I am a Canadian Assistant, eh!

I live in Ottawa our nation’s capital. I don’t live in an igloo or take a dogsled to work and I don’t ski in July. I live about ‘10 clicks’ from work and take an OC Transpo bus to get there. Up here OC stands for the County of Ottawa-Carleton, not Orange County.

The first thing most people do in the morning is get a ‘double-double’ coffee and donut at Tim Horton’s, or more affectionately known as ‘Timmy’s’. We can pay for it with a ‘Twoonie’ or two ‘Loonies’. Our troops in Afghanistan have a Timmy’s on their base to make them feel at home.

I am doubly blessed with not only having a Canadian accent ‘eh’, but I also have an Ottawa Valley twang. At work however I am a professional and don’t answer the phones with ‘G’day’ or say ‘see ya’ when I say goodbye.

I try to keep my desk ‘organized’ and ‘co-ordinate’ my boss’s day. Sometimes my boss can cause a big ‘kerfuffle’ with stressful deadlines and we all go running to ‘get er done’.

I write Canadian English and when I type the letter ‘z’, I pronounce it ‘zed’. I requisition ‘cheques’ when I need to pay an invoice and I spell labor "L A B O U R". I try to keep myself professional and younger looking by ‘colouring’ my hair when the ‘grey’ starts showing. I celebrate Thanksgiving Day on the second Monday in October, not in November.

If I go to a restaurant for breakfast, I have a choice between white and ‘brown’ toast and when I am finished eating I ask for the ‘bill’. I go to the 'washroom' when nature calls and when I take time off work I say I am ‘on vacation’.

I go out for lunch with the ‘girls’ at the office and I work across the street from the ‘lads’ on Parliament Hill, where we have a Prime Minister, not a President. I have a front row seat to see and hear all the protesters when they come visitin’ the Hill. Hey, one time the farmers all drove to town and parked their tractors out front and honked their horns all at the same time. Now, that got the politicians’ attention eh? When the boys from the Valley come callin’, well all I can say is “We sure know how to ‘giv’er’ up here”.

I will still be watching hockey in June and wondering when a Canadian team will finally win the Stanley Cup and bring it home to Canada where it belongs.

I am looking forward to celebrating Canada Day on July 1st, not July 4th.

Yes, I AM A CANADIAN ASSISTANT eh!

For more on the Canadian way with words click here.

The Virtual Assistant: The Business of Working at Home

With the advances made in technology, the ability to set up a home virtual assistant business has become quite doable and in many cases, very profitable. We have the technology to get voicemails, faxes and transcriptions by e-mail and with the addition of a business line you can easily re-direct business calls to your home and no one would know that they were calling someone’s home and not the office.

We are now able to set up a virtual office at home and work by contract for many different employers, and there are entrepreneurs doing just that.

The role of the virtual assistant can be limited to areas you want to work in, i.e. personal assistant and desktop publishing, or the sky is the limit with any number of functions you can fulfill for your client’s business and personal needs. It all depends on your abilities and what you want to do. The work is out there and the Internet has provided the means to do the job effectively and without borders. Your employer can now be anywhere in the world with just a click on the mouse.

Two Heads are Better Than one

Running a virtual business doesn’t mean you have to do it all yourself. It is easy to virtually hire someone in another city or country to assist you. Your expertise may be in accounting, word processing and marketing, but you can easily partner with someone to do your web design and graphics work. You can also contract yourself out to virtual assistant firms to lend your expertise to their businesses all from the comfort of your home.

The Virtual Office

Your virtual office can be tucked away in the corner of your house or in a basement office, but it does require state of the art technology and equipment to be able to meet the needs of your clients. Investing in good quality equipment is a smart move. If you are not a hardware person you will want to have a contract with an IT company who can assist you when you run into computer problems, especially if you are in the middle of a rush job for a client.

Purchasing an ergonomic workstation is also essential as you will spend hours sitting at your desk in front of your computer.

Networking in the Virtual Community

Becoming part of the virtual community is a necessity for the virtual assistant. Networking among assistants is necessary whether virtual or in an office building. Assistants depend on their co-workers to ask questions and get feedback, and it is the same for the virtual assistant.
There are virtual office groups worldwide to share your successes and concerns with and to share your expertise. Having a network of assistants is key to a successful business.

The demands on executives have increased and the need for assistance is not going to go away. As corporations downsize and technology advances, the business of the virtual assistant will only increase and become more doable and profitable in the future.

Click here for an article on starting your virtual assistant business.

Click here to visit the Virtual Assistant Networking Association.

Just passing stuff along...

Click here to read a great article on things we should be thinking about when using the Internet at work posted by Chrissy on The EA Toolbox.

Admins in the Spotlight: A Day in the Life of an Interior Designer’s Personal Assistant

Here is a link to an article about an interior designer's personal assistant and all she does in a day. It was like reading my daily journal. We are busy, busy...It is nice to see the assistant’s role appreciated for what it is. In this case Kelly Hoppen's assistant Olivia Lewsey is a 'Jill of all Trades'.

E-mail Annoyances from our Bosses

I could relate to all of these e-mail annoyances. I passed this link to my bosses and the other assistants in my office.

What is your Mirror Face?

I just got my new driver’s license. This was the year I needed to have my photo taken and I take a horrible posed picture. When I am posing for a picture I am too conscious of how I look and I end up trying too hard.

How come when I comment how bad my photo is and a co-worker asks to see it they normally shrug and say, “Looks just like you”? Thanks a lot...

I was speaking with someone about bad photos and he said a friend of his calls that her "mirror face". It is hard to smile naturally while looking in a mirror because...well, you are smiling at yourself, usually by yourself. It’s hard to be photogenic in the bathroom...

I especially hate getting my picture taken at work functions because I am usually caught in the middle of eating or laughing with my mouth wide open. Probably the worst photos are those on passports. How do the security people at airports not laugh out loud looking at those? I always apologize for my awful picture when I go through the line. I’m sure the security people have heard it over and over again, “I don’t normally look that bad”, as they look at you without a smile and stamp your passport and tell you to move along.

The next time you are showing your photo, don’t apologize. Just tell them that is your mirror face.

Photo of my great-nephew Dean looking at his mirror face, taken by his mom Corrinna.

5 Blogging Misconceptions

1. I don’t have any friends, therefore I blog...

Nope, I have lots of family and friends. They are all supportive of my blogging efforts and cheer me on. They don’t read my blog however because they can get it first hand...See #2.

2. I love to talk and no one will listen, therefore I blog...

I talk to my friends and they listen. I talk some more and they walk away...I blog to avoid boring my friends.

3. I can’t get published, therefore I blog...

Blogging has opened the door to having some articles published in professional magazines. Blogging puts you out there and people are watching and reading.

4. I want to makes lots and lots of money, therefore I blog...

NOT! Not for me anyway. No money in blogging, but it is a great outlet for my talking. See #2.

5. I think I know it all, therefore I blog...

Nope. I learn from my blogging. I probably know more now about my profession than I’ve ever known.

At Your Side: Mentoring in the Workplace

I once worked for a company where anyone who needed help in a certain area could call on one of their senior administrative assistants, trainers or IT specialists who would come to your desk and walk you through a problem. We called this “at your side” training. When I started at a new employer I thought the concept of having an “at your side” was everywhere. I found out it wasn’t, but I believe it should be.

I recently met a former co-worker for lunch and she described the way the assistants are trained in her office. She said that new assistants are mentored for the first year of their working career. They work initially as an assistant-in-training and report to a senior assistant for mentoring and help with anything that comes up on the job. They are encouraged to bring any requests from their boss and run it by their mentors so they can think through the next steps. Their bosses feel more confident that newbie mistakes will not be made and the new assistants feel more confident knowing it is expected of them to ask questions. They didn’t have to fear looking like they didn’t know what they were doing.

What a great idea and what a forward way of thinking for this company. Because of this mentoring program they had no problem hiring young assistants right out of college. They knew their real training would begin on the job and the end result would far outweigh the risks of hiring someone with no experience.

The reason I started my blog was because I wanted to pass on my knowledge and experience to anyone who wanted to listen. I felt that since I had been an admin assistant for almost 30 years I probably had something I could pass along that would be useful. In that sense I am mentoring via the blog.

I shared at a recent IAAP dinner meeting my reasons for joining this professional association and one of the reasons I gave were the mentoring opportunities. What a great place to go and what resources we have at our fingertips by other more seasoned members. Just looking out over the audience I saw experts that I wanted to plug into what they knew and learn and grow from them. The more experienced assistants can also learn from the younger assistants with their advanced knowledge of computer software. Mentoring can be a give and take experience.

Sharing what you know

Here are seven things you can consider about mentoring and being mentored:

1. From the top down. It is always better if the mentoring has the stamp of approval of the employer. This helps to alleviate the feeling that you are trying to tell someone what to do. When the employer approves the mentorship it is accepted as their normal business practice. No toes are stepped on.
   
2. Take the advice. You won’t agree with everything you hear, but listen to it with ears that understand your mentor has been on the job for many years and probably knows what they are talking about.
   
3. Ask questions. If there is any doubt, don’t be afraid to ask. It is better to ask than to do it wrong and then have to re-do it. It is also better to leave the impression that you will be back if you need further help. It will give the mentor confidence in you.
   
4. Be patient. The mentor needs to be patient as the new person is learning so many things. Take the time to explain and listen back to make sure it is understood.
   
5. Be available. Mentors should stop by and see how things are going and be willing to offer assistance and advice when they see someone is struggling.
   
6. Be an encourager. There was a time when each of us was the new person and just learning. Remember, it can be overwhelming at first. An encouraging word can go a long way.
   
7. Pass on the praise. If things are going well, let the employer know. If things are not going well, keep working on it until it is. A successful protégé is a reflection of their mentor.

Mentoring Outside the Workplace

If your company does not have a mentoring program there are still opportunities for growth. As I previously mentioned, there are mentorship possibilities available through your administrative professional association. I also have a close circle of administrative professional co-workers and friends and we help and mentor each other in different areas of our careers. Your mentor may not even be an administrative professional, but an experienced business person or a former boss or colleague who has agreed to counsel you in your career. Be open to learning from others.

Another way you can be mentored indirectly is through reading professional magazines, books, blogs and websites. Reading useful articles can give you helpful insight and tools for your career.

We are not an island...Reaching out for counsel and assistance can be a useful career and confidence builder and reaching out and sharing knowledge with others can be rewarding and will sharpen your own skills and keep you current.

We are what we think...let’s start thinking “Important!”

Assistants who have come from the days of being a secretary seem to have brought along with them the mindset that “I am just a secretary”. At one time being a secretary was a low paying and underappreciated profession. The secretary however was often the glue that held the office together and many times that idea was shown in movies or television shows that portrayed the office.

Today’s administrative assistant is much more than a secretary, but we seem to have the same idea as in the past. I read our professional magazines and notice that the majority of the articles are written by office consultants or HR professionals. Yes, we can learn from these professionals and they can motivate us and give us insight and tips, but they can’t tell us how to do our job. Some of us have been in this profession for many, many years. We are the experts in what we do so what better person to pass on valuable information about our profession than the admin assistants themselves?

I wrote an article called Thinking Outside the Job Description Box where I talked about the different areas we can go as assistants. I personally know people who have done just that and have found their niche as a result of our “Jack (or Jill) of all trades” job. We each have our expertise, let’s share the wealth of information with our fellow admins...

I am a member of the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) and each time I meet with this group of professionals I come away appreciating more and more how much each of us knows and how qualified we are in our careers. One of us may be great at organizing a conference. Another person may be expert at scheduling dates and organizing meetings. Someone else may be very up to date on computer software programs and have found tips and tricks to make their job easier. These are the people who should be writing the articles and passing on this knowledge to help other assistants.

I have had e-mails from readers of this blog and they have commended me on the content. Here is a quote from one of them, but the sentiment in other comments has been similar:

"I am an Administrative Assistant ...[and] have been in the corporate world for the past 10 years. I stumbled across your blog, and would like to commend you on the excellent content! Your blog has articles that are relevant to the corporate workplace, which is not often found on sites about PA's."
Shana from South Africa
(used with permission)
Paper Berry Blog

Admins want content and we are the ones who can give them the practical help.

I speak to assistants every day and there are far more qualified people out there than I am. I don’t think I am the leading expert on admin professionals, but I do feel I have a message to tell and that is how I use my blog.

Another purpose for my blog is to showcase the admin assistant as important professionals in the office to those who visit my blog who are not admins. I want them to see it and see how professional it is and get the message out that assistants are important too. I comment online on other sites such as Penelope Trunk’s Brazen Careerist and other career counselling and workplace sites and link back to mine and have had a few visitors as a result. Do I belong? Sure I do. Admins are as business professional as anyone else and our opinion counts too.

Is this the proverbial we are our own worst enemy? My battle cry will be for the assistant to recognize the role we play in the office, the importance of our job “Whether our bosses say so or not” and the professional nature of our work. We are business professionals.

The Department of Labor reports that our occupation is expected to be one of the areas with the most growth in the coming years and I believe our role will be changed once again. Let’s help define where we are going by putting ourselves out there and showcasing our abilities.

If you are interested in guest posting an article on this site, please e-mail me at pattyannrobb@rogers.com. The only thing I would ask is that you only post articles that are your own work as I don't want to infringe on any copyright laws and that there are no references to employer or co-worker names. I try to blog smart and keep my articles very general.

If you want to know how to get ideas for articles, read my post on “What am I going to blog about? How to get new ideas when you are a blogger”. Some people have the expertise, but don't feel confident enough to write. I interviewed a friend of mine for her expertise in minute taking and it has been one of my most popular posts. I would love to interview others who feel they have a message, but do not want to be the writer.

Now how did I get on this subject? I started out wanting to write an article on mentoring. And I will get to it another day, but...this is what I needed to say today.

Book Review: Complete Office Handbook

This is a handy office reference book that would be a valuable resource for any administrative assistant, particularly those just entering the workplace. It covers just about everything you would ever come across in today's office and is the only office handbook recommended by the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP).

You can order it on Amazon.com by clicking on the link on the right-hand side bar of this blog (scroll down), or by going directly to www.amazon.com.

Hot Flash: Working With Your Internal Temperature Turned Up

I take my jacket off for the third time this morning and tell a co-worker again how hot I am. I calculate that I have about 13 years before retirement so I better get used to it. I have to work and I am going through menopause. My doctor tells me some women can experience symptoms on and off into their 70s.

I wonder what the younger women and the men in the office must be thinking as they watch the older assistants heat up...

Here are some tips that help me cope with the heat:

1. Keep a cold glass of water at your desk and sip on it throughout the day. The colder the better...
   
2. Dress in layers so you can easily take a jacket or sweater off when the heat goes up.
   
3. Get regular exercise. The last thing I feel like doing when I am having a hot flash is to go to the gym and get hot and sticky, but it actually helps and I come back feeling refreshed.
   
4. Get plenty of rest. Sleeping is a challenge, but we need our rest if we are going to do our jobs efficiently during the day.
   
5. Take vitamins and try to eat healthy.

My daughter recently told me about some special pyjamas for women in menopause made by HotCoolWear, a Toronto company. They also have clothing you can wear at the office because hot flashes are not reserved just for the night time. I am definitely going to check this place out.

I have had it easy compared to some. Except for the regular hot flashes and sleepless nights, it is not too bad. A friend of mine told me that her memory is getting very bad as she heads into menopause. It is becoming more and more imortant to write everything down. I have had a bad memory for many years, so nothing new for me in that department...

If you enjoy shopping, try buying some comfortable but stylish layered clothing. Treat yourself if you can to a colour and a nice haircut. I recently had a pedicure and manicure to get ready for the summer season. Whatever you can do to make yourself comfortable and feeling better about yourself will help.

Here is a women’s health site for more information on menopause. If you are experiencing difficult menopausal symptoms that are affecting you at home and work, you should see your doctor.