Laughing all the Way to Work

APRIL 5, 2010

That makes it difficult when I am supposed to be organizing his calendar, but since I am responsible to organize his time and in spite of my frustration, I have to make it work. So what can you do when your boss is ruining your perfectly scheduled calendar? People are busy and certainly understand schedule changes.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

NOVEMBER 8, 2009

Secure the date and time in his or her calendar, taking into consideration travel time if outside the office. State the purpose of the meeting in the calendar appointment as well as who will be at the meeting (i.e. Enter it in calendar. Meeting with Mr. Brown and Ms. If it is an internal meeting, has a meeting space been booked?

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Calendars 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

APRIL 17, 2010

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 17 April, 2010 Keeping focussed in a busy environment There are so many distractions in the office -- the telephone, your co-workers, email and your boss! But I did it by keeping a notepad by the phone and each time I started a task I would write it down. Lets enjoy our day together.©

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. Minute taking made easier. Dealing in real time.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Meeting Minutes 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. Alternatively, you can list yourself with other online placement sites as well. Minute taking made easier. Dealing in real time.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Resume International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MARCH 29, 2009

Polish up the ol resume It is all right to send your resume out and see what kind of response you get. In this new age of not doing anything more than a quick spell check on documents, make sure you do not have any spelling mistakes in your resume. Job satisfaction is important. They are interested, now what? 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones Resume IAAP Interviewing 100

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

AUGUST 13, 2010

I had no idea this could be done, but I was thrilled when I got her email, but it just proved to me once again that we are all holding on to things we take for granted that others know about. The tip she sent me was how to edit an email that you have received. Close out of the email and you will be asked to Save the changes.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP PowerPoint Email 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JUNE 14, 2009

My favourite to-do list is a calendar timeline so I can see at a glance where I am at and what I need to do to get there. It is simply using an on-line calendar with space on each day to enter what needs to be done. To generate a calendar in Word 2007, click on the Office Button (in the top left-hand corner). No surprises!

Agenda 100

Agenda Time Zones IAAP Calendars 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MAY 24, 2009

To set a recurring 9-5 meeting (as opposed to clicking all-day meeting) I dont like the all-day meeting settings as they are out of sight at the top of the calendar and easily missed. His calendar then shows blocked time and nobody misses seeing that he is away. Your bosses calendar will now show Monday to Wednesday blocked from 9-5.

2007 100

2007 Time Zones IAAP 2003 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 13, 2010

If it is a big project I use a calendar and write down all my required to-dos on the dates I need to get them done to make my deadline. I gave at the office Calendar "ah ha" Introducing The Administrative Bloopers Blog What ever happened to the "us" in Service? Minute taking made easier. Dealing in real time.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes 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. I gave at the office Calendar "ah ha" Introducing The Administrative Bloopers Blog What ever happened to the "us" in Service? I believe someone mentioned there were almost 500 to choose from.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 12, 2009

i.e. My boss will send an email with a cc to me and on the last line or buried in the message he will write something like “I have copied Patricia to set up a teleconference at a mutually convenient time.&# Sometimes e-mail is not the best way to communicate and it needs to be followed up by a phone call or face-to-face short meeting.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International 2009 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 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 1, 2010

One person can be great at software programs and know all sorts of tricks to get things done quickly and another might be excellent at organizing and managing their email account. I gave at the office Calendar "ah ha" Introducing The Administrative Bloopers Blog What ever happened to the "us" in Service?

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 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. Doing too many things can actually waste time.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Musings of a High-Level Executive Assistant

SEPTEMBER 27, 2010

Answer the phone so the caller only needs to say yes or no. Whenever I answer the phone and I know who it is or know it’s not a cold call, I try to make it easiest on the caller. If you need to interrupt your boss in an important meeting or when they are on the phone, pass them a note. Then exit as quietly as you entered.

Gifts 40

Gifts Holidays Etiquette Phones 40

Laughing all the Way to Work

SEPTEMBER 19, 2008

My boss likes me to print his weekly calendar on Monday so he can see at a glance what he has for the week so I clip that to the front of the folder. I then print his daily calendar and slip that in the left pocket of the folder and on the right side I put everything he will need for the day. I do this for each day of the week.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones 2008 IAAP Calendars 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 28, 2010

CountryCode.org is a comprehensive guide to make phone calls from anywhere to any country in the world. I gave at the office Calendar "ah ha" Introducing The Administrative Bloopers Blog What ever happened to the "us" in Service? Minute taking made easier. Dealing in real time. When your voicemail goes awry.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 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 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 7, 2010

They said it works with most phone services. I gave at the office Calendar "ah ha" Introducing The Administrative Bloopers Blog What ever happened to the "us" in Service? I thought I would pass this tip along in the event you find yourself wishing you could take your words back. Minute taking made easier.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MARCH 20, 2010

You hear something while walking down the hall or are copied on an email and know something about the purpose of a meeting coming up. Many times I am so thankful I had that quick chat or read that email that I was copied on as that was the exact information I needed when they were away. Minute taking made easier. Dealing in real time.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 10, 2010

I gave at the office Calendar "ah ha" Introducing The Administrative Bloopers Blog What ever happened to the "us" in Service? Minute taking made easier. Dealing in real time. When your voicemail goes awry. ▼ January (5) Taking the time to acknowledge someone and say tha. 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 28, 2009

I gave at the office Calendar "ah ha" Introducing The Administrative Bloopers Blog What ever happened to the "us" in Service? Minute taking made easier. Dealing in real time. When your voicemail goes awry. ► January (5) Taking the time to acknowledge someone and say tha. 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Gifts Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

AUGUST 1, 2010

There are just too many passwords to remember, and that doesnt include my bosss passwords that I also need to know because I have to check his emails as well as my own. Even if you phone the bank they need your secret passcode or they wont speak to you about your account. But things like email etc, are all logged up in the noggin.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones 2010 IAAP Filing 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?" January 19, 2009 Patricia Robb said. I shut it off!

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2009 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

OCTOBER 10, 2008

If that is not happening, schedule yourself in their calendar. Keep up to date on their calendar and look ahead to see what is coming up and what your boss might need to prepare for that. Keep up to date on their calendar and look ahead to see what is coming up and what your boss might need to prepare for that. 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2008 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MAY 16, 2010

They are responsible for canvassing the participants for dates and determining the date everyone is available and coummunicating that information to the participants by sending out a meeting request to everyone or emailing the date (depending on how you or your organization prefers to send notices of meetings). Minute taking made easier.

Agenda 100

Agenda Time Zones International IAAP 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 9, 2010

Did I phone to get my electricity turned on? I gave at the office Calendar "ah ha" Introducing The Administrative Bloopers Blog What ever happened to the "us" in Service? The meetings were stress free and I was able to depend on my checklists and templates. You can be sure I have checklists for that as well.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Holidays International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MAY 31, 2009

I gave at the office Calendar "ah ha" Introducing The Administrative Bloopers Blog What ever happened to the "us" in Service? Minute taking made easier. Dealing in real time. When your voicemail goes awry. ► January (5) Taking the time to acknowledge someone and say tha. 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes 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. Why are we not speaking to each other anymore?

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International 2008 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

APRIL 22, 2009

I gave at the office Calendar "ah ha" Introducing The Administrative Bloopers Blog What ever happened to the "us" in Service? Minute taking made easier. Dealing in real time. When your voicemail goes awry. ► January (5) Taking the time to acknowledge someone and say tha. 411 Look Up 411.ca

Administrative Professionals 100

Administrative Professionals Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 27, 2010

I gave at the office Calendar "ah ha" Introducing The Administrative Bloopers Blog What ever happened to the "us" in Service? Minute taking made easier. Dealing in real time. When your voicemail goes awry. ► January (5) Taking the time to acknowledge someone and say tha. 411 Look Up 411.ca

PowerPoint 100

PowerPoint Time Zones IAAP 2010 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MAY 10, 2009

It used to be the secretary did everything for the boss, now the executives do a lot of their own administrative work, such as email management, so a background as an admin assistant can certainly help. She said it wouldnt look good on my resume if I was seen as a job hopper. So much is expected of executives these days.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 27, 2009

I gave at the office Calendar "ah ha" Introducing The Administrative Bloopers Blog What ever happened to the "us" in Service? Minute taking made easier. Dealing in real time. When your voicemail goes awry. ► January (5) Taking the time to acknowledge someone and say tha. 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes Google 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 23, 2010

I gave at the office Calendar "ah ha" Introducing The Administrative Bloopers Blog What ever happened to the "us" in Service? Minute taking made easier. Dealing in real time. When your voicemail goes awry. ▼ January (5) Taking the time to acknowledge someone and say tha. 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP AT&T Meeting Minutes 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. I gave at the office Calendar "ah ha" Introducing The Administrative Bloopers Blog What ever happened to the "us" in Service? GET TO KNOW YOUR CO-WORKERS. We are not an island. Dealing in real time.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Interviewing Holidays 100