Personal Assistant Tips and Advice

This Personal Assistant blog is a great place to find information targeted at Personal Assistants, Virtual Assistants and secretaries. This personal assistant blog will provide titbits on subjects like minuting meetings, event planning, and travel planning; as well as updates and notification of new articles.

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UK's "Hays & The Times PA of the Year" 2010

Special congratulations to Laura Richardson, Hay & The Times PA of the Year 2010. Laura is Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive of Elexon. I happen to know her personally, and can say that she is very bright and very competent - everything a PA of the Year should be. She sets a high standard for PAs and thoroughly deserves the PA of the Year award. Best of luck for the coming year Laura. I'm sure you will do great things for the Personal Assistant profession.

Marguerita

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Discrimination in the Workplace - The Equality Act 2010

It is important that Personal Assistants understand equality issues in the workplace. The Equality Act 2010 (also known as the Equality Bill) will be coming into force in October 2010. The aim of the 2010 Act is to simplify the existing Equality Act 2006 and consolidate aspects of current legislation in relation to discrimination and equal pay. The 2010 Act adds to and changes legislation in relation to direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, victimisation and harrassment; all of which remain unlawful for the purposes of the following protected characteristics.

- age
- disability
- race
- sex
- gender reassignment
- marriage and civil partnerships
- religion or belief
- pregnancy and maternity

The Equality Act 2010 incorporates more provisions for third party harrassment. For example, an employee who suffers harrassment at the hands of visiting contractors and other third parties, can now seek redress from her/his employer because the Act now makes employers liable for such behaviour. The Act also provides for people who have been victimised because they have supported someone who has raised a grievance or complaint.

Employees are also now entitled to complain about behaviour they consider offensive but which was not directed at them. The Act makes provision for associative discrimination, making direct discrimination against a person because of their association with someone with one of the above protected characteristics, unlawful.

The 2010 Act now makes it easier for employers and employees to interpret the provisions of discrimination and equal pay legislation.

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What is a Functional Resume?

Resumes can either be functional or chronological, or a combination of the two; therefore, when writing a resume, think carefully about the requirements presented in the job ad before deciding which format to use.

Functional resumes focus on relevant experience, as opposed to job titles and dates. They are ideal for drawing out aspects of your Personal Assistant experience that represents transferable skills which can be used in an unfamiliar job role; and as such, a functional resume format should be used by applicants who are attempting to change careers.

A chronological format presents information in a historical sequence, starting with the most recent position. It is useful for highlighting job titles, responsibilities, dates and places of employment. This format is popular with people who have recently graduated, and people who want to emphasis the companies they have worked for, and the number of years spent in the roles.

A combination resume begins with a functional format that lists past roles. It highlights the way you have used important skills in the past to perform job roles. This is followed by a chronological format which shows your track record by listing dates, companies worked for, and job roles.

Using the correct resume format is as important as editing your CV so that it's tailored to a specific job ad. It shows that you are serious about the role and about the company you are applying to.

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When Is The Best Time to Follow Up a Job Application?

It's often the case that people spend hours preparing the necessary documentation for an important job role, only to falter at the second hurdle - the follow up stage.

Following up a job application is an essential part of the job application process. It sets you apart from less tenacious applicants and shows focus, an essential skill for Executive Personal Assistants. It also gives you an opportunity to ask if you can provide additional information that you believe could strenghen your position.

A good time to follow up an online job lead is around 5 working days after the application was despatched. For applications sent in hardcopy format, 10 working days is a reasonable amount of time to allow before following up. As a basic rule, follow up using the same method of communication.

If you enjoy talking to people, you might like to give the company or employment agency a call in addition to other methods of communication. A telephone call will add another dimension to your profile by showing off your personality and demonstrating your confidence, good verbal communication skills and intelligence. Don't go into a lengthy discussion; be brief and be professional.

Following up a job lead also demonstrates your enthusiasm for the job role and your interest in the company; therefore, be aggressive. Don't worry about portraying yourself as desperate; it's important to keep your name in front of the decision makers. It would be unreasonable to expect them to call you, with hundreds of applications to sift through.

Organise your job applications and file them away in a 'day per slot' concertina folder. When you despatch a job application, write the bring forward date on the document and file it in the appropriate slot. Check the folder every day and action all follow ups for that particular day. This will ensure that all applications are followed up in a timely manner.

It is also important to update your CV on job search engines on a daily basis. This is the only way to keep your CV in the top ten of the search results - employers generally don't look beyond that. Job search engines like Monster.co.uk can carry as many as 24 million CVs, so your CV will be quickly pushed out of reach if not updated.

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Free Software With CNET Review

See CNET reviews of a host of free software and download software for free.

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WRITING YOUR RESUME & JOB SEARCH ENGINES

Looking for advice for writing your resume for an Executive Personal Assistant job? Looking for advice on In-Tray exercises for PAs? Looking for tips on how to get the best from job search engines?

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CORPORATE TRAVEL ADVICE

Travel planning advice and travel planning checklist for Personal Assistants who plan international travel with an eye on the travel budget.

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HOUSING EXCHANGE SCHEMES

Consider a housing exchange service if you would like to visit exotic locations, while saving up to 50% of the cost of the trip.

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SERVICED APARTMENTS ARE A GREAT OPTION FOR EXTENDED STAYS

Consider booking serviced apartments as an alternative to booking hotels for an extended corporate stay.

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Avoiding Online Job Scams

As the job market becomes more competitive and candidates become less discerning about the type of jobs they pursue, desperate job seekers are becoming the victims of job scams. According to the Denver Job Search Examiner, there is a growing trend in fraud involving online jobs. Personal Assistants should be aware of the telltale signs of job scams to ensure job ad placements appear reputable. See the following tips.

Ad Placement - One of the telltale signs that a job posting is a scam is the placement of the job advert. Scammers tend to use community job boards because they are free or cheap. Legitimate job postings are the type you are likely to find on job boards like Monster.com, where it costs significantly more to place an ad. Not all job ads placed on free community job boards are scams but it's more risky for job seekers.

Ad Heading - Aside from 100% sales commission jobs, it's unlikely that a legitimate company would head up an advertisement using dollar signs with all bolded capitals, or even with catchy and flashy phrases. This type of heading screams scam. Even if the posting is for a 100% sales commission job, this type of heading suggests a tough sales environment, so it's unlikely to be a secure position.

Web-based Email Addresses - One of the things you learn in ecommerce is the importance of choosing an email address that ties in with the name of your company. This is a useful thing to know when trying to determine if a job posting is a scam. If you can decipher from the email address, the name of the company that's advertising the post, you should be able to Google it for more information about the company. If you can't determine the company name, chances are its a scam posting, particularly if it's a web-based email address like @yahoo.com, @hotmail.com or @gmail.com.

Inflated Salary Claims - Be suspicious of claims that you can make huge annual commissions in a particular sales post. The examples used often pertain to people who have been in the job for a long time and have built up experience and a good client base. Don't expect to make anywhere near that amount at entry level.

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Are Confidential Salary Systems A Good Idea?

In many organisations today, employees are encouraged to keep their salaries secret, so the salaries of colleagues, bosses and senior executives are a closely guarded secret. There are a number of disadvantages that accompany this type of secrecy; the primary disadvantage being lack of transparency.

Confidential salaries perpetuate the suspicion of unfairness; whether it's actual or imagined. This lack of transparency can irritate employees, particularly because it's not possible to complain or challenge a situation that is not in black and white. If the system of secret salaries was fair, employees would be able to request a explanation for why other employees are earning significantly more money than they are.

When all is said and done, it may simply be a matter of what you are able to negotiate and how good you are at sucking up to the boss. It would be a grossly unfair system if this were the case, but it's probably the reality in some organisations. Some employees break the code of secrecy and discuss their salary with others.

Having a salary scale that is attached to a grading system is an open and fair way to deal with salaries. People can better understand what they have to do to get to the next salary level. With this system it's clear that the better you work, the more likely you are to reach the desired salary level and grade. With a transparent system, employees tend to stay in post for longer because career and salary progression is clear.

People who earn a high salary have to deliver and prove their worth, and if there's a significant discrepancy between the salaries of people doing a similar job, this becomes a question for the boss, which makes bosses more answerable to their teams for the decisions they make. This has got to be a good thing.

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What To Look For In A Travel Management Company

Who knew that the leg room in first class on South African Airways is smaller, yet more expensive on the Heathrow to Cape Town route than in BA's business class. For this type of information you need impartial, expert advice. This is where a good travel management company (TMC) can help you get the best for your money. Personal Assistants should look for the following attributes when choosing a TMC.

A good travel management company should provide the following.

- Friendly, personal and knowledgeable service.
- An extensive database of low cost options for budget airlines and scheduled flights.
- Thousands of discount and exclusive fares.
- Bespoke business travel software that's built with your company's travel policy in mind.
- Reporting functions that allow you to make cost comparisons, see where you are making savings and where you are wasting money, and even track your carbon footprint.
- Reduced central admin costs.
- Tools to find the cheapest train tickets and the best car rental deals.
- Consolidation of all your travel bookings into one system for better control and more efficient billing.
- User-friendly software that's quick to implement.
- Excellent training to get staff quickly up to speed.
- Great online tools to help staff book travel themselves online.
- 24 hour wrap-around service.
- Live chat function for an instant response to questions.

CLICK TRAVEL is a UK-based TMC for business travel that provides all of the above features in a cost-effective online travel management system. If you are in the process of reassessing your travel spend, or perhaps you're seeking to replace your existing TMC, why not contact Click Travel and see what they can do for you. Follow the link below to hear what organisations like MacMillan Cancer Support, Cafe Nero and Gardiner & Theobalds have to say about Click Travel, or contact Dee Mani on 0121 288 2869; Email: dee.mani@clicktravel.com

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Is Email Old-Fashioned?

Social media such as Twitter and Facebook now represent a high proportion of communication mediums used in the world today. Email now seems inefficient because it's essentially one to one communication. Social media, on the other hand, is one to many communication. Many people now prefer to use social media to share their news with many people simultaneously because you only have to say it once.

People like to share photos and ideas with others; it gives them a sense of belonging. People also like the idea of not having to repeat their story over and over, so in some respects, social media has become a cure for email overload. People make more of an effort when writing for social media than they do when writing email because they don't know who, ultimately, will read what they have written. People have to be more creative in order to be persuasive because they are trying to get their message across to many people; all with a different perception of what is being said - they have to anticipate the reactions of others.

Some would say that email is the best medium when it comes to intimacy, but this is not necessarily the case. Intimacy is best achieved with a handwritten letter because handwriting is very personal. Handwritten letters are usually opened before other letters. We appreciate that the writer has taken the time to put pen to paper, and put it in an envelope and post it.

Privacy is one of the reasons given for using email as opposed to social media. With the rise in the use of free web email, communications have become more and more vulnerable to breach of privacy; not to mention the fact that your data is sometimes sold on. In reality, privacy is becoming less and less important to many in the age of transparency. Creating a profile on Facebook is now the norm. People manage their online identity carefully - they are well aware that a future boss may access their online profile. Chances are that in ten years time privacy will be even less important - looks like email really is on it's way out. Click on the link below for business writing tips.

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PERSONAL ASSISTANT PROFESSIONAL BODIES

Personal Assistant professional bodies represent the PA profession and provide the right kind of advice to help Executive PAs be the best they can be.

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Why Hire a Private Chef?

You might find that hiring a private Chef to prepare a meal in the comfort and security of your home, as opposed to booking a table at an expensive restaurant makes good sense. If you are arranging to take 10 or 15 people out to dinner at a nice restaurant, it could be more cost effective. It's useful for Celebrity Personal Assistants to have the contact details of renown chefs who can prepare a dinner at short notice.

You can hire a private chef either with his team or without. The Chef's services will include buying the groceries, preparing a gourmet meal, cleaning up afterwards and packing away the leftovers. Private Chefs can specialise in different types of cuisines. They can prepare special low fat diets, or fusions. Most chefs will have a specialty menu but a good chef will have an interesting portfolio of menus. Private Chefs are typically well trained and professional in their dealings with the customer, so no bad tempered rants in the kitchen.

When you hire a private Chef there's no need to worry about second sittings, you can languish for as long as you like. Even though you provide the wine, it could still represent a big saving, because of the price of wine in top restaurants.

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Find Your Contracts With Ease

Personal Assistants are tasked with organising their boss and managing information; therefore, PAs are expected to know where things are. Effective PAs create efficient filing systems and are able to locate and retrieve documents quickly. It is estimated that up to 70 percent of companies mislay 10 percent or more of their contracts.

There are important implications for misplacing a contract. Contracts tell us what actions we have agreed to, and are therefore obligated to perform. They provide a benchmark that informs us when suppliers are not performing in accordance with agreed contractual terms; therefore, contracts are the basis for dispute resolution. Important terms, such as contractual liability, termination, and terms of payment have particular monetary implications for the organisation, so it essential that contractual agreements are easily accessible.

Contract management software provides a solution to the problem of misplaced contracts, so it's a useful tool in a PA's arsenal. Contract management software can be used to draft, manage and store contracts. There are a number of products on the market, varying in complexity, but this type of software should include the basic features. The software should be password access only; it should store executed contracts; it should be searchable; and it should include an email notification feature that alerts you when key dates are approaching.

Electronic copies are useful as backups for original hardcopies. Searchable fields are the reason contract management software is so useful. It saves time and allows you to locate a contract with minimal details. Any Contract Manager will tell you that the contract expiry date and renewal date are important milestones in the execution of a contract, so a feature that provides email notification of these upcoming dates is invaluable. Another important aspect of this software is, it allows a number of people to retrieve and review contracts from any location. Special features include industry-specific terms written into the contract templates, which provide checks and balances to meet industry standards.

To find the right software for your company, do an online search of "contract management systems". Follow the link below to check out Capterra.com's industry specific software directory.

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Build A Good Relationship With Your Boss

Managing the boss is one of the tasks an Executive Assistant needs to do well, but this can only be effectively achieved if you have a good relationship with your boss.

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Interactive White Boards - Perfect Training Aids

Interactive white boards have a distinct advantage over static white boards in that any information written on the interactive white board can be saved in a number of formats. This is a time saver for Executive Personal Assistants - no more transcribing page upon page of flipchart paper. These whiteboards are also useful as tools for recapping what was discussed at earlier meetings or training sessions.

As a tool for training, interactive whiteboards are invaluable. They can be used to flag up and highlight important points that need to be emphasized, and they can also accomodate animation, which helps trainees to understand complex issues. In addition to this, it's more interesting to look at something that is interactive than something that is static.

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Accredited Executive Personal Assistant Training Courses

It is essential that Executive Personal Assistants keep up with the latest technology and best practices in the professional. See the following list of accredited PA courses.

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Business Networking Tips

Many business owners misunderstand the concept of business networking and approach networking events as marketplaces to sell their products and services. With this mindset, networking events can quickly become uneventful, as few people are open to buying or doing business.

The best mindset to have is that of "farmer", rather than "hunter". Hunting is about getting customers. Farming involves cultivating relationships with potential customers. With this approach you are more likely to receive referrals, as most of the attendees will understand that selling at networking events is a no-no.

Business networking events provide good opportunites to get consistent and qualified value of business referrals. Before attending a networking event make sure you have a strategy. Know who you would like to meet and find out as much as you can about them, their company and products.

Be realistic about the number of people you can effectively meet but don't spend too much time with any one person. Increase your success as a networker, find out how you can help your new contacts. Perhaps you can give them one or two qualified referrals - pay it forward.

Always follow-up. It's pointless meeting people if you fail to follow through. Send them a nice note saying it was a pleasure to have met them. Mention one or two things you discussed and enclose your business card. If you receive a response then you will have successfully created a new business contact.

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What is Cloud Computing?

Want to know a little more about cloud computing. I have outlined the advantages and disadvantages for your information.

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PLANNING CORPORATE MEETINGS

Planning corporate meetings and managing them requires skills for minuting meetings, writing minutes of meetings and compiling an agenda.

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Taking Advantage of OpenOffice.org 3 Software

OpenOffice.org 3 is a suite of free open source software that is available to everyone. The software suite is an office package that mimics and is compatible with Microsoft Office software. It includes software for word processing, presentations, spreadsheets, databases, etc. It is available in a number of languages and works on standard computers. OpenOffice software is completely free and can be downloaded from the OpenOffice website.

The important thing is that the software can read and write from popular office software packages, including the Microsoft Office suite. The software was developed over a twenty year period using an open development process which allowed all users to enhance the software, report bugs and request new features.

If you are familiar with the Microsoft Office suite you will find OpenOffice easy to use. The software is released under LGPL licence and can be downloaded on as many computers as you like and used free of charge. Consequently, OpenOffice can be used for commercial, domestic, public administration and educational purposes. You can copy the software and give it to employees, friends, family, etc.

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The New Fit Notes

For those in the UK, it's worth noting that as of 6 April 2010, sickness certificates will be replaced by new fit notes. At present, employees get evidence of sickness from their doctor in the form of a sickness certificate. A sickness certificate is needed to obtain sick pay, but it also summarises the illness the employee is suffering from and suggests a timeframe for the employee to return to work.

A fit note is a new medical statement called a Statement of Fitness for Work. It will be issued by doctors as of 6 April 2010 in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The purpose of a fit note is to provide information that is applicable to the employer. The fit note will state how the employee's illness will affect their work and under what conditions they may be able to return to work.

How fit notes will differ from sickness certificates is that sickness certificates either say that the employee is fit for work, or that they are not fit enough to return to work. The new fit note adds a third option, which is: "may be fit for work taking account of the following advice." This statement does not obligate the employer to act on the advice given by the doctor, but it provides guidelines about the necessary support that will be needed if the employee should return to work early.

The support needed might include: altered hours, amended duties, a phased return to work, workplace adaptations, etc.

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Workplace Stress and the Line Manager Competency Indicator Tool

Workplace stress comes in all guises and includes: bullying and harassment, incorrectly designed workstations, health issues such as alchohol and drug abuse, and tiredness caused by working long hours.

Line managers are in a good position to spot work related stress. They are often the first to see changes in the behaviour of individuals, and may even be the first person the stressed individual confides in.

It is important that line managers have the necessary skills to identify workplace stress and manage the situation. With this in mind, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), in conjunction with Investors in People and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, has come up with a tool for measuring line manager competency.

The tool gives line managers the ability to assess their current behaviours to determine if they have what it takes to identify, prevent and reduce stress at work. It helps managers to reflect on their management style and behaviour and get the necessary training to improve their approach.

The HSE, along with CIPD and IiP are in the process of developing a suite of tools for line managers and those who train them. You can get involved in the refining of these tools because during the development process, the public will be invited to test the tools. Click on the link below for further details.

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Tips For Using Personal Virtual Assistants

Have you taken the plunge yet and outsourced some of your Executive Personal Assistant work to a Personal Virtual Assistant? You might be asking, what type of tasks can I outsource? The answer is, "lots of things". You can engage a Virtual Assistant to organise an event, organise travel, or set up an offsite meeting. VAs can also be used for more mundane tasks like answering the telephone and typing. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your VA.

1. Small is good too - Consider all tasks, even if the task would normally take you 20 minutes to complete. When you add up the time taken to do 6 or 7 tasks that take 20 minutes to complete, it's worth your while putting them in a batch and assigning them to a VA.

2. Organise your handover - There are a number of free task assignment tools out there on the internet that can be used to assign tasks to your VA. These include Gmail, TaDa, Jott, CellTell and Wiki. When completing your email task request, attach the task request to an email with a special subject line.

3. Delegate Recurring Tasks - Tasks that recur and are essentially monitoring tasks are perfect for passing off. Get rid of these types of tasks to reduce the clutter in your mind and on your desk. (Any task that's internet-based is a good candidate for outsourcing.) Assign each task and then bundle them together.

4. Empower Your VA - Explain each task thoroughly so that your VA can act fully without seeking further clarification.

Use email, instant messaging and/or RSS feed to monitor your VA's progress, and share your calendar. Don't outsource tasks that are urgent, high stress or high-priority. You will spend too much time worrying about whether it will be done correctly and on time.

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HR Training for Executive Personal Assistants

According to research from the consultancy firm Croner, which looked at 300 small businesses, 60 per cent of managers in small companies lack formal HR training; however, 10 per cent of the managers surveyed spend as much as 15 hours a day dealing with HR issues. This includes managing directors, chief executives, and even personnel managers.

It's clear that the managers surveyed are not confident about making HR related decisions because 26 per cent of those surveyed said they are unsure about the decisions they make. Managers are constantly aware that if they get their decisions wrong, it could lead to an employment tribunal.

Another issue that was highlighted is the lack of external HR support that is available to managers. It was found that most managers rely on the internet to come up with the right decision, and one quarter of those surveyed have no external HR support. Dr John McGurk of The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) suggested that small firms should have at least one person on the shop floor who is formally trained in HR issues. They should have a similarly trained person in management.

Managers should be well clued up on redundancy discrimination, employment law, and the legislative agenda. Dr McGurk said: "Businesses need to see this as a positive element, as having people with proper training should make it an easier process, allowing more time for business development."

With this in mind, it is advisable for Executive Personal Assistants to add HR training to their list of courses to do as part of learning and development. This will enhance the level of personal assistance they can provide to their principal. Check out the list of short courses run by the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD).

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Corporate Gifts

Corporate gift ideas to provide a selection for Personal Assistants and Exec Personal Assistants.

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What Is Podcasting?

If you were asked "what is podcasting" would you know how to answer? Read this article if you're a little foggy on this relatively new technology.

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BUSINESS APOLOGY LETTER - GOOD DRAFT TO RETAIN CUSTOMER

Writing a good business apology letter is essential for damage limitation and customer satisfaction. Knowing how to write a good draft or sample business apology letter will help retain the customers.

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WEB CRAWLERS EXPLAINED

Web crawlers are an important factor in search engine ranking.

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