Professional Assistant Blog

AUGUST 18, 2008

I work in a back office environment, where 99% of our client interaction is via the phone, e-mail or outside of the office, so I can wear jeans and a t-shirt. I worked for a software company with a casual dress code and men and women both wore shorts all the time (it was in Houston and warm close to year round).

2008 100

2008 Cubicle Google Docs 2007 100

Professional Assistant Blog

DECEMBER 31, 2007

I also work in an environment where it gets a little too loud at times. Its an open-concept office and at times, I would like my colleagues to simmer down a bit. Do you wish you could take a fog horn and toot it around, just so that they would quiet down?

Google Docs 100

Google Docs Cubicle 2008 2007 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. A person I know does this all the time.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Etiquette Phones 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. ► March (2) Admin Buddies Are you prepared? 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Meeting Minutes 100

Professional Assistant Blog

FEBRUARY 25, 2008

Home About Me Advertise Top Reasons for Working in Large and Small Companies By The Professional Assistant on Monday, February 25, 2008 Filed Under: Job Seeking , Productivity , Travel D o you work in a large company ? It’s considered a more family friendly environment. A small company ?

2008 100

2008 Cubicle Google Docs 2007 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

NOVEMBER 8, 2009

What dates and times does he or she have available (keeping in mind time zones for away meetings)? Secure the date and time in his or her calendar, taking into consideration travel time if outside the office. Enter it in calendar. ► March (2) Admin Buddies Are you prepared? 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Calendars 100

Professional Assistant Blog

OCTOBER 31, 2008

Remember that you are in a professional environment and have to upkeep this attitude. Check with your Human Resources Department or manager to see if this falls into your corporate policy. If you are going to wear a costume, make sure to wear something tasteful, not too scary or revealing.

2008 100

2008 Cubicle Google Docs 2007 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. Building Relationships one Assistant at a Time ► April (2) Keeping focussed in a busy environment When your boss arranges meetings behind your back. ► March (2) Admin Buddies Are you prepared? 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 10, 2010

Building Relationships one Assistant at a Time ► April (2) Keeping focussed in a busy environment When your boss arranges meetings behind your back. Taking stock We don't know what we don't know ► June (1) Playing nice in the sandbox ► May (2) Whose meeting is it anyway? ► February (5) We did it Canada!

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 International 100

Professional Assistant Blog

FEBRUARY 29, 2008

Virtual Assistant Manager is a website that I recently stumbled upon which helps you and/or your organization thrive in this type of environment. This lessens the time you have to spend on the phone. Here are some core benefits that were taken directly from the site: Allowing clients to enter in their own task requests.

2008 100

2008 Cubicle Google Docs 2007 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 28, 2009

Building Relationships one Assistant at a Time ► April (2) Keeping focussed in a busy environment When your boss arranges meetings behind your back. Taking stock We don't know what we don't know ► June (1) Playing nice in the sandbox ► May (2) Whose meeting is it anyway? ► February (5) We did it Canada!

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Gifts Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 7, 2010

They said it works with most phone services. Building Relationships one Assistant at a Time ► April (2) Keeping focussed in a busy environment When your boss arranges meetings behind your back. I thought I would pass this tip along in the event you find yourself wishing you could take your words back. 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 Meeting Minutes 100

Professional Assistant Blog

JANUARY 22, 2008

The default colours would be: Tentative: Blue with white diagonal stripes through it Busy: Blue Out of Office: Purple Keeping these tips in mind will create a more productive environment for you and your staff members. Until next time, Take care - of your clutter!

Microsoft Outlook 100

Microsoft Outlook Calendars 2008 Google Docs 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 16, 2010

Doing too many things can actually waste time. Check: Are phone calls planned? For each one, write down what you hope to accomplish with the phone call to help you stay focused. I run the outlook journal and it logs the time I spend with a given task. Manage: Create a list of calls to be made and make them all at once.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Professional Assistant Blog

NOVEMBER 29, 2007

So the next time you drink a cup of java and realize that its not the greatest in taste (like the one I have at work - but have gotten used to it over time and loving it), ask your office manager if they are willing to dish out a little extra green to supplement a better working environment.

2008 100

2008 Google Docs Cubicle 2007 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 9, 2010

Did I phone to get my electricity turned on? Building Relationships one Assistant at a Time ► April (2) Keeping focussed in a busy environment When your boss arranges meetings behind your back. The meetings were stress free and I was able to depend on my checklists and templates. ► February (5) We did it Canada!

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Holidays International 100

Professional Assistant Blog

OCTOBER 31, 2007

Theres just 8 hours in a work day (give or take, depending your work environment) and you can only do so much. They are there to help, since they are managing you. Dont feel that you are not doing your job. Dont think of yourself as a robot.

2008 100

2008 Google Docs Cubicle 2007 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). I put travel in red and action reminders in yellow, but that is our own system and it works for us.

Calendars 100

Calendars IAAP Time Zones 2010 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

APRIL 5, 2010

Building Relationships one Assistant at a Time ▼ April (2) Keeping focussed in a busy environment When your boss arranges meetings behind your back. Taking stock We don't know what we don't know ► June (1) Playing nice in the sandbox ► May (2) Whose meeting is it anyway? ► February (5) We did it Canada!

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MARCH 20, 2010

Building Relationships one Assistant at a Time ► April (2) Keeping focussed in a busy environment When your boss arranges meetings behind your back. Taking stock We don't know what we don't know ► June (1) Playing nice in the sandbox ► May (2) Whose meeting is it anyway? ► February (5) We did it Canada!

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Professional Assistant Blog

JANUARY 10, 2008

Basically, this allows you to connect to your work environment via your internet connection. If youre feeling well enough to be able to work from home (telecommuting), an alternative would be to ask your IT department to set you up with VPN (virtual private network) access.

2008 100

2008 Cubicle Google Docs 2007 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 27, 2010

Building Relationships one Assistant at a Time ► April (2) Keeping focussed in a busy environment When your boss arranges meetings behind your back. Taking stock We don't know what we don't know ► June (1) Playing nice in the sandbox ► May (2) Whose meeting is it anyway? ▼ February (5) We did it Canada!

PowerPoint 100

PowerPoint Time Zones IAAP 2010 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 13, 2010

Building Relationships one Assistant at a Time ► April (2) Keeping focussed in a busy environment When your boss arranges meetings behind your back. Taking stock We don't know what we don't know ► June (1) Playing nice in the sandbox ► May (2) Whose meeting is it anyway? ▼ February (5) We did it Canada!

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MAY 31, 2009

Building Relationships one Assistant at a Time ► April (2) Keeping focussed in a busy environment When your boss arranges meetings behind your back. Taking stock We don't know what we don't know ► June (1) Playing nice in the sandbox ► May (2) Whose meeting is it anyway? ► February (5) We did it Canada!

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

SEPTEMBER 18, 2009

I am now leaving Atlanta to travel to Birmingham and the impression I am left with is I have never been in a city that smiles so much. Building Relationships one Assistant at a Time ► April (2) Keeping focussed in a busy environment When your boss arranges meetings behind your back. ► February (5) We did it Canada!

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 23, 2010

Building Relationships one Assistant at a Time ► April (2) Keeping focussed in a busy environment When your boss arranges meetings behind your back. Taking stock We don't know what we don't know ► June (1) Playing nice in the sandbox ► May (2) Whose meeting is it anyway? ► February (5) We did it Canada!

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP AT&T Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

APRIL 22, 2009

Building Relationships one Assistant at a Time ► April (2) Keeping focussed in a busy environment When your boss arranges meetings behind your back. Taking stock We don't know what we don't know ► June (1) Playing nice in the sandbox ► May (2) Whose meeting is it anyway? ► February (5) We did it Canada!

Administrative Professionals 100

Administrative Professionals Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes 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. It was wonderful to have that uninterrupted time to think and craft my words the way I wanted to. ► February (5) We did it Canada!

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International 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. Building Relationships one Assistant at a Time ► April (2) Keeping focussed in a busy environment When your boss arranges meetings behind your back. GET TO KNOW YOUR CO-WORKERS. We are not an island.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Interviewing Holidays 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 12, 2010

Building Relationships one Assistant at a Time ► April (2) Keeping focussed in a busy environment When your boss arranges meetings behind your back. Taking stock We don't know what we don't know ► June (1) Playing nice in the sandbox ► May (2) Whose meeting is it anyway? ► February (5) We did it Canada!

2010 100

2010 Interviewing Time Zones IAAP 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 27, 2009

Building Relationships one Assistant at a Time ► April (2) Keeping focussed in a busy environment When your boss arranges meetings behind your back. Taking stock We don't know what we don't know ► June (1) Playing nice in the sandbox ► May (2) Whose meeting is it anyway? ► February (5) We did it Canada!

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes Google 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

OCTOBER 31, 2009

Building Relationships one Assistant at a Time ► April (2) Keeping focussed in a busy environment When your boss arranges meetings behind your back. Taking stock We don't know what we don't know ► June (1) Playing nice in the sandbox ► May (2) Whose meeting is it anyway? ► February (5) We did it Canada!

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 1, 2010

Building Relationships one Assistant at a Time ► April (2) Keeping focussed in a busy environment When your boss arranges meetings behind your back. Taking stock We don't know what we don't know ► June (1) Playing nice in the sandbox ► May (2) Whose meeting is it anyway? ► February (5) We did it Canada!

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MARCH 1, 2009

Under My Favourites, I have added a Meeting section with some useful sites and combined many of my travel related links under one title simply called Travel. Building Relationships one Assistant at a Time ► April (2) Keeping focussed in a busy environment When your boss arranges meetings behind your back.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 14, 2009

Another time I wanted to try a career in the travel business. I have become familiar with time zones, airport codes and international holidays to avoid. Building Relationships one Assistant at a Time ► April (2) Keeping focussed in a busy environment When your boss arranges meetings behind your back.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Holidays International 100