AdminSecret

What’s the chief characteristic of being a great Administrative or Executive Assistant? It’s knowing everything, or at least seeming like you do. The best assistants are those that can aptly handle managing the boss’s calendar, sorting his mail and screening her calls without having to always stop and ask for information or permissions. But how do you get to that miraculous ...

I don’t know about you, but those words are the bane of my existence. Part of our job as administrative professionals is to design office processes and to improve on old ones. The first step in improving an existing process is to understand why it’s being done as it is. That’s when the dreaded words appear. “Because we’ve always done it ...

Business Building Action Steps From Terry Brock Today’s economy requires innovative ideas to generate more revenue. That comes from creating dazzling customer experiences that bring customers back again and again. Recently I had the opportunity to hear Cathie Black, the President of Hearst Magazines, make a presentation at a Harvard Business School Alumni Club meeting in Atlanta. The insights she had ...

I had a question this week about the security of Gmail, the very popular on-line e-mail service from Google. "Please let me know, how safe the confidential documents keeping in mails….????? I would be much much thankful to you if u kindly provide me some details on it….As i would like to share with you that, i have kept some of ...

After you’ve successfully completed a job search, shouldn’t networking be the last thing on your mind? Not so, say networking experts. In fact, internal networking, right from the beginning, is key to maintaining the upward trajectory of your career. Here’s how to successfully launch your networking campaign at a new job. Why Network from the Start? “When you start in a ...

Came across an article from the site Careerealism recently that was a great story about the difference between being professional and “not so” professional in your communications at work and how that can affect your reputation, responsibilities and yeah, Dying to Get Ahead? 10 Tips for Reinventing Yourself

We all know what Microsoft Excel is. It’s a spreadsheet software. It’s not a database. It’s never been a database. It never will be a database. Do I sound strident there? GOOD! Seriously, it’s not a database, folks, so please quit using it as one. I can’t tell you how many places I’ve worked keep critical data in spreadsheets, jumping through ...

You spend most of your day at work, right? Why not make some friends while you're there? You won't just have more fun — you'll work better. Gallup research shows that developing close friendships at work boosts employee satisfaction by almost 50%. And while we don't always choose our friends with career success in mind (company happy hour, ahem), there are ...

You may recall me mentioning that my theme for 2010 is going to be “organization”. Two of the things I pride myself on in my business are knowing where everything in my office is and making steady progress in my business. But, I’ll be the first two admit, things are not always as organized as they could be. I think this ...

After my last article on What to Do When Your Boss Is Wrong appeared on AdminSecret, I received a number of notes from friends and coworkers. Most found the advice helpful. One went so far as to say “I'm sure I'll be able to put this to use every day!” and informed me he was looking to change jobs (no surprise ...

Did you read about the recent PepsiCo debacle? It was a big story in the news last week. Here is an excerpt from finance.yahoo.com. “In court papers, PepsiCo claims it first received a legal document related to the case from the North Carolina agent on Sept 15 when a copy of the co-defendant’s letter was forwarded to Deputy General Counsel Tom ...

You probably didn't start out as an Administrative Assistant — but that's definitely possible! Babysitter? Burger flipper? Dog walker? What was your first job? Join the Discussion!

Do you have trouble planning your holiday office party? Do you feel that there are too many people opposing to different things that you plan such as religious issues? I am sure that this happens within many organizations and each year, everyone has something to say about what they feel would be the "best" way to celebrate the holidays. Of course, ...

Today we have another question from a reader: how do you handle a difficult boss? Here’s the e-mail I received: How do you deal with a boss who’s not only moody, but crazy? I swear she must be bi-polar. She will fly off the handle at the smallest thing – and everything in the world is the biggest tragedy. She has ...

Do you find yourself being bored out of your mind at times with nothing to do? Do you feel that your boss could offer you more tasks, but keeps telling you that they're putting things together for you, but never do? This, of course, is heaven to some, but like me, can't stand being bored. I always need to keep myself ...

In my last post, I talked about using discretion in scheduling meetings. Today, we’ll go into other ways to manage your boss’s calendar to increase his productivity. Keep the Calendar More Full Than It Looks Let’s face it. If there’s a blank spot on your boss’s calendar, someone’s going to want to schedule a meeting there. The higher up in the ...

Photo courtesy of moriza via Creative Commons My desk is covered with Simpsons memorabilia, nine boxes of cereal, and photos of my family and friends. With one glance any passer-by can see I’m a fan of cartoons, eating, and my loved ones. A study at the University of Texas-Austin found that offices can reveal much about a worker's personality and ...

It was only 7.45am and I was catching up with emails and playing with some photos I wanted to edit. The business line rang and I wondered whether I should pick it up yet or not. After all I don’t usually start work till a bit later. I answered the phone and it was one of my clients. A check he’d ...

By Marc and Angel Hack Life | Divine Caroline Staying awake is easy … five shots of espresso and a can of red bull is all you need. You’ll certainly be wide awake and wired, but you may also die from a heart attack a few hours later. In all seriousness, conquering drowsiness before it overwhelms your mind can be quite ...

Does sexism still exist in the workplace? Of course it does. But it's no longer in the form of an unsolicited smack on the behind or blatant, belittling comment. Modern day sexism is less obvious, more subtle, harder to put your finger on. It's also harder to fight. In her blog post "Top 10 Uwritten Rules That Could Sabotage Your Career," ...