Laughing all the Way to Work

AUGUST 15, 2009

Sometimes I wish I had something to warn me when I am with someone with a cell phone so I can know that we are going to be interrupted. I find it frustrating when people either text while in a conversation or are constantly taking phone calls. Apparently not, when its by phone. In an emergency, the cell phone is a useful tool.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Etiquette Phones 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 24, 2009

Make sure your resume is up to scratch: Your resume should list your skills, your experience in working as a virtual assistant, and any other capabilities that you think potential employers are looking for. Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh. Taking Effective Meeting Minutes ► August (3) Pass it on.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Resume Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

APRIL 17, 2010

If you have to answer the phone, deal with an email or attend to something for your boss, do so, as that is the nature of the admin job -- multi-tasking, but once you have done it, go right back to your to-do list, re-focus and continue what you were doing. Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh. 411 Look Up 411.ca

Environment 100

Environment Time Zones IAAP 2010 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

NOVEMBER 22, 2008

An e-mail like the one I received would have been better delivered face to face or by phone in order to get the tone of what the person was trying to communicate. I stop the flow and pick up the phone. It is amazing how quickly a matter can be handled on the phone or in person. Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2008 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MAY 10, 2009

Of course before I recommend anything I try it out so I picked up the phone and it asked me what I was looking for and what city and province. I chose details and was given the street address and phone number and I still had the option of having my call put through to the store number. You can use google to get similar information.

Google 100

Google Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 19, 2009

When I receive an initial request for a meeting, I use a meeting form and write down the information I need: who is requesting the meeting, what is the purpose of the meeting, where it will be held and a phone number or an e-mail address and dates that are available. Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh. 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 20, 2010

In-camera If the Chair says this part of the meeting is in-camera, take your fingers off the keyboard, or put your pen down. Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh. People at the meeting dont want to be singled out. The decision made is always recorded as a group decision. Oh where or where is my password? 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones Agenda IAAP 2010 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 19, 2009

The cure: always answer the phone professionally - this way youre never caught off-guard. I agree that we should always answer the phone professionally, but if it is a co-worker calling, it seems silly to say "Patricia Robb speaking, Executive Assistant to the CEO, may I help you?" Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2009 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

SEPTEMBER 18, 2009

Click on that and you will find a wealth of templates from a resume, cover letter, minutes, agenda and many others. Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh. Whoever had the idea to put the templates on their site should pat themselves on the back. I believe someone mentioned there were almost 500 to choose from.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes Holidays 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 16, 2010

Check: Are phone calls planned? For each one, write down what you hope to accomplish with the phone call to help you stay focused. It automatically updates when I use an office product, and I can manually enter stop/start times for phone calls, meetings, face to faces, etc. Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MAY 10, 2009

She said it wouldnt look good on my resume if I was seen as a job hopper. Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh. When I was a teenager, I had some good advice from someone I used to babysit for. She advised that I should stay at least one year in any job I was in. Oh where or where is my password? 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

NOVEMBER 1, 2008

I can interact where I am now, but I have to get up and go if I want to speak with someone and then when I get there I may find they are busy or on the phone so I have wasted my time. Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh. Of course there is a down side to being able to do that. Oh where or where is my password?

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MAY 9, 2010

I breathe a sigh of relief when I get someones assistant on the phone or receive an email from them. Knowing assistants and having a working relationship with them is very important and can make the difference when you need to set up a meeting or if your boss needs to have a quick phone call with their boss. 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 5, 2009

I am sure after that call her husband got off the phone and kicked the dog or was cranky with a sales clerk at the grocery store. It ended up that the phone lines were down because of a thunderstorm in town and he had been trying to reach her since early that afternoon. Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

AUGUST 1, 2010

Even if you phone the bank they need your secret passcode or they wont speak to you about your account. It's been the most efficient way for me to keep track of them since it's so handy to get to and I 'back myself up' by putting the log-in info for my outlook account in a notes area on my cell phone. 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones 2010 IAAP Filing 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

SEPTEMBER 20, 2009

Telemarketing is my number one annoyance in advertising and as soon as I answer the phone and get that few seconds of dead air, that is my queue to hang up. Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh. What a great way to lose customers -- annoy them, but they must be making some money at it or they wouldnt continue to do it.

Fax 100

Fax IAAP Time Zones 2009 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 7, 2010

They said it works with most phone services. Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh. I have never used this escape route, but was reminded about it at a webinar I participated in recently and will keep these instructions close at hand. Taking Effective Meeting Minutes ► August (3) Pass it on. 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

NOVEMBER 27, 2008

I am not taking a wireless phone with me and I am not going to talk about work with my friends where I am visiting. Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh. A change of scenery and a change of conversation is good for us to recharge and just get away from it all from time to time. I cant wait! 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Holidays Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 17, 2008

Be professional on the phone and greet people who come calling, but not everyone needs to get in to see the boss. Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh. Try to anticipate the need so you can have the file or the answer your boss needs, before he or she even knows they need it. Be protective of your boss’s time.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Filing 2008 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

NOVEMBER 8, 2009

If it is an external meeting, but local, enter location of meeting in calendar, provide your boss with address and directions, contact phone number, taxi chit. Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh. Do you need to book it or were you provided with location. Enter it in calendar. Oh where or where is my password?

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Calendars International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 5, 2009

I have a network of assistants that I call friends, although some are just phone colleagues, but we help each other. Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh. The assistant/boss relationship certainly is one of the closest working relationships with some comparing it to that of a work wife. GET TO KNOW YOUR CO-WORKERS.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Interviewing Holidays 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 9, 2010

Did I phone to get my electricity turned on? Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh. The meetings were stress free and I was able to depend on my checklists and templates. Now I am on holidays and preparing for a big move to a new home. You can be sure I have checklists for that as well. Oh where or where is my password?

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Holidays Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 12, 2008

My former boss gave me an excellent reference on paper and by phone. Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh. I can honestly say that even though it was a hard time to go through, I ended up getting a much better job and a better opportunity and can look back on it as a good learning experience. 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

APRIL 27, 2009

I basically know how to answer the phones and take messages. Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh. I just started at a law firm this week. I have not had much guidance. They have about 9 lawyers, 2 paralegals, 1 receptionist (me), and a office manager. Then they suddenly say hey do this. It is overwhelming.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2009 Administrative Professionals 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MAY 23, 2009

the phone book, standard filing practices etc.) Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh. Of course there were four Karens and three Bobs. See what I mean? Which do you prefer, First Name, Last Name or Last Name, First Name? I grew up in a world that used Last Name, First Name (i.e. Oh where or where is my password?

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 11, 2009

I can tell you my friends and colleagues got a lot of phone calls in those early days and it was a wonderful resource and help to me. Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh. I had a big learning curve going into it and I didnt know any of the other assistants so I felt all alone with my challenges. 411 Look Up 411.ca

IAAP 100

IAAP Time Zones Administrative Professionals International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 15, 2010

I use this all the time on my calendar and my boss's calendar, and it helps us both to know which events are phone calls which he can take in the office or on the road (yellow) or which events will require travel (blue). Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh. I LOVE the color feature. Oh where or where is my password?

Calendars 100

Calendars IAAP Time Zones 2010 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 13, 2009

The last online course I took was under $70 and was interactive using both the computer and a speaker phone for audio. Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh. I have found them to be really helpful. You can contact them at: Louis@lastminutetraining.ca January 13, 2009 Anonymoussaid. Keep up the good work with the blog!

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2009 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 24, 2009

If it is with an outside contact, a phone call apologizing for your error and being open to whatever steps you need to take to make it right will go a long way to fixing it. Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh. Sometimes we feel we have to do everything ourselves, but there can be alternatives if we ask. 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2009 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MARCH 15, 2009

Other Tasks: If you need to set yourself a Task further to a phone call request or just to set a reminder to do something at a future date, highlight the Tasks folder by clicking on it once and from your Outlook Toolbar press New and it will open a Task for you and you can then proceed as above to set your dates and reminders.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

SEPTEMBER 17, 2010

There is value in getting to know people, even if it is just over email or the phone. Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh. Important relationship building In all these cases I had much better results because I had established a relationship with the venue contact. Oh where or where is my password? 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Negotiating 2010 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

NOVEMBER 9, 2008

Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh. Patty Buckner North Bay Index by date ► 2010 (26) ► September (2) What's all the fuss about reading contracts? Taking Effective Meeting Minutes ► August (3) Pass it on. Oh where or where is my password? Admin in the Spotlight: Interview with Lynn Holgat.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes Postal Code 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

NOVEMBER 10, 2008

Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh. Patty Buckner North Bay Index by date ► 2010 (26) ► September (2) What's all the fuss about reading contracts? Taking Effective Meeting Minutes ► August (3) Pass it on. Oh where or where is my password? Admin in the Spotlight: Interview with Lynn Holgat.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes Postal Code 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

APRIL 22, 2009

Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh. Patty Buckner North Bay Index by date ► 2010 (26) ► September (2) What's all the fuss about reading contracts? Taking Effective Meeting Minutes ► August (3) Pass it on. Oh where or where is my password? Admin in the Spotlight: Interview with Lynn Holgat.

Administrative Professionals 100

Administrative Professionals Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MAY 31, 2009

Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh. Patty Buckner North Bay Index by date ► 2010 (26) ► September (2) What's all the fuss about reading contracts? Taking Effective Meeting Minutes ► August (3) Pass it on. Oh where or where is my password? Admin in the Spotlight: Interview with Lynn Holgat.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes Postal Code 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 10, 2010

Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh. Patty Buckner North Bay Index by date ▼ 2010 (26) ► September (2) What's all the fuss about reading contracts? Taking Effective Meeting Minutes ► August (3) Pass it on. Oh where or where is my password? Admin in the Spotlight: Interview with Lynn Holgat.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes Postal Code 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

OCTOBER 4, 2008

Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh. Patty Buckner North Bay Index by date ► 2010 (26) ► September (2) What's all the fuss about reading contracts? Taking Effective Meeting Minutes ► August (3) Pass it on. Oh where or where is my password? Admin in the Spotlight: Interview with Lynn Holgat.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes Holidays 100