High Quality, Economical Online Printing Resources
By · CommentsWhether you work for a large corporation or you’re just starting your business, saving time and money on your printing costs is important.
I strongly recommend developing a great working relationship with a local printer whenever possible. However, the two online options I’m about to recommend are able to beat almost every printer’s pricing I’ve ever requested a quote from for business cards and postcards.
I am very slow to “endorse” most companies until I’ve used them consistently for a period of time with OUTSTANDING results and IMPRESSIVE customer service! I have been using the two following companies for client projects over the past year, and I highly recommend them to everyone.
WGI Print – www.wgiprint.com
- Business Cards – 2 sided, full color, recycled paper (and you would never be able to tell!)
- Postcards – 4X6, 2 sided, full color, recycled paper
When you visit their website, ALWAYS click on their “special offers” or “monthly specials” to see the latest specials. Their pricing is amazing! And their print quality is FANTASTIC! They also have a great sample pack that you can request when you click on “FREE SAMPLES” at the top of their site.
You should never have white space on the back of a business card, so update your look, get your message on the back for less than a regular reprint would cost, and give WGI Print a try.
Their postcards make great follow up pieces for direct mail campaigns or use the extras at an upcoming trade show as a marketing piece for a very economical price!
EXPRESS COPY – www.expresscopy.com
- Standard Postcards
- Jumbo Postcards
- Panoramic Postcards
- Giant Postcards
What I love about Express Copy is they are a one-stop printing, addressing, and mailing shop. All you have to do is design the postcard (and they even have templates you can look at), upload the file, upload your mailing list, and they will mail the printed pieces at their bulk mailing rate for you. So you’re not only saving time on the mailing, you save money on postage, too. If you do a lot of direct mail campaigns, Express Copy will be your new best friend.
To your administrative success!
Julie Perrine CPS/CAP
Certified Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Administrator – ESTJ
Successful Communication Begins With Self Awareness
By · CommentsNo matter where you work, who you work for, or how many people are on your team, good communication skills are vital to your success. Many conflicts on teams and issues with teamwork are directly linked to communication issues…or more accurately communication preferences.
As a qualified Myers-Briggs Type Indicator administrator and trainer, I have had the opportunity to work with individuals and teams as they learn about their personal preferences and begin to observe more objectively the preferences of their team mates. One of the most enlightening moments in these workshops or coaching sessions come when participants realize how their own communication preferences – how they gather, send, receive, and make decisions on information – dramatically affects those they work with or live with. I always say – it’s not that the person in the cube next to you is a complete nut, it may be that they just send and receive information differently than you do.
Understanding how to communicate successfully begins with understanding yourself and your personal preferences for:
- How do you gather information?
- How do you make decisions?
- How do you get your energy?
- How do you show your preferences to the outside world?
When you understand and recognize your own personal preferences in these four areas, you begin to recognize the preferences of those around you and how they may be similar to or different from your own preferences. This is where truly meaningful conversation begins (or improves).
If you or your team would benefit from improving your communication skills and positively impacting how you work together as a team, contact me at julie@julieperrine.com for more information on scheduling a Myers-Briggs workshop.
Julie Perrine CPS/CAP
Qualified Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Administrator – ESTJ
What do you do for professional recharging?
By · CommentsWhat do you do to ensure your professional batteries stay fully charged?
There are numerous ways to approach this including continuing education courses, reading books and industry publications, researching trends and issues on the Internet, and networking with other professionals. Yes, I said NETWORKING with other professionals.
Don’t let the word networking scare you off. You don’t have to be an overly extraverted person to be a successful networker. To me, networking isn’t something you do; networking is a mindset. It’s making connections between people and resources and being able to connect yourself or others to those people or resources when you need them.
One of the best ways I’ve found to recharge my professional batteries is membership in the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP).
If you haven’t heard of IAAP, go visit their website at www.iaap-hq.org. You can search by state or region to find a local chapter near you. I have personally been a member for over seven years, and it has had a profound impact on my professional development, my career path, and the experiences I have added to my resume and professional portfolio.
Let me share a few reasons why you should consider looking into IAAP membership to recharge your professional batteries.
- NETWORKING: My father always used to say, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know that gets you where you want to go.” How true in this profession! I went from looking for jobs to having jobs come find me as a result of networking with members in my local chapter. A key career changing position was presented to me when I wasn’t even looking for a new opportunity, and it was a direct result of getting to know my fellow chapter members and them getting to know me. It’s back to my quote, “Networking is not something you do. Networking is a mindset.” It’s paying attention to what’s going on in the world around you and the people you encounter each day and making connections when appropriate to help yourself and those around you build a successful network of resources to call on anytime an opportunity or a need arises.
- CONTINUING EDUCATION: Each month, most local chapters present educational programs for their members at the local level. There are events hosted annually at the divisional, regional and international levels also. Through IAAP, you can add to your knowledge base or sharpen your skills by taking advantage of the educational resources presented and others that are available online through their international website. Sometimes it’s tough to get away during the day for training opportunities, but IAAP still provides many options for busy administrative professionals to continue their education and training on a monthly basis.
- LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT: There are numerous opportunities within IAAP to develop and hone your leadership skills. Whether you choose to get involved on a committee, chair a committee, pursue a board position, or just participate in the various chapter activities, your communication, teamwork, and leadership skills will benefit. These skills are directly applicable to what you encounter and do each day at work as an administrative professional.
- CERTIFICATIONS: The Certified Professional Secretary® (CPS) and the Certified Administrative Professional® (CAP) certifications are administered and promoted through IAAP also. They are NOT required for membership. However, they are another way to set yourself apart in your position and in your profession. Studying for these exams was a very educational and beneficial process for me. You don’t know what you don’t know sometimes until you expose yourself to new ideas and information. I frequently refer to my study materials as resources.
There are many additional reasons, but these are the most important ones for me professionally.
As I work with some of my clients in recruiting or retaining great administrative talent, I am always surprised by how many administrative or executive assistants and their managers do not know about the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP). Take some time to learn more about this international association and the local chapter options near you.
I originally joined because I thought it would look good on a resume, but I have stayed because of the incredible benefits to me personally and professionally. I encourage you to consider membership, too!
IAAP Membership: A Career Advancing Move for Administrative Professionals
Julie Perrine CPS/CAP
Qualified Myers-Briggs Administrator
IAAP Member Since January 2000
Recharging My Professional Batteries
By · CommentsI spent the end of July and the first part of August recharging my professional batteries by attending the IAAP International Convention and Education Forum in Tampa, Florida. The information, education, and infusion of new ideas for me, my business, and how I approach my profession was incredible.
I spent the rest of August formulating some new plans and preparing to launch some new training programs which you’ll be reading more about in the upcoming weeks on my blog and on my website.
September is one of my favorite times of the year. I look forward to helping all of you recharge and re-energize your professional batteries in the upcoming weeks. I’ll be back to posting weekly again, so visit regularly!
Let’s head into fall with a renewed vigor for what we do and make 2007 our best year yet!
Professionally,
Julie Perrine CPS/CAP
Qualified Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Administrator
What is the FIRST IMPRESSION of your office?
By · CommentsFirst impressions count!
Part of an administrative professional’s unwritten job title is to professionally project and promote the corporate brand and image to the public. As administrative professionals, we do that by how we greet our guests and maintain our desk and accompanying office areas where we work.
Walk in the front door of your office and look around to see what you can visibly see from the door way of your office. Do this DAILY! Things that you can see, customers or clients visiting your office can see, too.
- Is confidential information exposed on desktops or countertops?
- Do you or your cube mates have things sticking up above the top of their cubes in awkward or cluttered ways?
- Does it feel clean, warm, friendly, inviting, and professional?
- Are empty boxes cluttering open areas?
- Are pending shipments clogging main traffic flow areas?
- Are the lights on?
- Are coats hanging off of chairs and cube walls (instead of in closets or neatly on hangars)?
These are just a few of the things to be aware of. When we are in the same environment each day, it’s easy to overlook things that may stick out like a dead plant to someone new who walks into your office for the first time.
Once you review the asthetics of the office, do an assessment of the human side.
- How are your guests, visitors, customers, or potential clients greeted when they enter your office?
- Is everyone greeted with eye contact in the same professional, warm, genuine manner?
- Do some people get more attention and respect than others?
It’s easy to get involved in what’s going on and completely tune out the flow of traffic around us at times. However, if you are the person sitting at the desk who is the first face your visitors see when they enter your office, then you make the first impression. When they enter your office, they should be greeted in a warm, genuine, and professional manner. It doesn’t have to be lengthy or involved, but it does need to acknowledge the person with respect and professionalism.
For employees or contractors who frequently visit your office throughout the day or week, it’s easy to let them pass without even noticing sometimes. But the greeting or acknowledgement they receive as they pass by your desk may set the tone for the rest of their day. So flash them a BIG smile and help make it a great one!
Here is the standard checklist of items that I have used to train new admins and to evaluate if my office is meeting professional expectations:
Ask someone you know to “secret shop” your office for you and evaluate you and/or your team on these things. First impressions are made in a split second and can last for a lifetime. Make your first impression a positively PROFESSIONAL one!
Julie Perrine CPS/CAP
Qualified Myers-Briggs Administrator
A few more Interview Questions to Ask the Interviewer
By · CommentsUpon reviewing my personal customized list of interview questions that I have developed over the years, I realized that I should share a few others that may be helpful also.
Additional questions to consider asking in an interview:
- How many of the executives in this company commute on a weekly basis from another state? (I once worked for a company where several key members of the leadership team commuted from another state. When they don’t have to leave the office to go home to waiting family members in the evenings, it makes it more difficult for those that support them to leave at reasonable hours also. It also makes for a work environment that is not as family friendly.)
- When was the last time you went on vacation? For how long? How many calls did you receive from your office while you were out? Were you expected to keep up on your e-mails while you were gone? Did you? (This is another way to find out just how respectful of your personal life and time the company you are interviewing truly is.)
- How would you best describe your method of thinking – in shades of gray or more black and white – and give me some examples. (Of course, people always want to say – both, but I usually press for a specific answer. I favor one over the other even though I have instances where I may stray the other way. ASK for specific examples of both if they won’t commit and give you a straight answer. If you know your own tendancies and you can learn theirs, it’s just another way to determine if this future manager is a good fit for you.)
- I’m sure you’ve heard people refer to co-workers as “high maintenance” or “low maintenance” in their summation of how it is to work for someone. How would you define “high maintenance” and “low maintenance” in terms of working with your assistant? What makes an assistant high or low maintenance for you? Would you describe yourself as a high or low maintenance manager/executive to support and why? (We’ve all figured out after we arrived on the scene what we’ve landed in — high maintenance or low maintenance territory. But if you know you don’t do well supporting someone who requires you to get their breakfast and lunch daily, schedule their haircuts and doctor appointments, then you need to be asking probing quesitons in the interview to find out where they land on the low to high maintenance spectrum. On the flip side, if you need to be very involved or “desperately needed” by your executive and you really enjoy doing a lot of the more personal things that sometimes come up, then working for someone who only needs you to screen their phone calls and sort their mail isn’t going to be a fulfilling experience for you either. Establish your own personal scale of 1 to 10 and identify on that scale what consists of high or low maintenance. Then have them identify where they think they would rate themselves.)
- Explain for me the types of things your assistant does to make you more efficient and productive throughout the day/week. How many types of more “personal” things does your assistant handle for you (i.e. scheduling doctor appts, haircuts, family vacation planning, etc.)? (Everyone has their “line” that they have personally established on what’s appropriate to do in support of your executive. You have to know where yours is and know how to ask questions to find out where your potential employer’s line is as well. Plus asking these things in the interview can set things up for a nice follow up conversation after you potentially get hired to discuss these things in more depth in a more comfortable setting because you already broke the ice.)
- When you are coming and going from meetings throughout the day, are you typically on time and moving from meeting to meeting unassisted or do you find that you need your assistant to regularly come and get you or remind you of the next meeting you are headed to? (This can help you determine one element of the high/low maintenance equation also. If you cannot get a clear answer out of them, then tell them what you prefer. I typically follow that up with a comment like…”so if that comes pretty close to describing your style, then we’ll be a great potential fit.” I let them deduce from that comment that we may NOT be a great fit if that doesn’t explain their style.)
- What makes a great first impression? How do you make a great first impression? (I like to learn how they view things and what’s important to them. This can also help you learn about their future expectations of you as well.)
Write down the experiences that you have encountered in your professional career that you wish you could have learned about your future manager or company before you started working for them. There may be good things and not so good things that you identify. Then think about how you can wrap words around a scenario or develop an appropriate question to ask to learn how the company/manager you are interviewing would respond or handle it.
You must be willing to expand your comfort zone and ask clarifying questions in the interview phase to ensure you have all of the information you need to make the right decision when the job offer is ultimately extended.
To your interviewing success!
Julie Perrine CPS/CAP
Qualifified Myers-Briggs Administrator
As my career has progressed and I’ve added some interesting on-the-job experiences to my work history, I started to develop a list of interview questions that I asked the interviewers when I was in a job interview.
An interview is an information exchange between you and a potential employer. They are not obligated to offer the position to you, and you are not obligated to accept it even if they do. It is your responsibility to find out as much information about this company as you can BEFORE the interview. Then, you need to fill in as many gaps as possible DURING the interview by asking good questions.
Listen to their responses and watch their body language and facial expressions as you ask the questions and you may learn a lot of valuable information before you take a position that isn’t right for you.
Here are some questions to consider asking in your next interview.
Questions for Administrative Professionals to Ask the Interviewer
- Can you describe the duties and the responsibilities of the job for me? (If a future manager cannot describe what the position does, I would be concerned about how out of touch with their staff and departmental functions they may be. I like the next two questions for this purpose also.)
- Describe a typical daily schedule in this position for me.
- Describe a typical weekly schedule in this position for me.
- What is a typical workweek? Is overtime expected? How often?
- What kind of characteristics are you looking for in the candidate?
- Have there been any personnel or production problems in this department? (If there is more than one person in the interview, I like to watch their exchange of glances or facial expressions when I ask this. It may help you to know if you should ask a follow up question or not.)
- What are the department’s strengths and weaknesses?
- What kind of career path is typical for your employees?
- WHO will be my biggest challenge in this position? Why? What will I need to do to work successfully with this person? (If you had told me a “personality” would be my biggest challenge when I walked into one of my executive assistant roles, I would have laughed at you. I had never encountered anyone that I couldn’t figure out how to consistently work successfully with…until this one. So this question has become a REQUIRED question for all interviews now.)
- What are some of the more difficult problems one would have to face in this position? How do you think these could best be handled?
- How many assistants have you had support you over the course of your career? Who has been the best and why? Who has been the worst and why?
- How do you view the administrative support role in the overall functioning of this office? (If they view this role as the person who keeps the coffee made and the mail sorted, then it may not be the career ladder position you had in mind. If they view this role as the hub of the wheel that keeps all of the spokes connected and smoothly rolling down the road, then you’re probably entering into a potentially great relationship.)
- What do you do to support your assistant in his/her professional development?
- Do you support membership in professional associations such as the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) or other local networking groups?
- If I were to talk to any of your past assistants, what would they tell me was the best part about supporting you? The worst part about supporting you?
- Why is this position open?
- How often has it been filled in the past five years? What were the main reasons?
- What would you like done differently by the next person who fills this position?
- Do you encourage/support daily lunch breaks for your assistant?
- Who provides backup for this position when they are out of the office?
- Who will review my performance? How often?
- How do you determine or evaluate success within the company?
- How do you determine or evaluate success for the person in this position? How will I know I am successful in this position?
- How do you reward and recognize achievements of your team members? How often do you do it?
- What don’t you like about working here and what would you change?
- What do you think is the greatest opportunity facing the organization in the near future? The biggest threat?
I’m sure there are other great interview questions to ask. If you have some others, please share them with me at julie@julieperrine.com. Interviewers want to see someone engaged in their profession and engaged in what is going on around them. Asking questions during an interview is a great way to find out the information you need to make an educated and informed decision should the job offer be extended.
To your interviewing success!
Julie Perrine CPS/CAP
Qualified Myers-Briggs Administrator
Working Successfully with Your NEW Assistant
By · Comments
I know it takes time to train a new assistant…but if you do it well the first time, you only have to do it once. This is your chance to set expectations and communicate exactly how you want things done. It is your corporate and professional brand that you are working to enhance. It’s easier to train someone to do it right from the beginning than to go back and try to change wrong or bad habits later. I cannot emphasize enough – Communicate! Communicate! Communicate! Your assistant cannot read your mind and you cannot read your assistant’s mind either…so you both need to really focus on communicating as you build your new relationship in the first few weeks. The second thing I’ll emphasize is: ASK for feedback. As you get used to working with each other, asking for feedback will help you both get more comfortable with the communication piece also. Your new assistant is a fresh set of eyes that may be able to see some things in a different way or have a new idea/approach that you have not considered previously. Make your assistant an integral part of your team. Here are a few tips and things to make sure you include in your first few days of training with your new assistant to get her/him off to a great start at your company. Things to cover the FIRST DAY with your new assistant:
-
HR Paperwork and Orientation. I-9 Form, Time cards and related procedures, any HR forms you need completed, Company Tour, etc.
- Issue Office Key(s). Explain expectations of when they should or should not be coming and going from the office or how you expect they’ll use the key(s).
- How to use the phone system. If you have a system manual that you can leave out for easy referral when your assistant has some time to review it in detail later, that is always helpful also. Or if they can’t figure out how to do something with it, then they have it as a reference if you aren’t available to ask.
- How to screen your calls for you. Who do you ALWAYS want to talk to? Who do you NEVER want to talk to? When should your assistant forward calls to your voice mail and when should your assistant take a written note?
- How to greet visitors when they enter the office. It isn’t always obvious to everyone that they should stand, specifically make eye contact, and greet someone with a professional greeting and/or handshake. So tell your assistant what you prefer or expect or want. This is the best time to set expectations and instill great habits.
- Review your dress code in detail. What’s appropriate, what isn’t? Be specific. Your assistant needs to hear this from you and in detail about what your expectations are…and maybe even why it’s important. Sometimes people don’t always agree with dress codes, but if they at least know where you’re coming from, it helps.
- Tour the office and point out where things are stored, file locations/types, office supplies, kitchen materials, etc.
- Lunch/Break policies. When do they get lunch/breaks? Do they need to stay at the office or can they leave? If they leave, do they need to notify you first or lock it up? Can they eat at their desk? If not, where do they eat their lunch?
- How to log into the computer / access office electronic files.
- Daily/Weekly Schedule. Review what a “typical” daily and weekly schedule is going to look like so your assistant has a framework to put everything that you are training on into. There will always be exceptions, but helping someone understand the framework gives the details a place to call home when you’re training them.
- Ask your new assistant to document all of the training for your office/administrative procedures manual. This is a great time to begin developing a standard operating procedures binder for your office if you don’t already have one. If you do, it’s a great time to make sure it’s still current and up-to-date. As you are training your new assistant, ask her/him to take notes and type them up for your procedures manual. It will help as a resource tool until your assistant gets more comfortable with the position/job. But it will also be valuable to you or the other office team members if they are filling in or need to know how to do something that your assistant just normally handles for all of you.
Things to cover the FIRST WEEK:
- Show how to use Office Equipment – Copier, Fax, Computers, etc. If you have manuals for the fax or copier, etc., have them available or tell her where they are so she can refer to them if needed.
- Mail Sorting/Pick-up/Delivery. Review procedures with this. What do you ALWAYS need to review? What do you NEVER need to review? How do you handle/process mail for other office staff? For the first week or two, have your assistant sort it all as if she were on her own, but review it with her/him daily to answer any questions, provide coaching, etc.
- Establish a Weekly One on One time. I know you’ll be talking daily. But this one on one time is more to review the overall weekly events/projects (not the specific day to day tasks). It’s a time to review what went well, what could go better, and what the plans are for the upcoming week. I used a form at one place called a Hits/Misses Form. It was the top 3 hits (things we accomplished) for the week, the top 3 things we missed (or didn’t get accomplished) and the plan for the upcoming week. This also gives you both dedicated time weekly to get to know each other better and to communicate about things that may not have gone as well as you wanted in some areas…or to praise and recognize your assistant for things that did go very well. If you aren’t used to doing these, it may take a few weeks to adapt. But make this “sacred” time – don’t cancel them if things come up, get them rescheduled ASAP.
- Job Specific Training. How to do all of the elements of the position. You are always going to be busy, but you have to make time to show your assistant how to do these things in order for your assistant to be able to get them off of your plate again. It may mean shadowing you as you do them the first time or two. And it may mean you shadowing your assistant as she/he tries them the first time or so on her/his own. But if you invest the right amount of time into this in your assistant’s first week or two, you’ll be set for months to come! Go bullet by bullet through the position’s job description to make sure you cover all areas needed.
I am very passionate about the administrative profession and helping assistants and their managers work successfully and productively together. I have developed some solid processes, procedures, and checklists that have helped me and many clients I’ve worked with be very successful in their positions. If you would like some additional assistance with the development of any of these types of administrative materials, please contact me at Julie@Julieperrine.com.
I wish you the best of success with your new assistant!
Julie Perrine CPS/CAP
Qualified Myers-Briggs Administrator
What are you READING?
By · CommentsWhat do you read each week to sharpen your administrative skills?
What do you read each week to learn more about the industry in which you work?
What do you read each week to develop new knowledge in an area you don’t know much about?
As administrative professionals, it’s very important to constantly expose ourselves to new ideas, new methods or approaches to doing things, and industry related trends and issues if we want to excel in our profession. I hear many people say that they enjoy reading, but they just don’t have time to do it. I would counter with, “You cannot afford not to read.”
Here are some things you can do to increase your reading opportunities during the normal work day:
- Skim through ALL of the industry related publications that come in the mail each day for references to your company, your companies competitors, product information that relates to what your company does, or interesting articles on how top managers or companies are implementing new systems, procedures or motivational programs to improve company operations. This may make the mail sorting and distribution take a few more minutes, but you will increase your knowledge base significantly over the course of just a couple weeks or months if you do this regularly. Flag the most interesting articles or references to your company for your manager to show your initiative and engagement in what is going on at your company.
- Take a book or magazine with you to read over lunch. If you don’t normally get/take a lunch break – START NOW! Even if you only get 30 minutes, start with that. You need to mentally and physically refresh a couple of times during the day to maintain and sustain high levels of performance on the job. Feeding your body physically (with food) and mentally (by reading) will give you the nourishment you need to get you through the rest of the day more successfully.
- Schedule a minimum of 10-15 minutes for personal reading time for yourself each day. You can get a lot of great ideas and take in a lot of information each day even if you only read for 10-15 minutes. If you do this daily, it will become “part of your day.”
- Read while you are working out. I began reading regularly when I started working out regularly. It was a great way to make working out go more quickly while also filling my mind with some very useful and helpful information. When I’m on an exercise bike, treadmill, or eliptical machine, I almost always have my book or magazine of choice with me. I don’t always love working out, but I do love the opportunity to read more. So it’s a great way to use one habit to motivate the completion of the other.
- Have books or publications in the car with you when you’re waiting to pick up kids or family members from their activities during the week and on the weekend.
What are some good things for administrative professionals to be reading?
- As stated above, the first place I start is with industry related publications that come into my office. I quickly skim each publication from cover to cover before delivering it to my managers. If it wasn’t time sensitive, sometimes I took it to read over lunch and then delivered it after lunch.
- Books on administrative topics you’d like to learn more about or improve your skills or abilities in. Do you have trouble communicating with certain members of your team or with your manager when things are tense in the office? Read a book on improving communication techniques. [My recommendation is Crucial Conversations.] Do you enjoy event planning, but wish you felt more in control of all of the details? Find a book on the topic and dig in. [My recommendation is Planning Successful Meetings and Events by Boehme.] Go to your public library or local bookstore and just start skimming through the books to see what catches your attention…then start reading!
- Websites, Blogs, or Ezines. Do a Google search on any administrative topic imaginable and see what comes up. You can subscribe to some terrific online publications, blogs, ezines, etc. The International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) is a website that has a lot of great resources at www.iaap-hq.org also.
Just because you pick up a book that is of interest doesn’t mean you have to read it cover to cover. Skim through the book to find the sections of information that are most helpful to you and read those. Some books may be more suited to being read from cover to cover. But there are plenty of others that can be read a chapter at a time and you will still benefit greatly from the information that you specifically wanted to find.
I have a list of websites and book titles listed on the sidebar of my blog to get you started. If you have other things that you do to make reading part of your regular schedule or resources that you regularly use, I’d love to hear about them. Send me a message at julie@julieperrine.com or post a response to this blog.
Reading profession specific materials will propel you to greater professional heights! Start reading something good today!
Julie Perrine CPS/CAP
Qualified MBTI Administrator
Administrative Assistant Job Binders / Manuals – Part 3
By · CommentsCreating and Maintaining Your Administrative Manual
As you begin documenting the various processes, procedures, checklists, and forms for your administrative manual, there are a few things to keep in mind that will make updating or revising this manual much easier.
- Create an electronic folder called “Admin Manual” for ease in filing these documents once you have them created. Not every document in your admin manual will be saved in this folder, but the ones that don’t already have a home in another folder should be placed here.
- Add the document path and file name to the footer of each document before you print it. If it’s not a file that you share with anyone else, you may want to leave it there permanently. It makes finding the file for quick updates or reprints a much easier process weeks or months down the road when you may not be able to remember exactly where you saved it.
- Do not store multiple copies of the same file in multiple online folder locations. If you make updates to your master copy, you don’t want to have to recall all of the various locations you may have it saved in to update those copies also. This is where the document footer with the filename becomes very helpful.
- Create a “Master Document” in Microsoft Word if you have a lot of electronic files that you want to be able to pull into your admin manual but they are stored in a lot of online locations. When you open the master document, all you have to do is click on the link and it will take you directly to the file you are looking for. I have used this as my “electronic” admin manual with a shortcut placed on my desktop for quick and easy reference if I don’t want to open up my binder and leaf through it page by page.
When assembling your admin manual, I recommend the following:
- Purchase a sturdy 3-ring “D” binder that is about 1 1/2″ to 2″ wide and in a color that is unique from all of the other binders on your desk.
- Create a fun, yet professional, cover and spine to clearly identify the contents on your desk.
- Print out nicely labeled tabs for your dividers once you have identified all of the various sections that you want included in your admin manual.
- Purchase some heavy duty sheet protectors for the commonly referred to lists, checklists or form templates that will receive the most use.
- Create a permanent home for your binder that is easy to reach from your computer and when you are on the phone. This may require reorganizing your desk slightly, but if it’s not easy to reach or use, it defeats the purpose of putting this together to begin with. So take a few minutes to reevaluate your desk setup/layout and assign your binder a home.
- Depending on the amount of information you assemble, you may want to consider a general table of contents listing the overall sections and the forms included in each section for quick fingertip reference. Do not include page numbers as those can change quickly if you are regularly updating/editing the documents in this binder.
How often do you need to update your binder?
When I realize there are things that need to be changed in my binder, I make the notes right on the page as I am looking at it. If I have time to do it on the spot, I will. If I do not, I may come back and do it when I see several pages have marks or post-its with additional information included on them. I find that reviewing it on a monthly or quarterly basis is reasonable depending on how busy your office is and how many changes occur from week to week or month to month. Add a reminder to your Outlook Calendar or Tasks so you don’t forget.
Not only will you look smart the next time someone needs to fill in for you when you’re on vacation, but you won’t lose out on other potential promotions or opportunities because no one knew how to do your job when you left. Plus, the person who follows you will know you were one of the most efficient, productive, and thoughtful administrative professionals ever!
If you would like to request a copy of my “Administrative Job Responsibilities” Template to get you started, please e-mail me at Julie@julieperrine.com.
Julie Perrine CPS/CAP
Qualified MBTI Administrator
