Skills Check

Skills Check offers articles to help you boost your skill set with technology tips and shortcuts; communication strategies to improve presentations; self-assessments on work- and career-related topics; problem-solving techniques; and negotiation tactics on how best to deal with bosses, co-workers, clients and vendors.

Lessons from Admin Pro Forum 2016

July 11, 2016 Categorized in: Skills Check

Administrative Professional Today held its first skills-building conference, Admin Pro Forum, for administrative professionals June 15–17, 2016, in Orlando, Fla.

SharePoint admin woes

June 9, 2016 Categorized in: Skills Check

Quick launch quirks; Site space; SharePoint governance

3 soft skills you can’t skip

March 18, 2016 Categorized in: Skills Check

While you can find many classes that focus on technical skills in the workplace, it’s the soft skills that we’re often left without training on.
No matter how well we plan our projects and define our goals and objectives, sometimes it seems like putting out fires is the most important task in our job descriptions. How well do you handle crises that break up your workflow? Take this quiz and find out.
Poorly written notes from a meeting may result in confusion over who is supposed to do what moving forward. To keep assignments clear and concise, follow these tips.
Jorie Scholnik is an assistant professor of student development at Sante Fe College in Gainesville, Fla., as well as an etiquette associate at the Protocol School of Palm Beach. We connected with her recently to learn how administrative professionals can best conduct themselves on the job.

How to speak like a leader

August 14, 2014 Categorized in: Skills CheckSpeaking

The words you speak tell others about who you are and what you value. Anita Bruzzese shares how you can use your words to sound like a leader.
Are you a good leader? Are you a good teammate? Would your teammates evaluate you the same way you evaluate yourself? Are you sure? Here’s a self-audit.
Technology is in flux these days with so many companies striving to improve upon old ideas. Focus on the technologies that will help you be more efficient in your job, says Stephen Chan, a digital marketing specialist.
Helen Cunningham and Brenda Greene are the authors of The Business Style Handbook: An A-to-Z Guide for Effective Writing on the Job, recently published in an updated second edition. We contacted them to get their best advice for administrative professionals who want to improve their workplace writing skills.
In honor of Administrative Pro­­fes­­sion­­als Week (April 22-26), we’re sharing readers’ thoughts on the three traits they felt were essential to being an excellent admin.

Power of practice

March 18, 2013 Categorized in: Skills Check

Practicing tasks and skills isn’t commonplace in most workplaces, but it should be, says Doug Lemov, a managing director of Uncommon Schools. He recommends four steps.

Computer shortcuts you should know

January 11, 2013 Categorized in: InternetSkills Check

Those who spend significant amounts of time working on PCs or Macs learn some of the shortcuts that allow for faster, more efficient work. Here are a few of David Pogue’s favorites.