Practically Perfect PA

MAY 4, 2023

How to be an Assistant that adds value As an Assistant, your work must be seen as more than just a support role. You can add value in expected and unexpected ways – from becoming an expert at streamlining systems and processes to developing relationships with [.]

130

130

Practically Perfect PA

JANUARY 5, 2023

How to make your invisible work visible Having spent over a decade working with and training Assistants, one of the many challenges I hear is that Assistants do a lot of work that goes unnoticed. How often have you said or thought, 'my Executive doesn't know what I do'. It's a [.]

Training 130

Training Skills Management 130

Practically Perfect PA

JANUARY 5, 2023

How to make your invisible work visible Having spent over a decade working with and training Assistants, one of the many challenges I hear is that Assistants do a lot of work that goes unnoticed. How often have you said or thought, 'my Executive doesn't know what I do'. It's a [.].

Training 130

Training Skills Management 130

Practically Perfect PA

APRIL 16, 2020

So, you are thinking about heading into the unknown and need some tips on how to transition out of your role Whether you are changing your career or going into business for yourself, this is a big deal. You are amazing for deciding to follow through with your dream! The idea didn’t [.].

Management 254

Management 254

Practically Perfect PA

APRIL 27, 2023

How to make sure your Executive champions your success One of your primary goals as an Assistant is to support and assist your Executive in their role. However, ensuring that your Executive actively champions your success, recognises your contributions, and supports your professional growth is equally important. [.]

Goals 130

Goals Forms 130

Practically Perfect PA

APRIL 20, 2023

How to position yourself as an exceptional Executive Assistant As an Executive Assistant, you have a unique role in business. But how do you position yourself in a [.] You are the leader behind the leader, providing support and managing the day-to-day operations of the Executive Office.

Management 130

Management 130

Practically Perfect PA

AUGUST 22, 2023

Inspiring trust in your work If you’re an Executive Assistant, Personal Assistant or Administrative Professional, you know how important it is to establish a strong relationship of trust and confidence with your Executive. Without trust between the two of you, your ability to efficiently support them [.]

Administrative Professionals 130

Administrative Professionals Confidence 130

Practically Perfect PA

JULY 20, 2023

How to be intentional in your Assistant role As an Assistant, it is not enough to provide administrative support to your Executive. Today's EA role has evolved into a more strategic partnership, with Executives relying on their Assistants for counsel, technical expertise, and critical analysis. Therefore, [.]

100

100

Practically Perfect PA

APRIL 13, 2023

How to expand your role when there is no room for growth It can be challenging to break through the glass ceiling as an Assistant when your organisation has no room for growth. I've heard it repeatedly from Assistants, they are often stuck in a pay scale or band that [.]

130

130

Practically Perfect PA

APRIL 26, 2020

Working Remotely – How to Keep Balance and Productivity Working from home [.]. At first, this may sound like heaven on earth (a lot of people think they want to work from home). The reality will settle in quickly (if it hasn’t already).

Home Office 182

Home Office Management 182

Practically Perfect PA

DECEMBER 14, 2017

When your To Do list doesn’t stop growing, how do you plan what to do first? Knowing which tasks are urgent and which are important will help you prioritise what to work on first.

Management 224

Management 224

Practically Perfect PA

MARCH 21, 2019

I’ve just finished reading Think Better Analytically, and I want to share my learning with you! I decided to read the book because I don’t think of myself as someone who thinks logically or analytically. I’m much more of an emotional thinker, placing more value on my instincts than the evidence in front of me. […].

Learning 203

Learning Management 203

Practically Perfect PA

JULY 22, 2019

A few years ago, I felt lost, frustrated and had no clue how to move forward. Unsure about the direction your career is taking? Or utterly uninspired by your current situation? I hear you. I have been there myself. I felt […].

Management 165

Management 165

Practically Perfect PA

SEPTEMBER 12, 2019

When your To-Do list doesn’t stop growing, how do you plan what to do first? Assistants are regularly asked to juggle multiple tasks and projects while reacting to other people’s urgent requests and deadlines. It is not an easy gig! When you do plan, there will be the inevitable surprises, re-prioritisation of work and of […].

Management 164

Management 164

Practically Perfect PA

JULY 27, 2017

Read on for tried and tested tips on how to nail your video interview…. The post How to nail a video interview appeared first on Practically Perfect PA. For a generation growing up on Snapchat and YouTube, applying for jobs with a video will seem like the most natural thing in the world. However, what if (like me!) Surroundings.

Interviewing 180

Interviewing 2019 Skills Phones 180

Practically Perfect PA

JULY 11, 2017

In our continued series about building relationships with colleagues , today, we will look at how to deal with the office downer. So here are some quick tips on how to deal with the office downer and. The post How to deal with the office downer appeared first on Practically Perfect PA. Does their negativity have any merit?

AT&T 182

AT&T Facebook Interviewing UPS 182

Practically Perfect PA

AUGUST 22, 2019

One of the most common challenges I hear from Assistants who want to push their career forward is that their Executive’s do not trust them enough to hand overexciting projects and tasks. This is generally because the Executive struggles to delegate and likes to be in control of all of their work, or they don’t […].

Management 189

Management 189

Practically Perfect PA

AUGUST 27, 2018

I organise a lot of events, and I also attend a lot of events so I get to see a lot of networking take place and I can tell you straight away, most people find networking scary. That is why people avoid it at all costs, they either don’t go to events at all, or […].

Networking 217

Networking AT&T Management 217

Practically Perfect PA

JANUARY 4, 2019

Who has been asked to send a fax in the last year? I see a few of you nodding, some of you are rolling your eyes thinking – fax? What is it 1989? Some of you are wondering what I mean by the word ‘fax’ Yes, I know this is old technology, but you […].

Fax 189

Fax 2019 UPS Management 189

Practically Perfect PA

MARCH 11, 2019

During the Virtual Summit October 2017, we had the amazing Simone White, Executive Assistant and Global Chair of GAIN – Administrative Professionals Network at BlackRock train our group of attendees on starting their own internal network for Assistants. Today we are really pleased that we can share the video with you.

International 177

International Networking 2017 Administrative Professionals 177

Practically Perfect PA

JANUARY 24, 2019

Let’s face it, being an Assistant can be pretty challenging and not every day are you going to be walking around your office with your glass half full beaming from ear to ear. Some days you will be massively p*ssed off and want to hide under your desk until you can leave at 5 […].

Management 203

Management 203

Practically Perfect PA

JULY 9, 2019

Problem-solving is one of the critical skills that will be needed by office employees by 2020. You will see this skill more and more on job applications for Assistants (if you aren’t already) because we are often called upon to put out fires and deal with problems that nobody else in the office wants or […].

2020 188

2020 Skills Management 188

Practically Perfect PA

JULY 30, 2019

Every business is started by someone with a vision. They are the driving force behind the business, and they want to change the world. You might not work for the person who started the organisation. But, if you work for an Executive who is the creative thinker in your organisation, someone who innovates and drives […].

Management 162

Management Skills 162

Practically Perfect PA

SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

In this blog post, I’d like to share an extract from my award-winning book “A-Z Pearls of Wisdom” on how to effectively use “feedback-to-self” as a development tool. If you enjoy this read, remember you can order my book from Amazon (e-reader version is available too) or I can bring copies with me if […].

Management 165

Management 165

Practically Perfect PA

AUGUST 16, 2018

Recently I have been spending a lot of time trying to get my home office into a state of total perfection, where I have everything I need to hand, and the atmosphere is one of calm efficiency. Obviously, this is a dream but one I aim to achieve one day. Anyway, I was thinking about […].

Home Office 209

Home Office Management 209

Practically Perfect PA

APRIL 18, 2019

Creativity is such an essential competency for Assistants to have and here is why. We are faced with unusual requests and challenges every day. We often have to ‘think outside the box’, to come up with solutions to problems that most other people in the office wouldn’t even know where to start. We are asked […].

UPS 187

UPS Skills Management 187

Practically Perfect PA

JULY 25, 2019

Here are our tips on how you can keep your team […]. It is becoming more and more common for Assistants to manage staff and lead teams on projects. Many Executive Assistants manage teams of other Assistants and Administrators, and we all know it can be tough keeping Assistant’s careers on track and keeping them motivated.

Management 150

Management 150

Practically Perfect PA

MARCH 29, 2017

Take a look at how Roomex can help you save time, money, and of course solve those face-palm moments. The post How to solve those hotel booking ‘facepalm’ moments appeared first on Practically Perfect PA. Any queries are answered in minutes and with exceptional levels of customer service.” .

Customer Service 159

Customer Service Management Travel 159

Practically Perfect PA

JANUARY 21, 2019

If you are looking for a new role this year, you will most likely have dusted off your CV and started to update it to reflect your current skills and experiences. This is an obvious first step in your job hunt but not where the journey ends for your CV! I think most of you […].

Job Hunting 201

Job Hunting Skills Management 201

Practically Perfect PA

NOVEMBER 7, 2019

Assistants have buckets full of empathy; you wouldn’t be in the job if you didn’t. What I find is that empathy can often be taken advantage of by people who don’t respect what we do – be it, that colleague who wants your time or that Executive who doesn’t understand your role. Empathy can quickly […].

Management 196

Management 196

Practically Perfect PA

APRIL 3, 2017

The post How to make a bad first impression better appeared first on Practically Perfect PA. They may change their mind once they realise you know everything there is to know about the running of your office, but until then deal with them on a basic level.

Email 171

Email Policies Forms UPS 171

Practically Perfect PA

NOVEMBER 1, 2018

Let’s face it, we all know that sometimes you can have the best day at work when you feel on top of the world and you are high-fiving your teammates and CEOs… and sometimes you want to throw your resignation at the first person you see in the office and run as fast as you […].

Management 203

Management 203

Practically Perfect PA

SEPTEMBER 5, 2017

The post How to go from a PA to a VA appeared first on Practically Perfect PA. By following the tips above, you’ll ensure your transition from PA, EA or Admin Professional to running your own successful VA business, is an easy and successful one. This guest post is written by Amanda Johnson from VACT.

Mentoring 181

Mentoring Training Stress Finance 181

Practically Perfect PA

APRIL 2, 2019

Like most senior level Executives, your boss will be involved in lots of different projects, making the decisions and driving these initiatives forward. If the projects are not managed by a central project management office (and in smaller organisations, this is often the case), then you can add value by helping your Executive plan out […].

Project Management 188

Project Management Management Skills 188

Practically Perfect PA

MAY 23, 2019

At our recent Future Assistant Conference, we covered the topic of ‘managing difficult conversations’ Julie Leitz’s presentation is still one of our most popular online sessions because so many us shy away from having difficult conversations and managing conflict at work.

Management 113

Management 113

Practically Perfect PA

MAY 24, 2018

Picture the scene. You’ve asked somebody that you work with to do something for you or your Executive. You need their input on the task before you can move on with your work. You email them the request, you don’t hear anything back, you email again, you get a reply that states they will get […].

Email 203

Email Skills Management 203

Practically Perfect PA

JANUARY 28, 2019

Are you currently a PA, dreaming of having your own VA business? Maybe you’re an Admin Professional, who craves having the control and freedom of running your own business? If you’re currently employed and looking to make a career change to VA, it’s a simpler process than you think. Whether you’re a PA, EA or […].

Management 159

Management 159