I am on holidays, but...

I just got back from a nice boat trip on the Rideau Canal, which for those who don't know is a scenic waterway that runs through Ottawa and the Valley. In the winter it is the world's longest skating rink. Apparently in 2005 this was made official by the Guinness Book of Records. Who knew?

My friend and I had a nice swim off the boat and a BBQ at one of the docks near the beautiful Village of Merrickville. It was a warm sunny day and the only bad thing was my $100 sunglasses fell in the water never to be seen again...

When I got home and checked my e-mail I noticed a link to an article that I thought might interest some of you. As most of you know I am a member of the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) and apparently we have opened our very first Virtual Chapter. The chapter has members from across the country (and I suppose they could virtually be from around the world as everything is done online). Yes, I know. Pretty bad play on the word virtual, eh? But I am on holidays and I'm tired right now... Click here (once you open the link you need to scroll down to read the article).

Now I am going to go back to enjoying my holidays. I'm shopping for a baby crib tomorrow with my daughter. I am looking forward to the birth of my first grandchild in October, a little boy.

Back on the blog on the 7th...


Patricia

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.

Administrative Professionals' Organization

I went through most of my career unaware that we as admin assistants had a professional association. Since I have become a member of IAAP I don't know why I didn't join before. What a great place to network with our peers and a place we can learn and grow as a person and as an assistant.

Judy McCoy, Board President, of IAAP gave a good summary of what joining a professional association can do for you and your career in a recent article in The Bellingham Herald:

"I meet people who are stagnant in their job and who (upon joining the IAAP) discover there are many opportunities out there. You see people grow and become leaders, and then they do better at the workplace.

It is also a great place to interact with your peers about the industry."

Click here to read the full story.

At this time of celebrating Administrative Professionals' week, check out joining your local professional association for your own career development.

For those who don't know, IAAP stands for the International Association of Administrative Professionals.

Do you have a job or a career?

The Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary defines Career as “the job or series of jobs that you do during your working life, especially if you continue to get better jobs and earn more money...”. A Job is defined as “...the regular work which a person does to earn money”.[1]

Some questions you can ask yourself are:

Do you decide on a job because of availability, money or a wise career choice?
Hopefully the money and wise career choice will go together.

Do you go to work just for the paycheque or for the satisfaction of a job well done? Or a bit of both?
Let’s face it, we all need money, but is our whole purpose just to get a paycheque and go home or is our goal to earn the best salary we can make while advancing in our career?

Is your job challenging?
Are you looking for ways you can improve your performance? Are you looking for innovative ideas on how you can fulfill your role? Are you open to making changes?

Are you investing in your career?
Do you upgrade your skills? Do you read books on topics of interest to your career, do you subscribe to useful feeds and e-bulletins.

Do you consider yourself a professional?
Most, if not all, of the people I have worked for have been a professional in their field. One of the givens is they join their professional association for their particular area.
Are you a member of your professional organization? Do you invest time to further your career? Do you network?

Administrative Assistants have professional associations they can join. Do you know about them? Can they benefit you, can you benefit them?

Many professional organizations are looking for professionals to submit articles for publishing in their newsletters and magazines. They recognize we are experts in our field and they want to hear from us. How do we see ourselves?

Do you believe that what you do is important and is making a difference to your organization?
You are an important part of the team and your skills are needed to effectively complete a project or job. Many organizations recognize this and show their appreciation by including you in their successes by thanking you and acknowledging your contribution. But whether your organization does or not, it is how you view your role that is important to your career.

[1] Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary, Cambridge Dictionaries Online, (accessed November 19, 2007)

Joining a Professional Association: Is it Beneficial?

As I was doing research for other articles on this blog I came across the International Association of Administrative Professionals' website ("IAAP") and was reminded of the advantages of being part of a professional organization.
This article is not intended to be an endorsement of any one particular organization over another.

I was previously a member of IAAP when I was at another firm. I went to their dinner meetings and conferences and felt it was a good investment. At my previous employer they paid for the membership and, if work schedules permitted, would allow you to take time during office hours to go to meetings and luncheons in the area. It would be worthwhile to check with your HR Manager to see if this benefit is offered at your office.

The advantages I found in being part of a professional organization are:

• It is a great place for networking with other admin assistants. I think it helps to have people in the same profession you can interact with and get ideas and helpful insights from.
• I found that by belonging to an association you have access to job postings in the area.
• The dinner meetings and conferences had very useful topics and information that I could use in my daily work.
• Most associations include a subscription to their monthly magazine which have great articles on subjects that matter to us.
• I found they encouraged members to participate and advance their skills in areas like public speaking, chairing a meeting, taking minutes, etc. A woman I worked with was a shy person who would never speak in public but through the encouragement of her peers she ended up chairing a conference and doing a wonderful job. It helped to have that support system.
• I found the resource section on the website to be very good and up to date. I recently ordered two books from the IAAP website: Work it Out,1 which is a book on working with your colleagues and resolving conflict relationships; and a second book, Email Management,2 which I believe is very timely as the constant influx of emails can be a daunting task to manage and organize.
  If you are interested in ordering these or other books, please go to the IAAP website under Education & Training: Educational Products/Bookstore.3
• If you are a member, put it on your resume! I think it would show any employer that you take your career seriously and that you are a professional.

I'm sure there are many other good reasons for joining a professional organization, but these are my thoughts on it.

Here is a website for another Administrative Assistant association that I found:
Association of Administrative Assistants: whose motto is Professionalism through Education4

1 Krebs Hirsh, Sandra and Kise, Jane A.G., Work It Out: Using Personality Type to Improve Team Performance
2 Flynn, Nancy, E-Mail Management: 50 Tips for Keeping Your Inbox Under Control
3 International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP), http://www.iaap-hq.org/, (accessed September 16, 2007)
4 Association of Admnistrative Assistants, http://www.aaa.ca/index.htm, (accessed September 16, 2007)