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

DECEMBER 12, 2009

I started this blog to share the knowledge I had picked up over the years either from other administrative assistants, my bosses or from trial and error. Bring Forward System or Using Tasks in Outlook Have a system to follow up on items your boss has asked you to do or things you know you need to do. Lets enjoy our day together.©

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2009 International 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. Keep up the good work.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International 2008 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 5, 2009

I was at the cottage with a friend and she was cranky and started to get wound up about something to do with her husband. By the end of the call her husband had caught her crankiness and it ended up with them both being angry. She ended up calling her husband back and apologizing for her bad mood. Lets enjoy our day together.©

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

APRIL 17, 2010

To finish up and make it shine, I used a glass cleaner. 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. " Warning!

Environment 100

Environment Time Zones IAAP International 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. 411 Look Up 411.ca " Warning!

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Meeting Minutes 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. 411 Look Up 411.ca 411 Look Up 411.ca

Google 100

Google Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

NOVEMBER 27, 2008

I am busy, busy this week preparing to leave because I dont want to leave any loose ends and I want to cover off on anything that might come up in my absence. I also know that when I come back I will have to work twice as hard to make up for the time that I am away. 411 Look Up 411.ca but Im still going. I cant wait!

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Holidays Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 15, 2010

The topic was on personal branding and they were making recommendations to executives on how to polish up their image. 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).

Calendars 100

Calendars IAAP Time Zones 2010 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. Check: Is your software high-functioning and up-to-date? ► August (4) Managing your Boss's Inbox Nice ways to say, "Hurry up!" 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 19, 2009

You usually answer according to what you see on the display and say “Hi&# , thinking it is an internal call, but they are transferring an outside call so you end up sounding unprofessional. Meeting documents: some people have it printed single sided and others double sided. 411 Look Up 411.ca 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2009 International 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. If I did want it, then they sent me an e-mail reminder asking me if I wanted to sign up. It was easy and I got the benefit of trying the service before signing up.

Fax 100

Fax IAAP Time Zones 2009 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

AUGUST 1, 2010

Along with our multiple work passwords, we have a password for our home computer, and if we sign up for Facebook, Twitter or any other website, we have another password to remember. Even if you phone the bank they need your secret passcode or they wont speak to you about your account. August 02, 2010 Patricia Robb said. Works so far!

Time Zones 100

Time Zones 2010 IAAP Filing 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

NOVEMBER 1, 2008

When he is away, it is very quiet and sometimes I just have to get up and walk around and visit someone or it feels like I am there by myself. 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.

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. If I hear from the assistant I know I am going to get answers and the process of setting up a meeting will go smoothly, but should I try to develop a working relationship with them? 411 Look Up 411.ca 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MARCH 20, 2010

It works well when it is a co-worker who sits closest to you, but depending on how your office is set up that might not be possible. If it is a planned time off then you can meet with your buddy and give them any instructions or information they will need to handle in your absence and any contact names and numbers.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes 2010 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

AUGUST 29, 2009

I can hardly keep up with my own e-mails at times let alone someone elses account, but that is part of my job. If you pay attention to what is going on in their Inbox, you will not be taken by surprise when things come up. Is this something he or she will need and does it have to be printed for a meeting? 411 Look Up 411.ca

Management 100

Management Time Zones IAAP 2009 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 10, 2010

Another time I was trying to find a full-serve gas station to fill up, but there was nothing to be found. It was expensive,but when I brought it home I had to do all the work to get it up and running. He loved it and I believe ended up doing his job better because of it. 411 Look Up 411.ca Recently, I bought a new laptop.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MARCH 29, 2009

When an opportunity came up, I went for it. Working is something we all have to do, but when it loses our interest, it makes it pretty hard to get up in the morning and make the commute in. Polish up the ol resume It is all right to send your resume out and see what kind of response you get. 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones Resume IAAP Interviewing 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MARCH 13, 2010

I take the bus to work and I often see people getting on a busy bus and then going through their backpack or purse looking for their bus tickets and holding up the line. I like to be prepared and I find life just works better for me at home, work and even on the bus, when I am organized and ready for whatever is coming up. no tickets.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

OCTOBER 4, 2009

And always checking up on you. Ask yourself what things really matter to you and ask questions to bring those things up in the interview. ► August (4) Managing your Boss's Inbox Nice ways to say, "Hurry up!" 411 Look Up 411.ca 411 Look Up 411.ca Did you do this? Did you do that? Hire smart!

Management 100

Management Time Zones IAAP International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 31, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 31 January, 2009 Housecleaning in Word 2007: Customizing your Dictionary Something you should do every once in awhile is to clean up your dictionary in Word. I have the software at home, but havent gotten the gumption up to load it yet. 411 Look Up 411.ca 411 Look Up 411.ca

2007 100

2007 Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

OCTOBER 31, 2009

He takes about 12 steps, squats and rejoices in his accomplishment, then he gets up and walks another 12 steps and squats again to repeat the process. Schedule meetings with your boss regularly, but at the very least annually, to identify areas that need improvement and also for encouragement in areas you are doing well.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

APRIL 5, 2010

Does your boss ever organize a meeting behind your back? He will have a quick conversation with a staff member and set up a meeting, but not tell me anything about it. Posted by Patricia Robb at 9:52 PM Labels: Administrative Assistant , Arranging meetings , professional assistant Reactions: 3comments: Jodith said.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 Calendars 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 27, 2010

Some people in the office were trying to get the remote working as we had a PowerPoint presentation coming up and were calling it things like remote thingy , remote slide clicker, wireless mouse so I finally asked, "Does anyone know what the official name for that thing is?" 411 Look Up 411.ca 411 Look Up 411.ca " Warning!

PowerPoint 100

PowerPoint Time Zones IAAP 2010 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MARCH 15, 2009

Tried and True Method: I set up 12 hanging file folders labelled January through to December. For paper things that I need to remember to follow up on, I put the letter or document in my Wait Bin (which is a tray for things I am waiting on). The system I use is quite simple and has been around for a long time.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 11, 2009

I often reach out to my network to get answers to problems that come up at the office or just to lend a sympathetic ear. 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. 411 Look Up 411.ca This is where an assistant network can come in handy.

IAAP 100

IAAP Time Zones Administrative Professionals International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 13, 2009

Normally, I put something about needing to get my filing system up to date, but I think I may have missed the point when I have done that. The last online course I took was under $70 and was interactive using both the computer and a speaker phone for audio. Keep up the good work with the blog! 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2009 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

NOVEMBER 8, 2009

State the purpose of the meeting in the calendar appointment as well as who will be at the meeting (i.e. Meeting with Mr. Brown and Ms. Follow up with the meeting organizer to request agenda and/or meeting materials, pre-reading, etc. Where is the meeting being held? 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Calendars 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 9, 2010

I was in a meeting all day taking minutes and then had a side meeting scheduled at 4 that I had to take minutes at, but in this case the minutes had to be transcribed, printed and put in the meeting packages for the next day. The meetings were stress free and I was able to depend on my checklists and templates.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Holidays Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 21, 2009

If a conference comes up and they are looking for someone to do the registration, we can step in and do that or we can organize it from start to finish. Who better than the admins to come up with something that works. Sometimes scheduling meetings can be a headache with no end in sight trying to get all the parties together.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2009 Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 24, 2009

A roadblock in the office is a problem that comes up and on first glance makes you think you are not going to be able to move forward. 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. 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2009 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

SEPTEMBER 17, 2010

I called them and thankfully they had space available on the date I needed and we were able to amend the contract, but imagine if I hadnt noticed and we showed up on the 7th? My last Board meeting I ordered lunch for 10, but I had 15 Board members in attendance. 411 Look Up 411.ca 411 Look Up 411.ca Hold the space please?

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Negotiating International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 7, 2010

A good tip if you flub up your voicemail is to press # and it should give you prompts to get out of it. They said it works with most phone services. ► August (4) Managing your Boss's Inbox Nice ways to say, "Hurry up!" 411 Look Up 411.ca 411 Look Up 411.ca " Warning! Incoming text message.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 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. Having a good filing system and keeping the file list up to date is something every assistant needs to be able to do. ► August (4) Managing your Boss's Inbox Nice ways to say, "Hurry up!"

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Filing 2008 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. If you know what works best for you and if your job is 80/20 on what you like then you can put up with the small stuff like filing and filling out expense forms. 411 Look Up 411.ca 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Interviewing Holidays 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 12, 2008

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. My former boss gave me an excellent reference on paper and by phone. 411 Look Up 411.ca 411 Look Up 411.ca " Warning!

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Meeting Minutes 100