Administrative Professional Week/Professionals Secretary Week/Office Professionals Week

[susans]

This is the week the administistrative profession gets a little extra (and many times the only real recognition) attention for the valuable services this profession provides.  Here at DeskDemon we would like to wish you all a great week.  I personally hope you get all the recognition you deserve.  I realize some may not want the attention.  They say "I do the job all year" others like to see that that they are appreciated.  If you like the attention or like to stay un observed, I sincerely hope you are appreciated for all you do EVERY day of the year.  

Last year we ran an article by Sally Longston and I thought it would be great to repost here.  If you can think of any additions post away!  It is time to pat ourselves on the back.

20 things you love about your job!

1 It's a portable career. You can travel on the job - organising a meeting in New York and going along with your boss to provide invaluable support - or working and living abroad: 'Wanted! PA in Geneva, fluent French, required for immediate start...'

2 Practically every company has one. Whatever your interests, most organisations and companies have PAs. If you love wine, get a job as a PA for a wine merchant. If you adore art, work for an art gallery. The role allows you to combine work and your passion!

3 Build the skills you need. The role is what you make of it and, best of all, you can find and develop a role to suit the skills you want to use on a job. Do you love putting together presentations? You can find a role where presentations are frequently required! Enjoy organising business travel? Out there somewhere is a job where co-ordinating trips is 80% of the role. It's so flexible!

4 It's a privileged position! Especially at a senior level, you have access to a great many confidential things that others don't. You know what's going on. Often the boss asks you for your view on what's going on and what he should be doing. You can influence the team, the atmosphere, and set the tone!

5 You can specialise! For example, you could be a medical PA, educational PA, legal beaver, bi-lingual assistant or agricultural secretary! The choice is yours!

6 You can create your own working week! Many PA roles are full time, but then you can also find those which enable you to work one or two days a week, 15 hours a week, term time only, job share, late at night, through the night - the choice is endless.

7 Career promotion is there for the taking. All you have to do is to be sure of what you want to achieve in your career and the world's your oyster!

8 It's people based. You're constantly dealing with people from dawn to dusk and where there's people, there's interaction, fun - and a challenge!

9 There's huge variety in the role. The job is what you make of it - the more responsibility you choose to take on board, the more variety you can have.

10 Then there's the relationship with the boss. There's nothing quite like it - accounts assistant to accounts manager is just not the same as PA to their manager. When it works, it's a tremendous buzz, as you help each other through the work as partners. Chemistry is key. Without it, the relationship doesn't work.

11 The role provides great insight into different careers and organisations while you're deciding what to do. Temping is a fab way to start your career as you experience different companies, cultures, values, people, corporate fits. An oil company Monday, an investment bank Tuesday, a recruitment company Wednesday and Thursday, and a retail outlet Friday...

12 You can be a PA anywhere, from a capital city - Paris, London, Madrid - to a rural area - the Outer Hebrides, Sark, the outback in Australia.

13 You can set up your own business as a virtual PA. Well, why not? You've seen the boss at work and you know you can do what he does for yourself.

14 You learn a heck of a lot about organisations and how they function (or don't), and people and what motivates them, drives them and upsets them. There's no training ground for life like it. You learn to handle any situation and respond to it calmly and logically.

15 You can handle change better than anyone. "Angela, I'm not going to Hong Kong tonight now. I'm going to San Francisco instead tonight. And next week, the MD wants to talk to me about restructuring the company. I know, third time this year."

16 You know how to organise things and to provide for all those "what if" scenarios... This is why your conferences and business trips are always superb and stress free. And don't forget - these skills are as valuable in your personal life as in work.

17 Your IT know-how is second to none. You're on top of the latest technology and how to use it to your best advantage.

18 You see better than anyone how an organisation holds together and how people support it and make it work, from the top to the bottom. After all, you pull it all together.

19 You possess fabulous qualities such as mind-reading and a wonderful sense of humour, thinking ahead of people and tact. You know what the boss needs even before she does.

20 You can enjoy the challenge of ensuring that your role evolves with the times. After all, if PAs hadn't evolved with the times, they would now be extinct. Take full confidence in your ability to continue to go with the times and meet the challenges which lie ahead. PAs have done it before and we'll continue to do it in future. Long live the PA!


What do you love about YOUR job?

[gee4]

Variety, new things happening, new challenges, being involved, helping out with queries on Office.

G

[burpatricia]

The one thing that I love most about  my job is that even though I have my "daily tasks/ routine" that there is always something new that comes up and I am adding to my skills and abilities. With that in mind - I love that I have found a position that I can grow in and a company that is growing and taking me with it.  Almost on a daily basis my boss thanks me for the work that I do for her and her company. She has put faith and trust in me to create new policies and procedures in how the office should run and daily office routines put into place. When I started working for her we worked from home and got together twice a week for meetings - early spring last year we moved into the office. Now, we are growing and expanding and my new tasks are to put the office in shape and into a fine running ship. I hope each of you has a job that you love and recognizes the hard work you do - Enjoy your day on 4/26/06 - and I want to thank all of you - for being a place to ask for support and guidance - I admire all that you do.

Patricia

[carolmmarch]

The one thing I love most about my job is the independence my boss gives me.  He travels a lot and when he's leaving he doesn't dictate the exact things that need to be done...he just knows that they will be.  And I have the freedom to choose when and how to do them.  I also really like the fact that other people come to me for help in anything that they need - usally in Microsoft Office but also other things and it makes me feel very appreciated.  I also like to organize (nope...not crazy...) so I like to take on tasks that I can use my organizational skills.

Carol

[dettu]

I like the variety of tasks that aren't traditionally admin. One of my managers said to me a while back, "You are so much more than a standard admin." But part of that is because they offer me opportunities to do unusual things, and I take them gladly!

Also, I work for some pretty great people.

[diamondlady]

I've had the same position for almost 9 years now, and I can honestly say I have enjoyed most of it.  Now there have been some trying times but, all that aside, the work part of it is never boring.  Except when I have down time.  Now that is the hardest part for me to find something to do when there isn't much to do.

Aside from that, I like doing new things and it seems there is always something cropping up they need help with.   Recently our IT Manager came in to have me do some pre-screening phone calls for some interviews and to actually schedule them for him.  I've never had to do that before and I'm very nervous on the phone anyway when I have to do cold contacts, so it was good practice that I needed.  As I did them, my voice wasn't so monotone, and I was actually enjoying talking to the person on the other end.  Great when they call you back and have tons of questions you can actually answer and sound confident knowing your answer.  Whew!  I'm glad that task is over.

On to the bossman's travel, now that in itself is a full time position!  What fun!

Happy Admin Professionals Week everyone, hope you have a great week!

Diamondlady
Peer Moderator

[newtofl]

Eventhough I am leaving this position on Friday - Yeah for me!, I have a few things I really enjoy about this position.  The main one being each day is different, I assist claims adjusters with handling claims and talk with many different people each day and each day brings new problems which I have learned to solve.  I also enjoy the fact that the office trusts me enough to assist them with work that is not traditional and I have learned so much.  So much in fact that my new position is one that I will be doing more assist work then the traditional secretarial role.  

[ozbound]

Hi! In my new position as "Freight Clerk," the thing I like best about my job is dealing with people. Almost all of the customers and freight carriers I deal with are really nice, and some of them are even fun. (Yeah, every once in awhile someone is difficult or in a bad mood, but we deal with it!)
It is also always a joy to be able to help someone, resolve a problem, or make someone's day. The people in my office are fun to work with, too. Truckers can be real characters!