Administrative Arts » Document Preparation

Ask the Admin: Meeting Minutes Retention

Jodith — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 08:00:00 +0000

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 Recommendations

What I did find was a report from 2007 compiled by the Collaborative Electronic Records Project at the Rockefeller Archive Center on record retention for non-profits. This doesn’t only give a sample document retention schedule, it actually talks about categories of records and how long to keep them. With that knowledge, you can look at your membership meeting minutes and decide how long they need to be kept.

Another good document I found talks about setting up a document retention policy. Both of these documents have footnotes and a bibliography to source material, so anyone interested in in-depth information on document retention policies has a good place to start.

I hope this helps, Dee. If you have further questions, just leave a comment and we’ll see if we can get some input from some of the other admins reading this blog.

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Stylebooks: How to Write Professionally

Jodith — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 08:00:00 +0000

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 each had their own stylebook or style manual. Some of them sold that manual to the public. Over time, certain stylebooks have become the de facto standard for particular industries. In the world of journalism, it’s The AP Stylebook;, in book publishing, it’s The Chicago Manual of Style; and in business, it’s The Gregg Reference Manual. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but in general, these are the books that these industries use.

Which Stylebook Should You Use?

The stylebook you use will depend a great deal on your industry. The first thing you should do is check with your boss. She may have a particular preference for a certain stylebook, or your company may dictate the stylebook to use. You may even find yourself using different stylebooks for different tasks. For instance, you may use The AP Stylebook for newsletters and The Gregg Reference Manual for business letters and memos.

If your boss or company doesn’t dictate the stylebook to use, you should use the appropriate stylebook for the task at hand. The important thing is to be consistent in the stylebook you use, so your writing is consistent overall.

What Stylebooks Do You Use?

Tell us what stylebooks you use in your office and/or industry? Do you use the good old Gregg or one of the other many manuals available to you? Leave a comment and share your practices.Similar Posts:

Ask the Admin: Records Retention

Jodith — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 08:00:00 +0000

I got this e-mail from Kelly:

What is the business standard for the length of time to keep meeting minutes?

Thanks for your question, Kelly. You didn’t specify what type of minutes you need to keep. How long you retain meeting minutes will depend on the type of meetings you are referring to. Most record retention schedules I’ve seen have recommended keeping board meeting minutes permanently. Those are the only meeting minutes that are referred to in most retention schedules.

For other types of high level meeting minutes, such as executive management meetings and the like, you will probably want to get a recommendation from your legal department as to how long they should be kept. For departmental level meetings, I would suggest the current calendar year plus 2-5 years, just to have an historical background for procedural purposes.

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10 Tips for Setting Up a Mailing List

Jodith — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:00:44 +0000

In my last post, I talked about the Pitfalls of Addressing Mail. Today I’d like to talk about actually creating your mailing list. I have created and maintained many mailing lists over the years, and have learned from my many mistakes how to avoid some of the problems you run across when you create a database. Here are 10 tips for setting up a database for a mailing list to help you avoid some of those mistakes yourself.

Use an actual database. If you only have a small set of addresses, you’ll be tempted to keep them in Word or Excel. DON’T! Seriously, if you don’t know Access, take a class. It will make your life so much easier and make you more employable to boot. You can do so many things in Access that you can never do in Excel or Word.
Put all the elements of a name in separate fields: honorific (i.e. Mr., Mrs., etc.), first name, last name, suffix (i.e. Jr., Sr., etc.). This way you can use the database in a mail merge where you use each part of the name separately. “Mr. John Smith” in the address, “Dear Mr. Smith” in the opening, and addressing the person by “John” in the letter to make it more personal. If you put “Mr. John Smith, Jr.” all in one field, you loose a great deal of flexibility in using the database.
Have secondary addressee fields for use with couples. Again, this gives you much more flexibility in using the database in mail merge letters, especially if they have different last names.
Put the zip code +4 in a separate field. The 5 digit zip code goes in one field, and the +4 goes into another. It makes for easier data entry, and you don’t have a bunch of empty spaces in your field if you don’t have the +4 code.
Again for different fields, keep the city and state separate for flexibility in sorting and filtering.

Give each client a unique code. This is just good database practice, but it also helps when you have 25 John Smiths.
Don’t forget an e-mail field. Companies are using e-mail more and more to reach out to their clientele.
Include demographic information if you gather it. Sometimes you might want to target mailings by age or gender. Make sure you include fields for any information your company gathers.
Add a phone number field to maximize the flexibility of your database. Now it can be used for a phone campaign.
Keep all your mailing lists in one database. Just use fields to distinguish what mailing list each name belongs to. This has several benefits:

You keep all data in one place, so only one database needs to be updated when people move.
If you have one client on multiple lists, you only need one entry per client.
You are less likely to be creating duplicate entries.
It’s easier to move people between lists or use queries to pull people from multiple lists for a new purpose.

Don’t forget to fill out the Administrative Arts Reader Survey

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Grammar Tip: Easier vs Easily

Jodith — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:00:54 +0000

photo credit: quinn.anya

Proofreading is an essential skill for all administrative support personnel. In addition to spelling and typos, you also need to be looking for proper word usage. In a previous post, I talked about confusing the words Prospective and Perspective. Today I have another pair of words that I often find misused.

Easier vs. Easily

I must admit to using these two incorrectly on occasion in every day speech, many of us do. However, in writing, especially professional and business writing, these two words should never be used interchangeably.

Easier

The word “easier” is an adjective and should be used to modify a noun. For example:

The easier route is A.
This route is easier.

In both examples, the word “easier” is used to modify the noun “route”.

Easily

The word “easily” is an adverb. Adverbs are used to modify verbs and sometimes adjectives. For example:

This cake is easily prepared.
This cake is prepared more easily than the other cake.

In both examples, the word “easily” is modifying the verb “prepared”.

Remember, when you are proofreading documents, you need to not only look for typos and misspellings, but also correct word usage. So don’t get these two words confused when writing and proofreading documents.Similar Posts:

Create a Desk Reference Manual

Jodith — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:38:52 +0000

photo credit: Dan4th

What happens if a sudden emergency occurs and you have to be off work for a week or more? Could a temp walk into your office and be able to easily handle things while you’re gone? She can if you’ve created a Desk Reference Manual with procedures on how to handle your duties while you’re out.

How to Start – Figure Out What You Actually Do

Making a list of what you actually do can be rather daunting considering just how much we do on a daily basis. A good place to start in creating your desk manual is your job description. After listing your duties from your job description, start listing things you do on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis that aren’t actually listed on your job description. Just figuring out what you do every day is a big task in itself. I found that keeping a time log for a few weeks is a big help in picking up the small duties that are easy to overlook.

Next Step – List Procedures

Once you have a good list of duties developed, break down each duty into the procedures involved. There may be one procedure for each duty, but you might also have multiple procedures for each duty. For instance, answering phones would include procedures for answering the phones, transferring calls, putting calls on hold, transferring calls to voicemail, checking voicemail, and taking messages. Some of these may seem obvious to you, but for someone walking into your office for the first time, they may not be obvious. Be safe and write a procedure for each one.

Writing the Actual Procedures

Now comes the fun part, writing the actual procedures for your duties. The best advice I can give you is to be as detailed as possible. Don’t assume that your reader will actually know what you’re talking about. Include step-by-step instructions. For example, don’t just say log-in to the computer, but rather give step-by-step instructions for the log-in.

Putting Together the Manual

Once you have your procedures written, put your manual together. Remember to include a Table of Contents so that your manual is easy to navigate, and even an index can be handy. You know your job better than any one else, so you are the best one to decide how your manual should be set up.

Remember the Little Details

You deal with important small details every day. Don’t forget to include these in your manual. Who are the important callers who should always be put through? Who should never be put through? Where does your boss keep his spare set of keys for when he inevitably locks them in his car? Does your boss like to review her day with you every morning? Does he like to have his calendar printed out for him every day? These little details will help more than anything else in lessening the impact of your absence from the office.Similar Posts:

Working With Confidential Documents

Jodith — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:04:49 +0000

photo credit: ivoryelephantphotography

As you progress in your career as an Administrative Assistant, and especially as an Executive Assistant, you’ll be working more and more with confidential documents. Pretty much every interview you go on will ask you about your experience in handling these types of documents. Below are some tips for properly handling confidential files.

Handling Confidential Electronic Files

You should take precautions that confidential data isn’t seen while you are working with the electronic files.

Position your desk so someone cannot easily stand behind you and see your computer screen. I habitually set my desk up so that my back it to a wall.
Get a privacy screen for your monitor, which will limit the angle at which someone can view your screen.
Make sure to enable a password protected screensaver, so that any document you are working on is protected if you step away from your desk. I usually set mine for about 3 minutes. Annoying, but safe.
Ideally, lock your computer when you step away (in Windows, type Ctrl-Alt-Delete and then K to lock your computer).
Encrypt all confidential files. Find the file on Windows Explorer, right click it, and choose Encrypt (for Win XP and higher).
Delete your temp files regularly. Every time you open an attachment in Outlook, a copy goes to your temp files, including confidential documents.

Keeping Hard Copies Confidential

Put a cover page on all confidential documents.
Mark each page of the document with a SECRET watermark.
Remember, don’t print confidential documents to a shared or public printer.
Number copies of confidential documents and have each copy signed for so you can track each copy.
When not in use, confidential documents should be locked in a desk or file cabinet.
When you’re finished with a confidential document, shred it in a high quality, crosscut shredder. Strip shred documents are very easy to reconstruct.

One of the hallmarks of a good administrative assistant is the ability to handle confidential data. Assure your boss that you know how to properly handle confidential files.Similar Posts:

What Are Your New Year’s Goals?

Jodith — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 16:36:53 +0000

As the holidays wind down, New Year’s Day looms, and with it the spectre of New Year’s Resolutions. While most people look at these resolutions in a personal sense, like losing weight, exercising more, or being more assertive, I’ve found it beneficial to apply the idea of New Year’s Resolutions to work as well. We need goals in our jobs as well as in our personal life. After all, how do we know what we are achieving if we aren’t striving for something?

How to make good, achievable resolutions

We often make resolutions, but after a few weeks, they fade into the background, and we don’t think about them again until the next New Year. Here’s some tips for not just making, but keeping your resolutions:

Keep it achievable. Make sure your resolution is possible. Don’t shoot for the moon, but rather incremental steps toward your goal. If you set your bar too high, you can feel overwhelmed by the challenge. Instead, set small, achievable goals that will step you along the way to the ultimate goal of your resolution.
Make it specific. A goal that is too general isn’t always an impetus for change. State specifically what you want to achieve. Losing weight is too general. Losing 20 pounds is an actual goal that you can mark yourself against.
List concrete steps towards your goal. Don’t just state what you want to achieve, but make part of your resolution specific steps you intend to take to meet the goal. If you want to be more assertive, add a goal of speaking up at least once in every staff meeting. Again, keep it achievable. And every time you achieve your goal, remember to reward yourself, even if it’s just a mental pat on the back!
Share your goal with at least one other person. It’s easy to lie to ourselves, but it’s harder to backtrack when we have someone else helping us to be accountable.

My work related resolutions for this year are fairly simple:

Learn CSS (cascading style sheets). I’ve already dabbled with CSS in my blogs, since it’s the backbone of WordPress. However, since it’s also the styling for SharePoint, learning CSS is a good direction for me to take not only in my current job, but in my career as well. So, I resolve to spend at least 1 hour per week this year working on my CSS skills.
Keep my desk neater. Neatness has never been my forte, so this year, my goal is to keep everything neater. Keep my pens in a cup, keep my papers in their folders. Put things away when I’m not using them. I resolve to spend 10 minutes every evening before I go home and 10 minutes before lunch every day tidying up my desk so it remains neater.
Be more assertive in asking for new duties. I’ve been holding back in this job so far, but I’ve seen a number of things around this office that I can lend my expertise to. So I’m putting together a list of things to cover with my boss on extra duties I can take on when I’m not tied up with my primary job here. I resolve to set up a meeting with him during the first two weeks of January to share my ideas.

So, what are your work and/or career resolutions for this year? It can be anything from a small resolution relating to a current duty, or something as big as getting a new job in another industry. Share with us your resolutions for 2009 and how you want to go about achieving them. Or if you aren’t sure how to achieve them, ask and we’ll help you with some ideas for achieving your goals this year.

So, what are your goal for the New Year? Share them with us. Maybe we can help?Similar Posts:

Create PDF Files for Free

Jodith — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:53:11 +0000

Many times in an office environment you need to create a file that can be opened by anyone without any specific software requirements. If you have Windows, you can use the Microsoft Image Writer that is in your printer directory, but that doesn’t work for people using Apple or Linux operating systems.

The standard document format that is easily accessible by everyone is the PDF (Portable Document Format) created by Adobe. But Adobe Acrobat, which is used to create PDF files, is expensive.

Well, don’t worry, because you can get a PDF creator for free. With CutePDF Writer you can create PDF files for use in sending electronic newsletters, contracts, forms, and any other document you want to sent electronically or post on a website. CNET recommended CutePDF as one of it’s weekly picks.

So, if you need to create PDF files and don’t have the money for Adobe Acrobat, check out CutePDF Writer.Similar Posts:

Controlling Your Graphics

Jodith — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:04:03 +0000

Has this ever happened to you? You place a graphic in your Word document and send it to the back so you can type the text over it. But then you decide the graphic placement isn’t quite right, and you click on it to move it. Only it won’t click. All you do is move your cursor in your text.

The way to click on a graphic or other element that you have moved behind text is to right click on it. Right click in an area of the graphic where no text exists, and the focus of the document becomes the graphic. You can now move the graphic, change its properties, or delete it as you wish.

If the text over the graphic is very dense, you may have to move your cursor around a bit to find a place with no text, but you should be able to find a place where you can right click to focus on the graphic. If the first place doesn’t work, just try another spot until you get it.Similar Posts:

Creating a Zip File

Jodith — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:38:51 +0000

You need to e-mail a big file to a client, but it’s too big for either your or their e-mail limits. What do you do?

Easy, you just compress the file and send it again. While once upon a time you needed to have 3rd party software like WinZip to compress files into a zip folder, starting with Windows XP, you have that utility within the operating system.

It’s easy to use:

Open Windows Explorer (right click on Start and choose Explore).
Navigate to the file or folder you want to compress.
Right click the appropriate folder or file, choose “Send To” and then “Compressed (zipped) Folder”.

That’s it. It’s just that easy. Your original file or folder will be untouched. A copy will be compressed into a zipped folder with the same name as the original file or folder but which is significantly smaller in size than the original.Similar Posts:

Make Your Documents Cleaner

Jodith — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:57:23 +0000

One thing that I see over and over again, even from experienced Administrative Assistants, is badly aligned text. It might not look that bad on screen, but once you print out your document, it detracts from the overall look and professionalism that you want to project.

The mistake that most make is using the space key to try to align text. This is a mistake for a couple of reasons.

First of all, most fonts used these days are proportional fonts, meaning that each letter takes up only as much space as it needs, instead of every letter taking up the same amount of space as was the case in typewriter fonts (like Courier). It is nearly impossible to exactly line up two lines unless they have exactly the same text, since different amounts of text take up a different amount of space.

Second, if you are using spaces to line up text, it is easy for the eye to be fooled by letters like T and O, that is letters that take have different thicknesses from top to bottom. The eye will fool you into thinking that your text is aligned when it isn’t. It’s not really apparent until you print it out, but then it can be very noticeable.

In my next post, I will walk you through the steps of setting up your tabs to align your text.Similar Posts:

Understanding formatting in Microsoft Word

Jodith — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 16:33:44 +0000

One question I often get from other Administrative Assistants is how to figure out why a document is doing something strange. Most of the time I find out they have formatted something without realizing it. Usually they are quite amazed that I figured out the issue, when all I did was turn on hidden symbols in the document.

On your formatting toolbar, there should be an icon that looks like a backwards P (it’s the paragraph symbol or hard return symbol).

Clicking this icon will turn on the formatting symbols in your document.

The first symbol is the tab symbol. This indicates that you have inserted a tab at that location.
The second symbol is the hard return symbol. It indicates, of course, a hard return.
The third symbol is the space symbol. These can be confused with a period at times, so if you have trouble seeing them, increase your zoom.

These are the three most common formatting symbols you’ll see. There are others, but they are less often used. I will post some of those at a later date.Similar Posts: