnership: The Definitive Guide to Success. Because we love you and it’s our Blog-A-Thon, I would love to share it with you!
This is a popular system advocated by productivity and time management experts around the world. I have been using this system for years and highly recommends it. Use it when you have paper trigger items or paper associated with next actions.
You need 43 folders (31 labeled “1” through “31” and 12 more labeled with the names of the months of the year). [Read more…]
This is part of a series by editor Barbara McNichol to provide tips for writing like a pro.
Let’s say you have to fill out a form online and you’re restricted to 100 words. You absolutely cannot add one more word; the system won’t allow it.
So you work it the best you can, but what can you search for in your quest to meet the magic number of words? Tag-ons and redundancies (which aren’t needed, anyway).
In these tag-ons, you can get rid of the second word. It’s tagging along, not adding meaning: [Read more…]
I am pretty sure that as you focus on your career this month because of Administrative Professionals Week, you are looking for some awesome earth-shattering, off-the-charts ideas. We have done our best to provide you with some great blogs during the month of April.
Now I am going to surprise you by telling you one of the most awesome administrative skills you can work on is being brilliant at the basics.
It doesn’t matter how long you have worked in the administrative profession. Your basics are your daily nourishment. They are the foundation of everything you do. Basics include: travel planning, appointment coordination, meeting preparation, all facets of communication, organizational skills, and time and project management. As your days are getting busier and you are taking on more projects and assignments, you need these skills more than ever.
Last fall 700+ assistants responded to a survey sent out by Office Dynamics. We asked the assistants to identify areas that they would like us to provide more information on. Do you know what rose to the top of the list? The basics. This tells me that as much information that is available, assistants are still struggling with time management, project management, prioritization, organizational skills, and communication.
Here is the secret sauce:
I would love for you to share your ideas on how to make daily tasks more interesting for assistants and secretaries.
This blog is part of our 2017 Blog-A-Thon. Please leave a comment or share the blog for your chance to win one of our amazing giveaways! The more blogs you comment on and share, the more chances you have to win. If you’d like to learn more about our Blog-A-Thon you can do so here. Hint: Subscribe to our blog in the upper right-hand corner so you never miss a blog.
Joan Burge
Sure, having a high IQ is great, but how does your EQ (emotional quotient) at work stack up? Nearly all HR managers (95 percent) and employees (99 percent) surveyed by OfficeTeam said it’s important for staff to have strong emotional intelligence. In addition, more than one in five workers (21 percent) believe EQ is more valuable in the office than IQ.
What is Emotional Intelligence?
You’ve probably heard the phrase “emotional intelligence” before and dismissed it as the latest buzzword. You may have even assumed team hugs and trust falls were involved. But emotional intelligence deserves your attention because it plays an important role in your overall career success. In a nutshell, emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others.
Why You Need It
Having a high EQ comes in handy in today’s workplace, especially for administrative professionals. Here are five reasons why:
OfficeTeam is hosting a free webinar during Administrative Professionals Week on April 25 to delve more into why it’s so important for workers to have emotional intelligence, how to up your EQ and ways to show off your abilities in this area. You’ll hear from these amazing speakers:
As if that weren’t enticing enough, the live webinar is eligible for one Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) recertification point through the International Association of Administrative Professionals.
Register for the webinar today!
This blog is part of our 2017 Blog-A-Thon. Please leave a comment or share the blog for your chance to win one of our amazing giveaways! The more blogs you comment on and share, the more chances you have to win. If you’d like to learn more about our Blog-A-Thon you can do so here. Hint: Subscribe to our blog in the upper right-hand corner so you never miss a blog.
Brandi Britton is a district president for OfficeTeam, the nation’s leading staffing service specializing in the temporary placement of highly skilled administrative and office support professionals. OfficeTeam has 300 locations worldwide and offers online job search services at roberthalf.com/officeteam. Connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest and the OfficeTeam blog.
On a recent webinar, Joan noticed a question that caught her attention: Why do so many administrative teams have drama?
She asked me to weigh in on this topic and I jumped at the opportunity.
The question of why is interesting, and I’ve found there are several reasons for workplace drama. But first, let’s talk about what that word really means.
In real terms, “drama” usually refers to interpersonal conflicts—people aren’t getting along, and it’s typically attached to petty, non-substantive reasons.
On any administrative team, you’re likely to find a wide variety of personalities. When faced with any group of people with whom you have to work collaboratively, and when placed in an environment with those people for 40 hours a week or more, it’s not surprising that drama unfolds.
Below, I’ve listed the 5 most common reasons I’ve seen for drama amongst administrative teams, along with some recommended solutions. [Read more…]
What if you had Donald Trump as a boss?
Even if you are a Trump supporter, you cannot deny that our new President ran his entire campaign exhibiting Class A, typecast bully behavior.
This may lead one to ask: Is this the new paradigm of acceptable behavior in the workplace today?
From his constant barrage of insults and attacks on his opponents (and anyone else in his wake) on through his disrespectful and unapologetic attitude (both alleged and documented) toward women and minorities, Trump ran true to form to a bully personification. The message was clear: If you don’t agree with me – you’re not only wrong, you’re history!
Even though one could claim this was “campaign mode” based on his Celebrity Apprentice playbook, he was still applying for top employer in the free world. Do bosses now have a new role model? [Read more…]
