When it comes to the business calendars, I keep them all online. You do not really have a choice anymore, since fewer and fewer people actually carry their own personal calendars with them. While I have been an administrative assistant long enough to remember the days of a paper calendar fondly (and wish that my current employer would keep one in his back pocket instead of just calling me to pull it up online!) I have bowed to the inevitable and now keep all of our business calendars online.

However, I admit, I have a "dirty" little secret. It is one of those 18-month calendars that you get from the office supply store with 3 days on each page. It's about an inch thick, and I love it. Honestly, I don't think that I could keep track of everything without it. The virtual calendars are great, but my master calendar is still on paper, and I've found that everything runs smoother when I can just thumb through and find any information I need right away.

I still transfer all of the info to the online calendars, but this is my completely private master calendar. It lets me see how every little thing I know about the workday and my own personal life will work together to keep me productive (or not), and it also lets me put in notes about things to check on that I don't actually want on the official calendar.

For example, a few weeks ago the boss was having a serious tiff with his former wife. Of course, this was none of my business. However, it will impact his work schedule since they share custody of their kids and were squabbling over when he would see them for the holidays. I know he takes days with the kids off entirely, so I marked down on the calendar to check in with him in about two weeks to find out when he will be off. Given the stressful nature of their relationship, I know from experience he'll forget to tell me ahead of time - if he even knows until the last minute. That's the sort of thing a good assistant keeps up with, but never lets you know she's paying attention to.

My paper calendar is like my "little black book." It's got all my trade secrets and contact information that I want to keep quiet inside.  I'll never put it online, and, except for here, I'll never tell...

You have probably heard and read plenty of articles and advice about how in order to succeed in the corporate world on any level, you have to have tough skin. However, talking about toughening up and actually achieving a skin-thickening are two very different propositions. Several years ago, I worked for a man who ran a great company, had a great sense of ethics and was totally devoted to his customers and his company's integrity. He was also a jerk.

No way around it: that is the only way to describe him. He may have had a heart of gold, but he was a total drain on the emotional state every time he entered the office. He had no patience with me as his assistant, and he had even less with the other people who worked with him. Needless to say, this made my job pretty complicated on a number of levels.

Fortunately, one of my dear mentors gave me a hint to dealing with this kind of behavior that I will now pass on to you. I realize that basic human nature makes us want to say, "If so-and-so can't treat me with respect, then I cannot work here." However, sometimes basic human nature also says you need to eat and clothe yourself and your family, so you need to keep working in your position. And I have found that many times learning to deal with the intractable and the impossible makes you a truly desirable assistant - virtual or otherwise - because this is a skill that most people do not have.

So next time your employer is ranting and railing, hollering and screaming or just plain in a bad mood and taking it out on you, follow this action-series:

1.    In your head, say "Thanks for the help! You brightened my day!" I'm going to recommend against saying it out loud because it probably will come out too sarcastic.

2.    Thank them aloud for their input. Keep your face as impassive as possible.

3.    Ask for a suggestion on how you can improve their experience in the future, and whatever they say (this is important) - write it down right in front of them.

4.    Summarize your interaction in a brief email: "Dear Mr. Jones, I was disappointed to learn that you were inconvenienced this morning because of X. I have taken note of your recommendation that I do X (whatever you wrote down earlier, minus profanity if they were really on a roll), and will work hard to implement this strategy in the future. Thank you for your time and your advice on this matter."

By the time you have finished this four-step series, you will find that not only are you calmed down, but in many cases your employer will watch their "feedback" more carefully when they are compelled to read about it later. Your skin will thicken as you realize that everything is not your fault and that you are taking proactive steps to improve the situation, and you will likely develop a better working relationship with your boss in the process.
 

I was reading this article, would be angry if some one tried some of these, insulted on others and on number 3 would just irriate me to make a quick hang up.  I thought it would be fun to post and see what others think: 

I noticed there are some blank blogs and I have found a way to get past having all your text disappear.   Type it into a text document such as notepad (or copy and paste into notepad).   Then copy and paste paragaph by paragraph, once it disappears you know something within that paragraph is goofy.  I have found " in a wrong format can do it, simple  ...  (3 periods in a row).   What ever it is, I fix it and then move on to the next paragraph.   I have heard from DeskDemon they are fixing this.  In the meantime, there is my fix and how I get posts up.

I will never forget the worst joke I told at work. I was laughing with a friend of mine who worked upstairs about how swamped we were. We were both cackling and giggling and carrying on, and I said to her, "I swear, the next person who walks in here and asks me to do something is going to get a punch in the nose. " Sounds pretty harmless, doesn't it? In fact, you're probably thinking to yourself that it doesn't even sound like much of a joke, and maybe that I'm not very funny. Well, as it turned out, you're right: I'm not very funny at all. 

I didn't think much else about what I had said that day, or even that week. I just kept on working as hard as I could, hoping that soon I would get some more interesting work to do. There had been several projects coming up at work that I had my eye on, and I was pretty sure that thanks to my dedication, hard work and willingness to do whatever was necessary to get the job done, I would get at least one of them. I waited for my boss to bring it up, but she never did.

I worked at that job for several more months and watched several more projects go by that I thought I would have been perfect for. Since I was an administrator and technically those projects did not fall in my job description, I finally decided that the only way to make sure that I was in line for one was to speak to my supervisor directly and make sure that she knew that I was interested and willing to put in the extra time and effort in order to get the experience under my belt.

I bet by now you can see where this is going

Well, when I talked to her, she looked at me with total surprise. Literally, her mouth nearly fell open with shock. She told me that she had wanted to assign several projects to me already, but shied away because it always seemed like I was so swamped and that my "attitude" indicated that I couldn't handle anything else. Well, it took me some time, but eventually we got to the bottom of it. She had heard my feeble "joke" and taken me at my word. I lost out because I was running my big mouth around people who didn't know me well enough to take me with a grain of salt, and I'm lucky that I had a boss understanding enough to accept my apology for my unprofessional behavior and assign me the extra projects I had been wanting.

Moral of the story? Simple: Watch your mouth in the office, because not everyone is guaranteed to know that you are joking.

When I first started working at a big company as an administrative assistant, I actually was looking forward to the politics. I had watched so many movies and read so many profiles about ambitious young assistants who knew where to place their loyalties and how to make connections to skyrocket them to the top that I could not wait for my first personal chance at making those life-changing connections myself.

In our division, I had plenty of opportunities to politic. In fact, when I arrived, it soon became evident that my boss and her counterpart were going to be going head-to-head in short order for a big promotion. It was pretty well understood that whoever got it was going to make the other's life miserable, so we were all pretty invested in making sure that our "side" had everything going for them possible. Unfortunately, this included some fairly serious informational sabotage in some cases as both sides tried to make sure that the other missed meetings, deadlines and lost materials.

As you can probably imagine, this all ended quite badly. There was a pretty serious fiasco when all of the maneuvering finally came to light thanks to a lot of missing links and wasted meetings. Ultimately, both parties kept their jobs and neither got a promotion. And - I guess this shouldn't have surprised any of us - their teams pretty much got sacked.

And honestly, we deserved it. Administrative assistants' entire job is to make things run smoothly, and when you deliberately fail to do that, you have basically elected not to do your job. I should have done my best to steer clear rather than thinking my so-called "loyalty" would be rewarded later. I would have gotten a lot farther just doing my job.

In the end, things could have been a lot worse. I was able to land a new job within a few months, but money was definitely tight in the interim. Several of the people I worked with who were more integral to the entire process never did find new employment because they could not get a good reference from the company. I, at least, was new enough that they did not hold me too responsible for the chaos. I squeaked by on that one, but I can guarantee you I will keep my nose to my desk next time any office politics come up in my office. The rewards - if there are any - are not worth the irresponsible behavior and the potential cost of my job!

Potlucks seem so easy. Invite people, and instruct them to bring food. Add a fun atmosphere and, voila, instant party!  But there are some hidden pitfalls behind potluck planning. Overlook them, and while you may have food, family, friends and festivities, you may also have nothing but green bean casserole for dinner. Follow these simple potluck planning rules to insure a successful - and varied - potluck dinner.

Take control of the main course.
As the host of the event, you are responsible for insuring that there is one main dish. This can be something simple, like a large ham, or something more elaborate, like vegetarian lasagna. The important thing is to know ahead of time what that course will be and let others know so that they can tailor their offerings appropriately. By taking charge of the main course, you insure that there will be a real dinner rather than just a bunch of side dishes.

Do not be shy about handing out assignments.
You do not have to tell people what to cook, but it will result in a better balanced menu if you give them a type of item. Note who you have instructed to bring what, and make sure that you are keeping things in perspective. For example, while 5 side dishes and 5 desserts may be entirely appropriate, it is not likely that you also need 5 people to bring crackers. One or two people in charge of breads will likely be plenty.

Do not forget the flatware.
Because everyone is contributing, it can be easy to overlook simple necessities like napkins, utensils and paper plates. Either assign these to someone in place of food, or resolve to provide them yourself.

Provide structure.
Plan ahead a little for how the event will go. When will you start eating? Will there be foods that people can munch while they are waiting for everyone else to get there? Will you need someone to say a blessing? Establishing a timeline for yourself will help you keep the entire event running smoothly and prevent your potluck from collapsing into bedlam.

As a professional, it is vitally important to have your own set of goals. After all, having a clear view of what you want to accomplish is the best way to insure that you remain focused and productive regardless of your area of expertise. However, sometimes your goals may not be exactly in sync with those of your employer. While it is perfectly acceptable to have personal goals, you also need to make sure that you are keeping your company's goals in mind as well in order to be the best employee possible and create a positive work environment.

When you are setting your own goals, be sure to align them with those of your employer as well. You may even wish to keep a copy of the company goals on hand while you are setting your own. For example, if your own personal goal is to advance in your levels of responsibility, which will result in more valuable work experience and a higher salary, then you might consult your employer to find out how best to achieve this goal in terms of the company's aims. It may turn out that there is a project that has gone unfinished because no one had time to complete it or another specific task that could accelerate the accomplishment of your personal goals while benefitting the company as well.

It is always wise to ask your employer outright how you can support their goals. This leads to improved communication between the two of you and also will make it clear to your employer that you value their success as well as your own. In addition, an immediate supervisor probably also has personal goals in addition to the company goals. Helping that person achieve their own personal or professional aims can aid you in your own professional climb and help you establish a reputation as a truly helpful and valuable member of any team.

Once you have set your own goals and aligned them with the company's goals and your immediate supervisor's goals, re-evaluate your target one more time. This is important because it will help you insure that you do not allow your own goals to be lost in this process. You will feel most fulfilled - and be the best and most productive employee possible - if your aims and those of the people you work with all work together for a positive end result.

Traditionally, assistants of all sorts are among the most "underappreciated" group of employees. In fact, this perception is so common that many assistants - virtual and otherwise - start out from their very first day of work bemoaning the fact that they are unrecognized and unappreciated. The hard facts of life are that this may be true, and it is unlikely to change much except during administrative assistants' appreciation week. However, in order to succeed as an admin, you must learn to get past this and not let it impact your daily attitude. If you can learn to "dole it out," then you will soon find that the level of appreciation for your work rises correspondingly to how appreciative you are of other people.

This can take some very basic forms. Whenever you speak to someone on the phone, thank them for calling (even if they are being obnoxious and you and your employer could not possibly care less about what they have to say!). This contributes to a positive perception of you and your employer, and will make future calls - and call screenings - run more smoothly. Also, be sure to thank people for their hard work whenever you send them any type of request. For example, if you need a document reviewed by another member of the team, when you send it, close with a "thank you for your time and effort" line that will let them know you appreciate the time that they are putting into getting this done for you. These types of closings will lead to a noticeable decrease in turnaround time for projects.

In addition to simple thank-you's, once a year show your employer some appreciation for providing you with a job. This generally takes the form of a traditional holiday greeting and perhaps a small gift. Simply thanking an employer for the opportunity to work for them can lead to a positive and growing relationship between you and your boss. This is particularly important for VA's, who tend to inspire less emotional loyalty than assistants who are physically present. By  your virtual nature, you will always be easier to "let go" than someone who is right there in the office. As a result, you need to fortify your relationship with an employer via showing appreciation for them as well as by doing a great job in the role that you serve.

If you serve as any type of administrative assistant, you may not realize how important it is to develop your leadership skills. After all, most of your best work is likely done partially or entirely behind the scenes. However, in reality, your leadership abilities are vital to your success - even if you work in a virtual capacity and enter the office seldom or never. Leadership is more than inspiring people. It is also all about getting things done effectively. As a result, good leadership skills will make your role as an administrative assistant far more rewarding and fulfilling.

 When it comes to admin positions, much of your role probably involves negotiations. Just because you are not on the front lines "duking it out" with competitors and vendors does not mean you are not critical to the success of these meetings. You must take a firm but helpful tone when it comes to setting up meeting times and making sure that people are where they need to be. This not only means getting your boss in place, but it also means setting the tone when you set meetings with other people. If they have had a positive experience working with your company through you before they ever encounter your superiors, then the meetings are certain to progress more smoothly. You might want to work with your boss to establish the tone that they would like you to set when you are making appointments so that the two of you are working together from the start to accomplish business goals.

In addition to being the first point of contact for clients and potential clients, you will also likely be involved in a fair amount of supervision and delegation - even if those words are nowhere in your job description. Strong leadership skills will help you get people where they need to be on time and enable you to get results when you request information or assistance from other people in your business network. Being able to elicit aid in a way that actually gets the response that you need is a key leadership skill for any admin position.

Finally, whether you realize it or not, your involvement in the basic organization of the business sets you up as a mentor and role model to other members of your office. You probably know that you know more about running the business and how things work than a lot of other employees. Using this information in a helpful fashion to enable others to succeed with you is one of the best ways to use your leadership skills to benefit the entire business.

If you are any type of administrative assistant - virtual, on-site, part time or otherwise - you may be tempted to allow yourself to consider your role in the company as a "just" role. This means that you think of yourself - or allow others to think of you - as "just a secretary," "just an administrator" or "just an assistant." However, when you are truly involved and effective in your role as "just" any of these things, you are, in reality, absolutely indispensable to the company.

This type of "just" mindset is extremely unhealthy. Not only can it lead to under-appreciation of your efforts should supervisors and other co-workers follow your lead, but it also can contribute to a deep seated workplace dissatisfaction. After all, if you start out each day thinking of yourself as someone who is not very important, then spend the entire day working very hard on important things, you will inevitably find yourself feeling depressed and negative about your situation.

In truth, administrative assistants of all kinds are the literal backbone behind the company. They see that things get done. It is your responsibility to make sure that everyone is not only where they are supposed to be when they are supposed to be there, but you are likely also responsible for hundreds of other small details that no one else can be trusted to know or relied upon to remember. As a result, you are integral to the success of every account and team within your business, and you must remember that each and every day as you work on making every team a working and fully operational part of the larger business machine.

Virtual assistants struggle with the "just" misconception just as much as other types of administrative assistants and some even more so because they have to deal with people that they may not actually ever see in person. It is easy to feel removed and unnoticed when you are working in an environment that may necessitate communication only by email and other impersonal means. As a result, it is very important that you have a firm hold on your own value to yourself and to your company. If you cannot get past the "just" mindset, then it is possible that you should consider another line of work that will be less stressful on your own psyche and enable you to perform past "just" and all the way to your full potential.
 

When you apply for a job, you probably understand - more or less - the requirements of the position going in. Furthermore, you probably believe that you have the skills and ability to perform the tasks involved in the position, or you would not apply. However, we all know that there is more to getting - and keeping - a position than simply meeting the paper requirements of a job. This is particularly true in administrative positions, which rely heavily on your ability to work with other people effectively. When it comes to this type of position, you will not only need technical skills like word processing and computer literacy, you will also need to cultivate an effective set of "soft skills" that will show an employer from the very beginning that you have what it takes to get the job done.

Here are some examples of "soft skills" that will help you nail an interview and secure a position:

• Effective communication
• Responsibility
• High self-esteem
•  Working well with others

The best way to demonstrate from the initial meeting on that you possess these skills is by:

• Being prepared
• Bring copies of your resume, a pen, and samples of your work. You should also have a few prepared questions, letters of recommendation and a list of additional references.
• Presenting yourself effectively
• Dress professionally - even if the office code does not require it. Smile and speak clearly. Make sure your handshake is firm.
• Be friendly

You never know who all might be involved in the decision to give you a job. Always be polite starting with the receptionist and moving forward. Do your best to make the interview flow like a conversation.

If this list reads like a list of interview tips, that is because it is. While you will have to cultivate your soft skills throughout your career just as you would build on existing technical abilities, you will only have one shot at showing a potential employer that you have the soft skills as well as the technical ones to function effectively in a position. Starting out by demonstrating your effectiveness at communication and working with others is the best way to set off on the right foot in a new job and continue on that successful path.

The internet is an incredibly versatile and varied source of information. However, not all information that you find online is created equal. In order to do effective research online, you will need to be able to distinguish between good information and bad, and also learn to cite your online sources in such a way that they supplement your credibility when you deliver your findings.

Here are some tips for doing research online:

Use Google as a Guide, Not an Authority
When you use Google or any other search engine to do an internet search, you will get a lot of options for sources of information. Just because these webpages show up in search results does not mean that they are valid sources of information. You will have to evaluate the information and content on these sites to determine if they are a good source or not.

Check the Authors' Credentials
Just about anyone can post just about anything they please online. However, there is no certification process that marks one website as an acceptable source of information and another as a source of invalid information. For this reason, you need to identify who compiled the information before you determine if they are a good source. If they have other publications on this topic, or have a resume that indicates that they should know about the topic that their website covers, then it is probably safe to use the information.

Know When to Rely on Peer-Reviewed Publications
If you are researching information for a scientific publication, then you probably need to use data that you can verify in peer-reviewed journals. Fortunately, this is fairly easy to do (assuming that the information is, in fact accurate) by using Google Scholar to search all peer-reviewed publications online and determine if your information is accurate. You can also contact the author directly to find out how they determined the results and findings.

When you do online research, it is your responsibility to insure that your facts are straight. If you fail to do so, the only person who will suffer is you because you will lose credibility thanks to your reticence when it came to fact-checking. It is vitally important that you insure your information is good before you distribute it or hand it over to another member of your work team.

In today’s highly electronic and virtual world, confidentiality is a greater concern than ever before. You need to protect more information more carefully because it is so easy to steal an identity, an idea or a concept, but you have to deal with the fact that there are more ways than ever to access information as well. If you are going to be an assistant, then you will likely have access to many pieces of confidential information including social security numbers, passwords, usernames, and credit card information.

In order to do your job as an assistant, you will likely need to use these pieces of information on a regular basis. However, simply locking up the codes in a desk drawer when you are done with them is not enough to keep this information confidential. You must also be very aggressive with virtual confidentiality so that you do not accidentally expose an employer to serious theft and other problems. Here are some ways that you can keep confidential, work-related information secure:

Never save passwords or usernames
Even if you are the only person who uses your computer, you cannot rely on internet security to block all forms of virus that could contaminate your computer and/or steal information residing in any internet-based account. The only way to keep your information fully secure is to resist the temptation to allow web browsers to save your info for faster access.

Do not email any confidential information
Even if your email is encrypted, the host of your email account can probably still read it. In addition, whoever hosts the recipient's email account will also have access. This is entirely legal, and you cannot do anything about it. Of course, in addition to this you cannot control where an email goes once it is out of your hands, so putting confidential information in an email is "begging for trouble" anyway.

Shred it all
If you have ever handled confidential documents before, then this probably is not new to you. Confidential information must be shredded. However, since it is so much easier than it used to be to steal an identity or use other confidential information maliciously, you should also dispose of the shredded papers in separate containers. This lessens the likelihood that the documents can be found and pieced back together.