Working From Home: Notary Public

One work-from-home option open to Administrative and Executive Assistants is working as a Notary Public. The main job of a Notary Public is to witness signatures and attest to the authenticity of the signature. Depending on the applicable laws for your state, a Notary may also administer oaths and affirmations, certify copies, and in some states even officiate at weddings.
Why Run a Notarial Business
There are pros and cons to offering notarial services.  First the pros.

You can get started with a limited investment. You’ll need a computer and internet access, of course, and you’ll also need a laser printer. While [...] Continue Reading…

Work From Home Careers for Admins

Have you been laid off?  Having trouble finding another job?  Welcome to the club!  So many administrative personnel have lost their jobs in the down economy, and the job growth for our industry just isn’t where it needs to be.  One option for those of us tired of waiting for the phone to ring is starting our own businesses.

With the economy still depressed, many administrative assistants who have been laid off, including me, are starting their own businesses in order to make ends meet.  As part of my continuing series, So You’ve Been Laid Off, I’m going to discuss [...] Continue Reading…

Guest Post: Is Multitasking All It’s Cracked Up To Be?

Today’s article is a guest post from Wendy Stoneman.

You’re busy. You’ve got 12 things on your To-Do List. All of them have to get done today. In the middle of working down your list, the phone rings, emails messages come in, people stop by with requests – it’s a typical workday. That’s ok, you’re an excellent multitasker, right? You pride yourself on being able to get everything done – often at the same time. Here’s the bad news: you can’t actually multitask, and you’re less efficient for trying.

According to research, (yes, someone gets paid to study these sorts of [...] Continue Reading…

Ask the Admin: Making Tasks Private

I got this e-mail from Marcie:
I am trying, for the first time to set a task in Outlook 2010. I would like the task to recur hourly, starting at 8:am and ending at 5:pm, every weekday. This reminder is to remind me to drink 8 oz. of water. My calendar is viewable by my 2 Directors and 3 Academic Coordinators, and even though I’m sure none of us personally care how much water I consume, I just don’t want to place it on my calendar, one of the coordinators, is on Atkins and has her snack times 10:30a & [...] Continue Reading…

Ask the Admin: Meeting Minutes Retention

I got the following e-mail from Dee: I am the Secretary of our neighborhood community association, how long should we retain the minutes.  I do not want to keep minutes for many years.  Thanks Dee Hi, Dee.  Thanks for your question.  You don’t indicate if you are talking about Board minutes or membership meeting minutes.  According to every reference I can find for document retention, Board minutes should be kept permanently. I didn’t find any specific references to membership meeting minutes in any of the research I’ve done. Non-Profit Document Retention [...] Continue Reading…

Thinking Like A Manager

Joan Burge had a great post this week about thinking like a manager.  It’s part of her series on “Becoming an Administrative Superstar”.  Her post got me thinking about my own experiences as an Executive Assistant and most especially my first Executive Assistant position.
Put Yourself In Your Boss’s Shoes
When you work as a direct admin for your boss, whether it’s as an Administrative or Executive Assistant, you should look at everything that crosses your desk through your boss’s eyes.

I remember my first job as an Executive Assistant.  I gave him his signature folder one morning with some employee reviews [...] Continue Reading…

Links Round-up September 8, 2010

Good morning, everyone.  I hope you all had a stellar Labor Day.

Here’s the links I’ve tweeted in the last couple of weeks with great tips for Administrative and Executive Assistants.  Click here if you want to follow me on Twitter.

Need to brush up your PowerPoint skills? OfficeArrow has a 3-pack training deal officearrow.com/d…
Complacency Can Lead to Administrative Career Extinction julieperrine.com/…
Use the Windows 7 Calculator’s New Modes, Features, and Worksheets online-tech-tips…. (This is a really great article.  The calculator function has been wonderfully expanded in Windows 7).
Transitioning from Coworker to Supervisor | Business Management Strategies & Workplace Communica… officearrow.com/m…
Managing Holiday [...] Continue Reading…

Stylebooks: How to Write Professionally

We all know how important proper grammar and punctuation are in business writing.  We all took English in school and learned the basics, but questions of style can be more complex.  When talking dates, do we refer to the “1950s” or the “1950’s”?  Is it “an historical event” or “a historical event”?  Is that title capitalized, italicized or underlined?  The answer to these questions depends on the industry doing the writing and what stylebook they use.
What Is A Stylebook?
A stylebook is, essentially, a set of rules or standards used in writing and design.  Once upon a time, individual organizations [...] Continue Reading…

Dealing With Change In The Workplace

In today’s harsh economic climate, about the only thing that stays the same is change.  Companies are downsizing, reorganizing, and rethinking everything they do. People are being laid off, duties are being passed around, and those left behind are dealing with the guilt and relief of not being on the chopping block.

Let’s face it, even positive change can cause discomfort, and the change in companies today isn’t always positive.  For those living through constant change, the stress can eat you alive if you don’t deal with change in a positive manner.
Dealing with Change: Coping Techniques
How do you deal [...] Continue Reading…

Ask the Admin: My Boss Is Having An Affair

We have a doozy of a question this week, folks, and I’m hoping some of you can help the writer with some advice:
I just found out that my boss is having an affair.  Normally I wouldn’t care.  I mean, who he sleeps with is none of my business, isn’t it?  The part I’m having trouble with is that I like his wife.  A lot!  She’s in and out of the office all the time and she attends company events with him.  She’s such a sweetheart, and I feel just terrible about all of this.  I hate to see her [...] Continue Reading…