Eat Your Career

JULY 9, 2019

This is the second article in a two-part series on the topic of Professional Development Plans. In the first part of this series, you learned that a professional development plan (or PDP) is a written document used to focus, evaluate and prioritize professional development goals and activities. In this article, you’re going to learn exactly what should be included in a PDP document and the simple 10-step process I use to write a PDP.

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Goals Skills Networking Learning 256

Small Business Labs

JULY 9, 2019

Despite trade wars, tariffs, and the erection of other barriers to cross-border commerce, independent workers, freelancers and solopreneurs are increasingly finding customers outside U.S. borders. As the MBO Partners State of Independence study chart below shows (click to enlarge), in 2019 22% of Independent workers who work full-time as independent workers said they provided goods or services to customers outside the U.S.

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2018 2019 2012 Collaborate 250

Practically Perfect PA

JULY 2, 2019

There are so many Assistants who are also working as an Office Manager and a lot of Office Managers who are also Assistants! The roles are similar, and there are a lot of overlapping skills. However, Office Managers do have to take on some tasks that are high-level and move the business forward. Many Office […].

Skills 214

Skills Management 214

Office Dynamics

JULY 20, 2019

In part one of “ Empowering Tips ” I mentioned that the word Empower is not only the theme of the 26 th Annual Conference for Administrative Excellence , it is also used in a variety of situations and conversations. I highlighted the many professional and personal development focuses that I have learned from Office Dynamics resources, conference, team, and owner – Ms.

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Administrative Professionals Confidence Skills Goals 209

Speaker: Joe Sharpe and James Carlson

Payroll optimization can be one of the most time-consuming and complex factors of small business management. Yet, organizations that crack the code on streamlining employee compensation often discover innovative avenues for growth. With the right strategies in place, outsourcing and streamlining payroll processes can result in substantial time and resource savings.

Payroll

Ian's Messy Desk

JULY 29, 2019

The post 10 Tips for Effective Presentation Visuals appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. When considering what type of visual representation to use for your data or ideas, there are some rules of thumb to consider: 1. Use visuals sparingly. One of the biggest problems in presentations is the overuse of visuals. A useful rule of thumb is one visual for every two minutes of presentation time. 2.

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Tips From T. Marie

JULY 16, 2019

There’s no doubt that WordPress is the ideal choice for building your business website. Recently I touched on the fact that WordPress is an ‘ array of moving parts’. One of those parts is the theme. In WordPress, the theme is the part that dictates your design. Where your logo appears, your colors, and whether a large ‘hero’ image appears on your home page are all items most likely controlled by your theme.

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Budget 117

Small Business Labs

JULY 8, 2019

According to the  U.S. Census, the number of   nonemployer businesses in 2017 increased to 25,701,671, up 3.6% from 2016.  Nonemployers are businesses that have an owner, but don't have paid traditional full or part-time employees (W2 employees). The data comes from tax records. As the chart below shows (click to enlarge), the number of nonemployers has been growing around 2.45% per year since 2010.

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2016 2017 2010 UPS 207

Practically Perfect PA

JULY 29, 2019

When your Executive leaves to start a new role, it is understandable that Assistants are concerned about what to expect from a new Executive. You build up such a strong relationship with an Executive, that can take years to get right, and the thought of going through that again is daunting. There are challenges, but […].

UPS 201

UPS Management 201

Office Dynamics

JULY 23, 2019

. For more than 15 years I have been teaching assistants how to build a strategic partnership with their executives. I especially spend a lot of time on this topic in my World Class Assistant™ designation course. A strategic partnership is quite different from just building a partnership with your executive or just working as a team. An example of how they would be different is that in a partnership the assistant and executive will have weekly or daily huddles.

Project Management 202

Project Management Purchasing Skills Filing 202

Eco-Office Gals

JULY 24, 2019

1. It’s Getting More Affordable Every Year. With the looming threat of climate change and its 11-year deadline , it seems like everyone is talking about renewable energy and what we can do with it. Renewable energy is more than a buzzword these days — it’s a fully formed technology that is ready and waiting for companies to take advantage of everything it has to offer.

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Carbon Footprint 2017 2020 2023 100

Speaker: Tim Buteyn, President of ThinkingKap Learning Solutions

Join this brand new webinar with Tim Buteyn to learn how you can master the art of remote onboarding! By the end of this session, you'll understand how to: Craft a Tailored Onboarding Checklist 📝 Develop a comprehensive, customized checklist that ensures every new hire has a smooth transition into your company, no matter where they are in the world.

Equipment

Tips From T. Marie

JULY 24, 2019

You may have seen that I’ve included a few new terms on the pages of my website. Specifically, on my services page , you will notice them right at the top. It says, “Solopreneurs, Coaches, and Creatives”. It’s at the top of the page because these are the business people I specialize in providing assistance to. I’ve discovered that it leaves some folks wondering if their business fits into one of those categories.

UPS 116

UPS 116

Eat Your Career

JULY 11, 2019

I take my workplace promises seriously. To learn more about affirmations and how to leverage them for career success, check out this article. The post Positive Career Affirmation #20 appeared first on Eat Your Career.

Learning 209

Learning 209

Small Business Labs

JULY 18, 2019

Regular readers know we like Pet Trends here at Small Business Labs. So we had to cover the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's article The Pet Economy Kicks Into Overdrive. The article covers the growth of the pet economy. Key quote: The surge in spending on pets – and explosion of new products, services and unique “experiences” to help quadrupeds and their owners bond more closely – is at an apex, tracking to break U.S. records this year.

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2005 2018 UPS 170

Practically Perfect PA

JULY 26, 2019

So many organisations are making a move from Microsoft Office to Google Suite (Practically Perfect PA being one such business!). I love Gmail, it is such a great tool, and with all of the available Chrome extensions, you really can make Gmail an incredibly productive tool. We have a great selection of hacks for Outlook, […].

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Google Email Management 193

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Management

Office Dynamics

JULY 25, 2019

Focusing on providing exceptional service at work can be a struggle especially if you are not feeling appreciated. I have shared several discussions about this topic with my peers throughout my years as an administrative professional. The key is to focus on providing an exceptional level of service rather than the feeling that no one is acknowledging your service.

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Administrative Professionals Resume Mentoring Confidence 196

Clutter Coach

JULY 5, 2019

by Listen or subscribe here: iTunes ? Stitcher ?. Soundcloud ? YouTube ? Google Play You can leave a review here! This is podcast 123 and because of the July 4 th holiday, it’s a rerun of one of my favorites: Baby Steps. Today’s podcast is based on Simple Way #21 in my book. It’s about taking baby steps to advance whatever project you’re working on.

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AT&T Holidays Google Goals 100

Tips From T. Marie

JULY 9, 2019

I celebrated the July 4 th holiday by taking 4 days off from work. It was a hot few days here in southern Maine, and as usual, the hot weather broke with a round of strong storms rolling through on Saturday. Our power flickered out momentarily and we breathed a sigh of relief, having experienced lengthy power outages in the past. Our sighs of relief were short-lived however when we realized we had no Internet service.

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Filing Holidays Phones Purchasing 116

Eat Your Career

JULY 18, 2019

I take pleasure in simple, everyday workplace routines. To learn more about affirmations and how to leverage them for career success, check out this article. The post Positive Career Affirmation #21 appeared first on Eat Your Career.

Learning 193

Learning 193

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Sharing your authentic self in a virtual interview can be an unwanted challenge. How do you break through the digital barrier when conducting a virtual interview and share your exceptional self? Think in unconventional ways to elevate the virtual interviewing experience.

Interviewing

Small Business Labs

JULY 15, 2019

The Washington Post's ‘This doesn’t look like the best economy ever’: 40% of Americans say they still struggle to pay bills covers the fact that despite a strong job market and a 10 year long economic recovery, a lot of Americans still struggle financially. The reason, according to the article, is this expansion has been weaker and its benefits distributed far more unevenly than in previous growth cycles, Key article quote: This is a “two-tier recovery,” said Matthew Mish, head of credit str

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Expenses Health Interviewing 153

Practically Perfect PA

JULY 23, 2019

Many Assistants are being asked to look after their company’s online profiles and their organisation’s social media messaging. It can be a time-consuming task that requires some thought because social media platforms change so rapidly. There are so many different platforms and options that can pull your focus. If you have been given this task, […].

Social Media 190

Social Media Management Skills 190

Office Dynamics

JULY 12, 2019

Suppose you’re writing a sensitive email, article, or letter—one that’s extremely important in your world. The message must be as clear and concise as possible. Ask these five questions and follow the examples to make changes that will immediately improve your prose. Have you put in filler words that don’t add meaning to your sentence? E.g., Starting a sentence with “there are” or “here is” or a variation of that.

Administrative Professionals 193

Administrative Professionals Training Skills Email 193

Small Business CEO

JULY 27, 2019

Going into business is both exciting and daunting, and if you get bogged down in trying to cover all the details before you’ve opened your doors (real or virtual) you’d likely put yourself off starting up. That said, there are certain things you may not know or have perhaps underestimated about starting a business. 1. Certain tech and equipment aren’t luxuries.

Equipment 93

Equipment UPS 93

Advertiser: Aggregage

New vaccine mandates and testing policies will affect employers with more than 100 workers. Get Paycor’s free, customizable vaccination policy template to communicate critical details and new requirements to your employees. Get Paycor’s Template today!

Policies

Tips From T. Marie

JULY 2, 2019

The number one question I’m asked by the students who take my best-selling course Work from Home as a Virtual Assistant is “How do I get clients?” Ironically, not one student has ever asked me, “How to do I keep clients?” While the importance of getting clients can’t be argued, knowing how to keep them once you have them is equally important. And it goes beyond my students.

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Stress 116

Eat Your Career

JULY 4, 2019

Everything I do today brings me closer to achieving my goals tomorrow. To learn more about affirmations and how to leverage them for career success, check out this article. The post Positive Career Affirmation #19 appeared first on Eat Your Career.

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Goals Learning 193

Small Business Labs

JULY 1, 2019

It's been a busy couple of weeks for gig economy studies. Below is a list of 4 of the recently released studies. 1. Want Your Business to Thrive - Cultivate Your External Talent : The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Success Factors teamed up for study, which surveyed independent workers, managers who hire independent works and HR employees.  The goal of the study was to get a 360 view of external labor use by businesses.

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Practically Perfect PA

JULY 11, 2019

The role of the Assistant these days is pretty diverse; one day you will be assisting one executive with personal tasks, the next you may be making business travel arrangements for a different person, managing a project, working on a big event or hiring a new Administrative team. Assistants are always pulled in so many […].

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Travel Management 189

Speaker: Tim Buteyn, President of ThinkingKap Learning Solutions

💢 Do you find yourself stuck in never-ending review cycles? Are you wondering if your Subject Matter Expert actually got that last review request? Are you having trouble trying to decipher impractical or conflicting feedback? 💢 If any of these scenarios sounds familiar, you may benefit from a crash course on managing SME relationships!

Collaborate

Office Dynamics

JULY 30, 2019

Year after year, one of the biggest struggles executive assistants report to me is effective time management. Let’s face it: your days are chaotic. You’re pulled in a million different directions, and many of you have multiple leaders to support. Deadlines press down on you, distractions steal valuable time, and there never seems to be quite enough hours in the day to get it all done!

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Management Confidence Training Learning 184

Productivityist

JULY 31, 2019

On this episode of the podcast, I am joined by Joel Heath. Joel is founder & CEO of FluidStance, the world’s first work platform that elicits subtle movement where you are stuck working. His personal purpose is to move the world and FluidStance’s purpose is to help set the world in motion. This episode is brought to you by the University of California Irvine Division of Continuing Education.

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2019 Lifestyle Health UPS 70

Tips From T. Marie

JULY 18, 2019

WordPress requires a theme in order to customize the design of your website. In most cases, to get the level of customization you desire it will require a premium WordPress theme, which requires the purchase of a license. As someone who not only creates WordPress Websites but often provides maintenance on sites created by others, one of the biggest issues my clients and I run into is a premium WordPress theme that isn’t licensed to the client.

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Purchasing Goals UPS 116

Eat Your Career

JULY 29, 2019

In my monthly Q&A sessions, I commonly receive a lot of questions about raises. This one comes up frequently: How long is “normal” to go without a raise? Is it a problem to have the same salary for 5 years or more? Here are my thoughts on the subject and some key points you should keep in mind if you’re experiencing pay stagnancy. Some organizations adjust pay annually by a minimal amount (like 2 or 3 percent) to keep up with inflation and the rising cost of living.

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Salary Negotiating Budget UPS 165

Speaker: Tim Buteyn

Let's set the scene: you’ve identified a critical performance gap in your organization and need to close that gap. A colleague suggests training, but you suspect there’s something going on that training can’t address. How can you determine if training is the right solution before you commit your budget and resources to a new training program? In this webinar, you will learn how to determine if training is the right solution using the Behavior Engineering Model.

Training