Advancement

Networking may seem like a mysterious skill that’s beyond your grasp, but actually, it’s as simple as this Golden Rule: Always offer to help, and never expect anything in return. Three ways the rule works:

A little administrative levity

April 25, 2012 Categorized in: Advancement

What’s the most important qualification for management success? Super vision.
In honor of this year’s Administrative Professionals Week, April 23-27, we’re taking stock of the changes in admins’ responsibilities over the past decade, based on the IAAP’s Administrative Professional Skills 2011 Benchmarking Survey:

Set A, B & C goals

April 18, 2012 Categorized in: Advancement

Set A, B and C goals for yourself, and have your boss buy in to the plan. The A, B, C strategy comes from Kevin Eikenberry, writer of the “Leadership & Learning” blog.
Three “C’s” shape the way other people listen to us, says Susan Mason, of Vital Visions Consultants. If they think we possess competence, character and a can-do attitude, they’ll find us credible, and they’ll be more influenced by what we say.

Admins: Treat yourself April 25

March 22, 2012 Categorized in: Advancement

Don’t wait for someone to celebrate you this year on Administrative Professionals Day. Reward yourself—because you deserve it—by seeking out a growth opportunity.
Administrative professionals and executive assistants often see themselves in their support roles as being “nonleaders.” Nothing, however, could be further from the truth, according to a new book, Who Took My Pen . . . Again?
Give your résumé a 21st century update by making it search-optimized for Google … Memorize this rule when typing: one space after a period at the end of a sentence … Use this email best practice …

Banish these LinkedIn buzzwords

February 22, 2012 Categorized in: AdvancementInternet

LinkedIn recently came out with a list of the year’s most overused professional buzzwords. Comb through your LinkedIn page and résumé to see if they contain these words and phrases:

Why playing nice pays

January 26, 2012 Categorized in: AdvancementWorkplace Etiquette

It still pays to play nice at work, a Robert Half survey confirms. When employees were asked, “In your opinion, to what extent does being courteous to co-workers positively impact a person’s career prospects?” 48% responded it can accelerate advancement.
“Exactly, what is the advantage of LinkedIn?” asks one administrative pro on our online forum. “Many people I know are on it, but no one can say what they get out of it.” According to most admins, the ben­­efits are many, if you use the on­­line tool the right way.

Do you look like you can handle the job?

January 17, 2012 Categorized in: Advancement

A growing body of research confirms what you may have suspected: Looks matter, especially when it comes to making a first impression on others. Surprisingly, though, it’s also the way people draw conclusions about our ability to do a job.

How to wield authority like an exec

January 13, 2012 Categorized in: Advancement

Does your mind work like an executive’s? When Jodith Allen first stepped into the job of executive assistant, she received a swift lesson in thinking like a manager. Here’s what happened: