Administrative Arts

Working From Home: Notary Public

Jodith — Mon, 02 May 2011 08:00:00 +0000

One work-from-home option open to Administrative and Executive Assistants is working as a Notary Public. The main job of a Notary Public is to witness signatures and attest to the authenticity of the signature. Depending on the applicable laws for your state, a Notary may also administer oaths and affirmations, certify copies, and in some states even officiate at weddings.

Why Run a Notarial Business

There are pros and cons to offering notarial services. First the pros.

You can get started with a limited investment. You’ll need a computer and internet access, of course, and you’ll also need a laser printer. While a dual tray printer is ideal (and will save you paper expense in the long run), you can get by with a decent single tray printer that can take both letter and legal size paper. I watched the sales and got my first printer for just $153. I used it for almost a year until I could afford to buy a dual tray printer.
You’ll also need, of course, to have your Notary Public license. That can cost anywhere from $30 to a couple of hundred depending on your state requirements. You may also want to take a course designed for Notary Signing Agents, as this is where you’ll get most of your work. An NSA works for mortgage companies and title agencies going to people’s homes and helping them sign loan paperwork.

So, for a few hundred dollars you can be up and running as a Notary Public.
You get to meet all kinds of interesting people. This is my favorite part of being a Notary Public. You’ll meet people from all walks of life doing this work, so if you love meeting people, this is a great job.
The job is fairly easy to learn. With the exception of a couple of states, the regulations are fairly clear cut and easy to manage. A few states though, like California and Florida, have extensive regulations and rules that you need to learn, so if you are in those states, you can consider this point a con.
This is a great part-time job. If you only want to work limited hours to supplement your income, you can definitely do it as a Notary Public.

Are You Sure You Want To Get Into This?

There are also definite cons in this field.

The mortgage industry is in a slump. Since most of your work will come from the mortgage industry, that’s a problem. Most notaries that I’m in communication with say that their work is way down. However, if you just want part-time work, then this isn’t as major a problem. But if you want a full-time job, then this may not be the ideal economy to start your notarial business.
There’s a lot of competition. Those organizations that teach and certify Notary Signing Agents have really flooded the field, while at the same time fewer home loans are being granted. So, again, if you only want part-time work, then this is a good job, but if you want to work full-time, it could be more of a problem.
Your schedule really isn’t your own. You work at the whim of the companies you work for. They tell you when signings are available. If you can’t make it then, you don’t get the work. You also get a great deal of last minute work, so if you have many time constraints or an inflexible schedule, you might not want to go in this direction.
This isn’t ideal for a Stay-At-Home-Mom. As I said above, your schedule is not your own, and you must go out to do signings. Even if you have an ideal set-up with a private office at home, the mortgage companies insist for the most part that you go to their clients, not vice versa.

For Further Information

Working in your own business as a Notary Public can be a nice career. If you think this is a job that interests you, you can get more information at the following websites.

Notary Rotary – This is seriously the best notary website out there. It has many people with a great deal of experience who are very open to helping folks out. Warning, though, before you ask a question. Use the Search button first. They’ll also be happy to tell you a topic has been discussed to death and to use the orange button to find those discussions.
National Notary Association – many long-time notaries have less than pleasant things to say about the NNA, mostly because they’ve flooded the field with Notary Signing Agents and they’ve been known to give out less than accurate information. However, if you are interested in doing this work as a career, you’ll at least want to look around this site and consider getting the NNA certification. Some of the big signing agencies require it, so for those new to the field, it can be important.
Notary Cafe – This site also has nice forums and helpful folks, and I probably get the 2nd highest amount of referrals from this site (Notary Rotary being #1).

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Work From Home Careers for Admins

Jodith — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 17:04:00 +0000

Have you been laid off? Having trouble finding another job? Welcome to the club! So many administrative personnel have lost their jobs in the down economy, and the job growth for our industry just isn’t where it needs to be. One option for those of us tired of waiting for the phone to ring is starting our own businesses.

With the economy still depressed, many administrative assistants who have been laid off, including me, are starting their own businesses in order to make ends meet. As part of my continuing series, So You’ve Been Laid Off, I’m going to discuss some of the options for admins who want to work for themselves.

The Self-Employment Mindset

Being your own boss can be a great opportunity for many people, but it’s certainly not for everyone. It requires a certain mindset to run your own business. You have to think like an entrepreneur. Nobody is going to run your business for you. If you make a mistake, you’re the only one to blame.

Being your own boss takes a big investment in your ego. When you are the business, then a perceived failure in the business becomes very personal. You have to have the self-confidence to weather the ups and downs that are natural in any business cycle.

Work from Home Careers for Administrative Assistants

In this series of posts, I’m going to concentrate mainly on the work from home careers available to admins, primarily because they require the least cash investment to get started.

Some of the main jobs you see administrative personnel doing from home are:

Virtual Assistant – Providing assistant services to businesses as an independent contractor.
Transcriptionist – Taking recordings and creating a typed copy of the proceeding.
Notary Public – Primarily providing loan signing services for Title Companies

The commonality of all of these is that they utilize skills you probably already have, and they don’t take a huge amount of investment to get started. In my next posts, I’ll look at these individually and provide resources for those interested in pursuing that particular career path.Similar Posts:

Guest Post: Is Multitasking All It’s Cracked Up To Be?

Jodith — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 09:00:00 +0000

Today’s article is a guest post from Wendy Stoneman.

You’re busy. You’ve got 12 things on your To-Do List. All of them have to get done today. In the middle of working down your list, the phone rings, emails messages come in, people stop by with requests – it’s a typical workday. That’s ok, you’re an excellent multitasker, right? You pride yourself on being able to get everything done – often at the same time. Here’s the bad news: you can’t actually multitask, and you’re less efficient for trying.

According to research, (yes, someone gets paid to study these sorts of things) what you’re really doing is serial tasking. You’re making high speed shifts in focus from one thing to another. Except in very special circumstances, the human brain just isn’t physically capable of fully focusing on more than one thing at a time. Each time you make a switch, you lose time. The more complex the task, the longer it takes to make the switch.

In some cases, the time costs of frequent switching are significant. Dr. David Meyer of the University of Michigan specializes in the study of what happens in the brain when a person tries to multitask. In a CNN interview Dr. Meyer reports that his study of the time costs of shifting can be “anywhere from 25 to 50 percent time increment to complete a task compared to what would be involved if you were to only concentrate on that task.”

In addition to the complexity of the tasks affecting your mental resources, the number of tasks you’re trying to juggle at the same time is also important. For each task you take on, you have less resources available to give it. Obviously, your results will reflect this lack of focus.

So what’s a busy admin to do? Your work isn’t going to change, and you still have those 12 things to do. Research shows that when you can dedicate 100% of your focus to one thing at a time, you’ll be done quicker and your work will be more accurate. When you’ve got a big project or a complex task, it pays to ignore other distractions. Don’t answer every email the second it comes in. Let the phone go to voice mail. Although you may not believe it, your company won’t go out of business if you’re unavailable for an hour.

Of course, you can’t isolate yourself for every project, but then some projects are more important than others. By prioritizing the truly important tasks and focusing completely on those – one at a time – you will improve your work product.

Fact check my quote at: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0108/05/tonight.02.html

About the Author

Wendy Stoneman lives in Vienna, Virginia, and works at a mid-size law firm in nearby Fairfax, VA, where she is a legal secretary in the corporate law division. Wendy has worked in administrative roles for over 15 years in multiple industries all over the country. See Wendy’s previous Guest Posts here.Similar Posts:

Ask the Admin: Making Tasks Private

Jodith — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 09:00:00 +0000

I got this e-mail from Marcie:

I am trying, for the first time to set a task in Outlook 2010. I would like the task to recur hourly, starting at 8:am and ending at 5:pm, every weekday. This reminder is to remind me to drink 8 oz. of water. My calendar is viewable by my 2 Directors and 3 Academic Coordinators, and even though I’m sure none of us personally care how much water I consume, I just don’t want to place it on my calendar, one of the coordinators, is on Atkins and has her snack times 10:30a & 3:00p visible on her calendar as a recurring appointment every day. I just don’t want my water consumption to show up like that on my calendar. Can you offer an advise?

Thanks for the question, Marcie. Since tasks don’t show on your calendar, using the task function is a good way to go. It’s fairly easy to set a task to private, so only you see it. Others who have access to your tasks can see that there is a task, but won’t be able to see what it is.

Open the New Task window. On the left hand side of the tool bar, under the Tasks tab, you’ll see a button called “Private”. Click that to toggle privacy on and off for that particular task.

As for setting an hourly task, I answered that question previously. Unfortunately, there isn’t an easy way to do it. Click here to read my post on setting hourly tasks.Similar Posts:

Ask the Admin: Meeting Minutes Retention

Jodith — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 08:00:00 +0000

I got the following e-mail from Dee:

I am the Secretary of our neighborhood community association, how long should we retain the minutes. I do not want to keep minutes for many years. Thanks Dee

Hi, Dee. Thanks for your question. You don’t indicate if you are talking about Board minutes or membership meeting minutes. According to every reference I can find for document retention, Board minutes should be kept permanently.

I didn’t find any specific references to membership meeting minutes in any of the research I’ve done.

Non-Profit Document Retention Recommendations

What I did find was a report from 2007 compiled by the Collaborative Electronic Records Project at the Rockefeller Archive Center on record retention for non-profits. This doesn’t only give a sample document retention schedule, it actually talks about categories of records and how long to keep them. With that knowledge, you can look at your membership meeting minutes and decide how long they need to be kept.

Another good document I found talks about setting up a document retention policy. Both of these documents have footnotes and a bibliography to source material, so anyone interested in in-depth information on document retention policies has a good place to start.

I hope this helps, Dee. If you have further questions, just leave a comment and we’ll see if we can get some input from some of the other admins reading this blog.

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Thinking Like A Manager

Jodith — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Joan Burge had a great post this week about thinking like a manager. It’s part of her series on “Becoming an Administrative Superstar”. Her post got me thinking about my own experiences as an Executive Assistant and most especially my first Executive Assistant position.

Put Yourself In Your Boss’s Shoes

When you work as a direct admin for your boss, whether it’s as an Administrative or Executive Assistant, you should look at everything that crosses your desk through your boss’s eyes.

I remember my first job as an Executive Assistant. I gave him his signature folder one morning with some employee reviews and purchase orders for his signature. After he looked at the paperwork, he called me into his office.

My job, he told me, was to make sure that everything that came to his desk was resolved of problems before he saw it. He pointed out a questionable employee review and a purchase order that had issues. Essentially, my boss was teaching me to think like a manager.

Delegated Authority

I have to admit that the first few times I sent paperwork back to a Director for corrections or explanations, it was with trepidation. In my experience so far in my career, secretaries just didn’t do that. And I did get push back from a couple of Directors.

I explained to all of them that Dave had delegated authority to me in these matters. It was my job to review their paperwork to make sure it met his standards before I gave it to him to sign. After a while it was just understood that I had that authority. Eventually the Directors sought out my advice on these matters. They came to me with questions instead of bothering my boss.

Wielding Authority With Confidence

If you want to be a truly effective assistant, you must be able to wield delegated authority, and you must be able to wield it with confidence. When you have direct reports to your boss confronting you on your delegated authority, you must be able to look them in the eye and defend your status. You must defend your authority.

If you cannot confidently wield authority, no one will respect you. If you cannot confront your boss’s direct reports as your boss, they will not accept that you have authority for anything. They will work around you, bypass you, and undermine you. At this point, you will have lost all effectiveness as an assistant.

What Challenges Do You Face?

What are your challenges as an Administrative or Executive Assistant? Does your boss give you delegated authority to make decisions? How do you wield that authority? Leave a comment and share your experiences with us.Similar Posts:

Links Round-up September 8, 2010

Jodith — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Good morning, everyone. I hope you all had a stellar Labor Day.

Here’s the links I’ve tweeted in the last couple of weeks with great tips for Administrative and Executive Assistants. Click here if you want to follow me on Twitter.

Need to brush up your PowerPoint skills? OfficeArrow has a 3-pack training deal officearrow.com/d…
Complacency Can Lead to Administrative Career Extinction julieperrine.com/…
Use the Windows 7 Calculator’s New Modes, Features, and Worksheets online-tech-tips…. (This is a really great article. The calculator function has been wonderfully expanded in Windows 7).
Transitioning from Coworker to Supervisor | Business Management Strategies & Workplace Communica… officearrow.com/m…
Managing Holiday Weeks http://www.theassistantsloft.com/the-daily/2010/9/1/holiday-weeks.html theassistantsloft… (I just discovered this site. It’s got some great content).
Connect to a Projector in Windows 7 online-tech-tips….
5 Ways to Make a Database For Your Customers ducttapemarketing…
Conditional Formatting: Highlight your most important mails – Microsoft Outlook 2010 – Site Home… blogs.msdn.com/b/… (I’ve talked about managing your boss’s e-mail before. This link has a some great how-tos.)
Add Headers and Footers to a PowerPoint Presentation online-tech-tips….
Befriend Your Supervisor, Advance Your Administrative Career officedynamics.co…
Administrative Assistant Blog, Executive Assistant – Let Your Inner Star Shine officedynamics.co…

Aren’t you proud of me? I shared the list before it was out of hand this time.

Share Your Links

If you have links to some great tips for Administrative and Executive Assistants, share them here. Just leave a comment, and I’ll tweet your link.Similar Posts:

Stylebooks: How to Write Professionally

Jodith — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 08:00:00 +0000

We all know how important proper grammar and punctuation are in business writing. We all took English in school and learned the basics, but questions of style can be more complex. When talking dates, do we refer to the “1950s” or the “1950’s”? Is it “an historical event” or “a historical event”? Is that title capitalized, italicized or underlined? The answer to these questions depends on the industry doing the writing and what stylebook they use.

What Is A Stylebook?

A stylebook is, essentially, a set of rules or standards used in writing and design. Once upon a time, individual organizations each had their own stylebook or style manual. Some of them sold that manual to the public. Over time, certain stylebooks have become the de facto standard for particular industries. In the world of journalism, it’s The AP Stylebook;, in book publishing, it’s The Chicago Manual of Style; and in business, it’s The Gregg Reference Manual. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but in general, these are the books that these industries use.

Which Stylebook Should You Use?

The stylebook you use will depend a great deal on your industry. The first thing you should do is check with your boss. She may have a particular preference for a certain stylebook, or your company may dictate the stylebook to use. You may even find yourself using different stylebooks for different tasks. For instance, you may use The AP Stylebook for newsletters and The Gregg Reference Manual for business letters and memos.

If your boss or company doesn’t dictate the stylebook to use, you should use the appropriate stylebook for the task at hand. The important thing is to be consistent in the stylebook you use, so your writing is consistent overall.

What Stylebooks Do You Use?

Tell us what stylebooks you use in your office and/or industry? Do you use the good old Gregg or one of the other many manuals available to you? Leave a comment and share your practices.Similar Posts:

Dealing With Change In The Workplace

Jodith — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 08:00:00 +0000

In today’s harsh economic climate, about the only thing that stays the same is change. Companies are downsizing, reorganizing, and rethinking everything they do. People are being laid off, duties are being passed around, and those left behind are dealing with the guilt and relief of not being on the chopping block.

Let’s face it, even positive change can cause discomfort, and the change in companies today isn’t always positive. For those living through constant change, the stress can eat you alive if you don’t deal with change in a positive manner.

Dealing with Change: Coping Techniques

How do you deal with the stress of change? Here are some ways to cope with change in the workplace.

Take time for yourself. It’s hard to de-stress when everyone around you needs something. Bar the spouse and the kids from the bathroom and enjoy a nice, long bubble bath with a glass of wine. Indulge yourself in your favorite hobby. Take time away for a spiritual retreat. Whatever way helps you cope, take some time away from the cares of your world and take care of yourself.
Look for hidden opportunities. Every cloud has a silver lining. Look for the opportunities hidden inside the workplace changes. Do you have the opportunity to learn a new skill? Is this the time to shine by volunteering to take some extra duties? Think outside the box and turn negatives into positives.
Live in the present. Constantly thinking about what was or worrying about what will be won’t change what is happening to you right now. When you find yourself lapsing into nostalgia or worry, bring your mind back to your present task. Focus on what you are doing right now.
Communicate. Share your feelings with friends and coworkers. It’s natural to be angry with change. Hiding that anger just makes you feel worse. Share your feelings in a constructive manner. Perhaps you can form a group of people to help support one another as they go through change. Having a support group can make all the difference.

Maintain Your Serenity

Whether or not you’re religious, the Serenity prayer is a great bit advice for coping with change.

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

It’s sage advice. Let go of those things you have no control over. Work only on those things where you have some kind of control or say. The key, of course, is Wisdom, which I have too little of to advise others on how to gain it.

What do you think? How do you deal with change at work? Leave a comment and share you bit of wisdom with us all.

By the way, don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll. It’s in the sidebar.

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Ask the Admin: My Boss Is Having An Affair

Jodith — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 08:00:00 +0000

We have a doozy of a question this week, folks, and I’m hoping some of you can help the writer with some advice:

I just found out that my boss is having an affair. Normally I wouldn’t care. I mean, who he sleeps with is none of my business, isn’t it? The part I’m having trouble with is that I like his wife. A lot! She’s in and out of the office all the time and she attends company events with him. She’s such a sweetheart, and I feel just terrible about all of this. I hate to see her taken advantage of. So what do I do? Do I tell her about the affair? Or do I protect my boss?

Andrea (not my real name)

Andrea, thank you for writing to me about this problem. You certainly have a serious dilemma on your hands. Situations like this can cause you some serious heartache.

Confidentiality: How far does it reach?

I’ve always been a big advocate of keeping your boss’s personal business confidential. An Administrative or Executive Assistant is so much in her boss’s pocket, that she tends to learn many things that she might otherwise not want to know. If we are to maintain the level of support to our boss’s that they need, they need to be able to trust that anything we learn is kept strictly confidential.

My question would be how you learned about the affair? Was it through your work duties? I know that I’ve come across the same knowledge in the past looking for an e-mail my boss couldn’t find.

My gut says if you found out about the affair in the performance of your work duties, then you owe your boss your confidentiality. However, if you found this out in a non-work venue, then you are not so bound. For instance, if you heard about it from someone in your social group.

Assuming you didn’t find out from work duties, I’m still of two minds about telling the wife. You still have to worry about your own position and the possibility of retaliation from your boss. It could make your job very, very difficult. It’s a matter you have to wrestle out with your own conscience.

Opinions

I know Andrea and I aren’t the only two who have made this discovery. I see the topic in search often enough to know it isn’t an unusual happening. I’d love to hear from all of you, my readers, on this topic. How far does confidentiality reach? Would you tell the wife in these circumstances? Please, leave a comment and tell us what you think.Similar Posts:

Getting Coffee: Personal Errands Personified

Jodith — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Should you get coffee for your boss? I find this question over and over in the searches on my site. Why are admins asking this question. Why is it important?

Personal Errands

Getting coffee is really just the tip of the iceberg. What most admins are asking about is running personal errands for your boss. Getting coffee, picking up lunch, dropping off dry cleaning. You all know the kinds of things I’m talking about. I’ve talked about running personal errands before. While many bosses are hesitant to ask their admin to run personal errands for them, other bosses think it is a requirement for the job.

Lack of Respect?

Is it a devaluation of our skills? Does it show a lack of respect on the part of the boss to ask us to get coffee? It depends on boss. Most bosses understand our value and are reluctant to waste our time on such errands. On the other hand, some bosses consider us lackeys. We exist to do what he wants when he wants. But does that mean we shouldn’t ever run personal errands for our bosses?

What Is Our Job Anyway?

Let’s break our job down to its core objective. Administrative and Executive Assistants, at their core, exist to make the boss’s job easier and more productive. If getting a cup of coffee or picking up lunch allows her the constructive time she needs to work on a project, then getting that coffee or food meets our core objective. It is, indeed, part of our job description.

It’s All About Respect

As I said earlier, I don’t think most bosses disrespect what we do as Administrative Professionals. Some, however, do. I don’t think the issue for any of us is getting coffee. It’s being respected for the highly skilled professionals that we are. If your boss doesn’t respect you, it won’t change if you refuse to get his coffee.

If your boss respects all that you do, I can’t imagine you would have a problem getting the coffee occasionally. At least that’s the way that I feel. For a boss who respects and values me and my work, I’d do whatever he needs to help him be successful. For a boss who doesn’t respect me and my work…well…let’s just say I’d be looking for another job rather than worrying about the details.

What’s Your Opinion?

Do you get coffee or run other personal errands for your boss? Why or why not? Leave a comment and let us all know how you feel about this topic.

I’ve added a poll to the site. Vote in the latest poll on the sidebar (click through to the site if you read this in a reader or e-mail). This week’s poll: How Long Have You Worked in the Administrative Support Field?

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Eating At Your Desk – Should You?

Jodith — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Should administrative support personnel eat at their desks? Some organizations allow it. Some don’t. Professionally, though, whether it’s allowed or not, is eating at our desks something we should do?

Like many professional dilemmas, the answer is a resounding maybe. For some administrative support jobs, occasionally eating at your desk shouldn’t present a problem. For others, it should be absolutely forbidden.

Front Desk and Public Positions

Let’s face it, if your job is to be the face of your company at the front desk as a receptionist or in another public position, you should not be eating at your desk. Just think of the impression it gives to clients. They walk into your office and the first thing they see is you chowing down on a piece of birthday cake. It is not a pretty picture. Note: this applies to chewing gum as well. No gum!

If you have a need to eat frequently, use your break times for a snack, but keep the food away from public venues.

Lunching At Your Desk

I know some of us lunch at our desk because of the lack of appropriate lunch room facilities. If you eat lunch at your desk, though, make it obvious by having a sign you put on your desk that says “At Lunch”. It will let you eat your lunch in peace and make it clear you are not actually working. The Be Neat rule still applies, though.

Eating At Your Desk: The Rules

If your office isn’t in a public venue, and your office doesn’t have rules against it, then eating at your desk is usually not a problem. Use discretion, though. These are the rules I generally apply to eating at my desk.

Make it occasional. Someone brings in some cookies or it’s the monthly birthday celebration. Go ahead and have a snack at your desk. If you are eating at your desk every day, however, learn to use your break time for your snacks.
Be Neat. Use a napkin and clean up after yourself. Make sure you don’t leave any crumbs around to attract insects.
Take small bites. You still have to answer the phone, so take small bites that can be quickly swallowed so you can answer the phone quickly. Avoid chewy foods like toffees and caramel.
NO GUM! Seriously. No one wants to talk on the phone with you while you smack your gum. Stop it now!

What Are Your Rules

What rules reign in your office? Are you allowed to eat at your desk? What about your personal rules? Leave a comment and add your voice to the question. Can you and should you eat at your desk?Similar Posts:

Working Virtually

Jodith — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Today’s blog is a guest post over on Joan Burge’s blog on Office Dynamics about how to support your boss in a virtual environment. Go on over and check it out. Don’t forget to subscribe to Joan’s blog while you’re there. I find many great tips for Administrative Professionals on her blog, as those of you who follow me on Twitter or read my Links Round-Ups know.

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Links Roundup – August 24, 2010

Jodith — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Here’s a list of the links I tweeted during the last few weeks. If you’re into Twitter, you can follow me at http://twitter.com/admnarts.

What I’m Reading: 10 Excel Secrets Every Admin Should Know – Admin Secret adminsecret.monst…
What I’m Reading: Add a Cover Page to a Word Document online-tech-tips….
RT @mmangen: #ExcelQueen Tip: CTRL+D Uses the Fill Down command to copy the contents and format into the cells below.
RT @TechTipTweets: Need to print a #booklet in MS Office, make it into a PDF first. news.office-watc…
RT @OfficeArrow: Successful People Think on Paper – a great topic by the great @Radiant officearrow.com/t…
RT @MakeWordsHappy: What do you think? The 8-hour workday: Reality or Myth? eatyourcareer.com…
What I’m Reading: Defining What Your Administrative Support Really Means :: Julie Perrine International, LLC julieperrine.com/…
RT @brambleberry: 5 Metrics your small business website needs to track: http://ht.ly/2pohU
Have a great tip to share with administrative professionals? Submit a guest post at Administrative Arts #IAAP administrativeart…
RT @2minuteswithava: Are your passwords at least 12 characters long? http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/08/16/password_security_analysis/
What I’m Reading: Administrative Assistant Blog, Executive Assistant – It’s a Happy Birthday Monday! http://bit.ly/aj7KmT
What I’m Reading: Getting a Raise: What Not to Do | Job Satisfaction | OfficeArrow http://bit.ly/c1uBAP
What I’m Reading: Administrative Assistant Blog, Executive Assistant – An Invaluable Trait (Administrative Profess… http://bit.ly/bNVH1G
What I’m Reading: Virtual Assistant – THE Blog About Our Industry » Developing Confidence in your VA business http://bit.ly/bJwXBF
What I’m Reading: Increase Security by Enabling Account Lockout in Windows 7 http://bit.ly/bLkg4n
What I’m Reading: Administrative Assistant Blog, Executive Assistant – High Level Executive Assistant Seeks Networ… http://bit.ly/9TY5y1
What I’m Reading: Test Your Password Strength http://bit.ly/doIUZI
What I’m Reading: Add Transition Sounds to PowerPoint Slides http://bit.ly/cigbOO
What I’m Reading: The Social Profile Interactive Tool | Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing http://bit.ly/9JKCAa
What I’m Reading: Administrative Assistant Blog, Executive Assistant – Administrative Assistants Look for Hidden T… http://bit.ly/crql7a
What I’m Reading: Top Business Book Recommendations | OA Book Club: Professional Development Books | OfficeArrow http://bit.ly/buoDcK
What I’m Reading: Manage Time in Front of a Computer Screen with Eyes Relax http://bit.ly/dbuaXv
What I’m Reading: Administrative Assistant Blog, Executive Assistant – Administrative Assistants Assert Themselves… http://bit.ly/c1qeb2
By popular demand…kitten pics. These are about 3 weeks old. I’ll upload more recent pics later. facebook.com/albu… facebook.com/albu…

Wow, that’s a bunch of links. I really need to do these weekly so I don’t overwhelm you.

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No Budget for Training? Do It Yourself

Jodith — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Today’s article is a guest post from Wendy Stoneman.

In my time with my current employer, I’ve been involved in training a few of our new admins. At some point in their first year they generally ask about training. Can they get some sort of training to improve their skills in a particular software program or office process? (Unfortunately, at our office the answer is “no”.)

Rarely though, is anyone referring to total immersion in a software program when they ask that question. Usually, they’re getting bogged down with a few tasks in a particular software – they can’t fix footers in Microsoft Word or rearrange pages in an Adobe .pdf file. They know this lack of mastery costs them time and energy and they simply want to resolve it.

Even without training programs or budgets for traditional or online classes, there are still ways to learn the tips and tricks you need to become more efficient. I recently became the Adobe Queen of my office. I’m certainly no expert, but I’ve mastered what I need to solve most issues I’ve run into with any Adobe .pdf file. Here’s the plan that worked for me:

Identify the area where you’ll get the biggest bang for your buck. I could’ve spent my time upgrading my knowledge of the accounting software (which I use occasionally) or becoming better at Word (which I use every day). I noticed though, that more and more of my work involved managing and manipulating .pdf files. It was an emerging trend and no one in the office was an expert – even our IT Helpdesk couldn’t help me. So, for my own satisfaction, and to make my life easier, I decided to learn more. Pay attention to your work flow – where are you losing time? What programs cause you the most problems? Maybe it’s not a program, maybe it’s your filing system or your calendaring habits. Somewhere, there’s an area for improvement. You already know what it is.
Start at the source. An internet search led me to the Adobe site and other sites/blogs specifically designed for training in Adobe products. I found a ton of online tutorials – just like the Microsoft site. I spent time watching those tutorials that discussed topics that I had encountered or thought I might encounter in the future. If you have a problem area, there’s probably a website or a blog (or two) with good how-to instructions and useful resources.
Invest in a good reference book. I bought an introduction to Adobe book that started with the absolute basics. I used it in conjunction with my tutorial viewing to really understand the capabilities of Adobe which would be useful for my work. I still refer to it regularly. Never underestimate the value of a good reference book.

So, stop waiting for Human Resources or the Training Department to come up with the perfect class or seminar for your needs. In this new world of work, it’s up to you to take charge of your training.

About the Author

For more information about working with Adobe pdf files, Wendy recommends these sites:

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