Admin Chronicles

Are You Management Material?

Think you're not a manager? Think again. Just because you’re an administrative assistant doesn’t mean you’re not managing every day.

In fact, a key component of every administrative assistant position is managing the manager.

For me, this is especially true of my role as an executive assistant in the upper echelon of the company. An administrative assistant’s job is almost all about management.

You have to manage your employer's time. You need to manage travel arrangements and schedules. You must often manage other people's schedules for meetings and events. You have to manage details, like when to order office supplies or replace toner cartridges and manage storage, such as organizing files or finding the best location for the presentation equipment.

Some administrative assistants may have several people, such as a supervisory team or a group of executives, to manage. Your job becomes something of a juggling act as you maintain several schedules and balance priorities of one employer against the priorities of another.

The qualities that make a good manager are the same qualities that make a good administrative assistant: dedication to the task, the ability to work well with others and a view of the big picture while handling all of the little details, too.

When Looking Good Makes A Difference (Part 2 of 2)

When looking good makes a difference (Part 2 of 2)

In my previous entry, I covered some ‘DOs’ when it comes to dress and appearance for administrative assistants. As you now know, how you dress at work reflects on you as an administrative assistant and as a person.

Now, here are some dressing mistakes to avoid:

• Don’t settle for looking good enough. You want to look your best at all times. That means being meticulous about your appearance, from the style of your hair to your choice of shoe color. That’s how you present a professional image - and that’s how you get ahead.
• Don’t assume casual days mean that anything goes. In many companies, administrative assistants and executive assistants must maintain professional dress codes, even on so-called casual days. You are often the reflection of the image that clients, vendors and others in the company have of your employer.
• Don’t wear revealing clothing. While clothing standards today may suggest trendy fashions that show off a little skin, keep in mind that you’re at work. You're not trying to get a date. Project professionalism and not sensuality.
• Don’t overdress. If your entire office has a dress code of business casual, avoid dressing in formal business attire. Your clothing should blend in and reflect the company's personality. There is plenty of room in the space where professionalism meets business casual.

When Looking Good Makes A Difference (Part 1 of 2)

In our world of administrative assistance, appearance matters more than you can possibly imagine.

Whether you’re assisting an accounting clerk or the CEO of the company, the clothes you wear reflect on you, your confidence, your professionalism, your company and your employer. The way you dress can – and does! – have a significant impact on your career.

Here are some ‘Dos’ for looking your professional best at work:

• Do know the company’s dress code. Even if dress code wasn't discussed in your employee orientation, there's a good chance that your company has one. Pull out your employee manual or ask someone in Human Resources to be sure of appropriate attire.
• Do be aware of your corporate culture. For example, if the dress code doesn’t mention open-toed shoes, yet every executive or every administrative assistant is wearing closed-toe shoes, you’ll want to wear close-toed shoes just as they do.
• Do know the basics of professional attire. Skirts, suits, hosiery and closed-toe shoes constitute professional clothing and a good image. These should be the minimum requirements when it comes to your office attire.
• Do respect your employer's wishes, as long as they’re reasonable. Yes, there are legal issues when it comes to what a company can and can’t ask an employee to wear. However, as long as your boss isn’t asking you to wear something inappropriate, you’d do well to consider the request.

Stay tuned for my next entry about looking good – I will be covering some ‘DON’Ts.’

The Fine (And Often Ignored) Art of Listening

You know the saying about having two ears and one mouth and being sure to use them in proportion?

We’ve all heard how important it is to hone our listening skills.

We hear this advice so often because it’s true, and because we so often ignore it that it's worth repeating until we get it right. Your ability as an administrative assistant to listen actively to what others say is imperative.

Here are some tricks you can use to help really draw out the meaning when someone else is speaking with you:

• Observe the speaker. Look at the person's face and body language. Take in the whole picture, not just the sound of their words.
• Give the speaker feedback. Paraphrase what the speaker has told you from time to time, and repeat what you've understood back to the person. This gives the speaker the opportunity to correct any inaccurate information, and it also helps you remember the details of the conversation later on.
• Take notes. If you are concerned that you might forget a detail, write notes down! It's not silly at all. Most people won’t be offended and in fact, they’ll be glad to know you’re interested enough in what they’re saying to write it down in the first place. (And much better than being embarrassed to take notes and then forgetting something important later on.)
• Ask questions. When you aren’t entirely clear on what the speaker is telling you, ask the person to back up a bit, repeat something, or explain something in more detail. Get clarification and make sure you both understand.

Top Professional Administrative Career Websites That You Need To Know

Consider this:  in 2006, secretaries and administrative professionals held over 4.2 million jobs in the US alone, with the highest and fasted projected growth rate more than any other occupation by the year 2016. Putting these figures in perspective leads one to wonder where all these millions of diligent secretaries will go for all their pertinent administrative career advice. If you are one of the many administrative professionals asking yourself this question, then maybe its time to take a minute to check out this list of promising administrative career guidance websites, all dedicated to helping get you pointed in the right direction.

• Desk Demon.com – The headline on this quirky website boasts; "The world's largest website for Administrative Professionals" - which is seemingly a fitting title.  Desk Demon has both US and UK sister websites, both overflowing with links to just about every pertinent topic in professional administration you can imagine. Look to the right of the site and you might notice links to professional skill training courses, technical advice, and even Desk Demon Web TV, their own audio/visual theater complete with entertaining web toons, podcasts and related videos. Not be missed are their helpful and informative links featuring interviews with some of today’s top administrative industry leaders.

• OfficeArrow.com- Another one stop administrative information site, geared more towards assisting the “office professional”. Included are the usual creative forums and related office/workplace fodder. This clever site is clean, organized, and loaded with professional advice, and various daily questions posted by registered members. The edge here however; is the site’s virtual office break room, featuring an active discussion forum for their members called the Water Cooler, complete with interesting office topics from dress code rules, to who picks up the tab at lunch-which is not to be missed.

• AdminSecret.com- Adminsecret’s catchy headliner, “In the know, running the show” does just what it promises for their members and browsing visitors by offering the usual career advice, chatrooms, fun quizzes, discussion forums and even picture postings for their active members. While you have some down time at the office, check out their Anonymous Zone webpage, where members get to spill their juicy secrets to the world on an “anything goes” posting page. There are no traceable user names attached to anyone who feels the urge to confess online- which promises to be a great source of entertainment for those 10 minute coffee breaks.

These are just a few top choices devoted to offering career guidance to the administrative professional-from entry level to executive assistant, each unique site ensures you get the most out of your career.