ProAssisting partners with IngBoo for Link services!
Go ahead, click this button.
If you’ve been to our site before, you might notice that recently we added this button to our sidebar. It’s a button that will take you to IngBoo where we have put together a specific grouping of links for assistants and anyone currently looking for a job. This is a great new tech company that is really making all of the information on the web (RSS feeds, constantly updated sites, etc.) much easier for you to consume and stay on top of.
Here’s how I explain it in a press release (.pdf) that we’re putting out:
“With all the different websites that have job postings out there, trying to stay on top of them on a daily basis takes a lot of time and energy”, said Ethan Bull, CEO and Co-founder of ProAssisting. “With IngBoo, you input your information for each of these job search sites once and then you’re updated how and when you prefer when new job listings are added to your search criteria. Given the economic climate, searching for assistant positions is a big concern for a majority of our members and readers. By partnering with IngBoo, we’re giving them a tool that completely simplifies searching for assistant positions in their specific location and makes sure they won’t miss any new postings if they don’t happen to check a particular job search site that day.”
Pretty cool, huh? To be honest, I don’t read RSS feeds—I know, we have RSS on our site but I, personally, don’t read them—and I’ve found that IngBoo provides the best of both worlds; you get to decide how and when you want your information delivered to you and you don’t have to go back to sites again and again to stay on top of constantly changing information.
Click the button above or on our sidebar, give IngBoo a look and then leave a comment here should you find this service useful… we think you will.
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ProAssisting Site Update
We’ve got a lot of things cookin’ behind the scenes at ProAssisting which we will be filling you in on over the 2-3 weeks.
But before we could begin to announce the partnerships we’ve been working on, we wanted to “spiff” up our site a bit…
So, if you’ve been here before, you’ll notice that our home page has a new “hero banner” (that’s what designers call it, I kid not!) with our pad, pen and desk chair! What do you think?
Also, you’ll notice that our enrollment page has been totally revamped to make signing up for ProAssisting an easy and seamless process!
We’re thrilled with these changes and with the partnerships that we’ll be announcing real soon. In the mean time, will you let us know what you think of this re-design in the comments below?
Thanks for reading,
Ethan & Steph
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PermalinkOff Topic: Sadie Bull
Hi everyone, Steph here… Ethan has the day off today!
I know I haven’t been contributing to our blog here as much as Ethan and to be honest, I’ve been slammed at work; you know, my real job—working as an executive/personal assistant for a top hedge fund executive—and I just don’t feel like blogging about assisting or the tools and techniques of assisting since I’m neck deep in it all day, every day.
So that brings us to why I’m posting today… instead of contributing to this blog from an assistant perspective (I might still every now and then but mostly not), I’m going to be sharing bits and pieces about what Ethan, Sadie and I are doing when we’re not working (either at our “day jobs” or for ProAssisting). You see, this little company of ours is just that, the three of us (Sadie provides the moral support) trying to help current or future assistants shine in their jobs and get the career they want and deserve but since we’re just a “Mom and Pop” shop, we do have another story to tell too… about our dog, our trips and anything else that we think you might like to hear about.
And that’s where my blogging comes in… I’m going to be sharing pics, stories and maybe some video—mostly of Sadie—that give you a peek into who we are behind ProAssisting. Ethan has added a new category, which you can find down at the bottom of our blog, called “Off Topic” where my little tidbits about us will be shared.
That brings us to the pic of Sadie in this post… it was taken last night. I was getting a bone out for her and Ethan snapped the shot… she’s ready and waiting with great anticipation, as you can tell, and I thought you might get a kick out of it.
Anyway, that’s it for now… I’ll chime in when I have something to say that DOESN’T have anything to do with assisting and hopefully it will put a smile on your face.
Thanks for reading,
-Steph
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PermalinkWhat’s the key to online social media?...
...The key is to mind your manners!
We ALL participate in online social media in our world today… and if you think you’re one of the people who DOESN’T, I’ve got news for you: Just reading this blog is participating in the world of online social media.
See, our blog has a comments section where back and forth communication of ideas and positions about any of our posts can take place—granted, we don’t get a ton of comments but we do get some—and that interaction is social. Inside our member’s area on our private forum, these conversations and interactions are very robust and we’re all learning a lot from them. Forums—private or open—are another form of online social media.
Other social media outlets are everything from YouTube to Twitter to Facebook to MySpace to Linkedin to Digg to StumbleUpon to FriendFeed to… well, you get the point. There are so many different ways for people to communicate online nowadays, I can’t image anyone being able to keep up with all of them.
But whatever platforms you decide to participate in, you should also realize that there are un-written rules to interacting and communicating on each. No one is going to spell these rules out for you and as a matter of fact, they’re not even written down anywhere… basically, it’s to mind your manners.
I find it humorous that the most important thing about online social media is to be nice… if you’re nice, most people will respond positively to you and what you have to say. Take this list of “LinkedIn Pet Peeves” that users have… most of them are about having common courtesy and being nice!
As assistants, you will continue to grow your online social presence by communicating more and more with people in your network so keep your parents voice in your head and “mind your manners” because in this new world of communication, everyone is watching.
Flickr Creative Commons image by garyhayes
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PermalinkWith cloud computing, who needs to back-up their data?
Just so we’re all on the same page for this very important blog post, cloud computing is any account (email, bank, contacts, calendars, social media, flickr, YouTube, etc.) you have with some company who then holds and protects your data in the cloud which in reality is some server sitting somewhere “out there”.
This is a great thing that allows you to get at information, pictures, videos and a huge chunk of your online life from any computer or device connected to the Internet from anywhere… how cool is THAT? They could even restore this data if you lost your computer or device which is doubly cool. Really, this concept—in the abstract AND in action—is pretty awesome BUT (and this is a HUGE BUT) what if that information and data ever got lost, destroyed or infected with a nasty computer virus?
“Don’t fret, it’s a huge company with a reputation to protect. They would never do anything to threaten that.” you say. I’ve told myself that many times too: “I don’t need to back-up that data because they got it.”
And then you read what happened at the end of last week with Microsoft, T-Mobile and their popular “Sidekick” phone/email/texting device… the cloud died and so did everyone’s information in it.
When I first read that over the weekend I said, “Nah, never would Mircrosoft and T-Mobile screw up THAT much… they’ll get the data back.” But now that doesn’t seem like a possibility… the data is gone and all of those Sidekick users are out of luck. Ouch.
We spend a great deal of time in our training on having back-up systems and printed out information for just these kinds of situations… whether it’s a power outage, a cloud server going bust, a hard drive blow-up, a lost cell phone or—God forbid—another 9/11/01. As an assistant, you need to be prepared for such occurrences and this most recent fiasco from heavy hitters like Microsoft and T-Mobile is just another reason why.
Moral of the story? Back up your computer electronically (hard drives have gotten so cheap that there’s no reason not to) AND have printed out copies of your contact lists and anything else that you just couldn’t live without cause who knows, if a cloud goes bust, you might have to.
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PermalinkIs “zooming” better than multi-tasking?
We’ve all heard about multi-tasking and how every successful assistant needs to be a good multi-tasker to succeed in their position. Here at ProAssisting (and in our positions as working assistants) we believe in multi-tasking so much that we teach it in our assistant training program along with downloadable templates to facilitate this kind of work.
However, Alyssa Gregory recently wrote a blog post over at SitePoint about “Zooming” which got me thinking about multi-tasking and if there is a “better way”.
I’m assuming that most of you know what multi-tasking is and if you don’t, just take a look at that picture in the upper right hand corner and you’ll get the idea pretty quick. As for “zooming”, a term coined by Terri Lonier which she describes in an article over at Inc.com, it’s about being singularly focused on one task at a time while being able to see the big picture in between each task.
Both Alyssa and Terri look at zooming from a small business owner’s perspective but after reading both of their articles, this kind of thinking can have a positive influence while working as an assistant. What I suggest however is that we don’t throw multi-tasking out the window but rather combine if with zooming to get maximum efficiency.
Here’s what I mean: As an assistant, we all have to do tasks that we could do with our eyes shut and one hand tied behind our back on a daily basis which is just part of the job and for these tasks, multi-tasking works really well. But when we’re dealing with coordinating a big meeting or trip, if we are able to look at our project from a “30,000 foot level” as Terri explains—the big picture—, we give ourselves the opportunity to find solutions to specific issues or problems that we wouldn’t normally see.
Additionally, if we are able to stay completely focused on these larger projects when we’re working on them, as “zooming” suggests, we are less likely to make mistakes while getting the project done in a shorter period of time.
Approaching work as an assistant in this manner is a mind-set shift more than anything else but the more I think about it, the more I want to make myself a “zooming-multi-tasker”. Who’s with me?
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PermalinkEver been stranded at an airport?
Being stranded at an airport just stinks… canceled flight, no connections and you can find yourself stranded pretty quick.
I’ve experienced this personally a couple of times but usually, I deal with such occurrences when my boss calls as they’re trying to get back home and are stuck in some far off airport due to a canceled or delayed flight. My course of action in such instances is to get the travel agent on the phone to scour for other flights and hotel rooms as a back up… but I could never point my boss in the right direction to the best place for them to ride out the delay short of sending them to a hotel.
Until now.
Given that my boss has an AMEX Platinum card, they can get access to just about any airport lounge so when @nmarasco pointed me to a wiki online that lists and rates a ton of airport lounges, I knew I was going to use this resource in short order.
And soon enough, my boss was delayed and I pulled this little resource out of my assistant tool kit to lead them to the best rated lounge of that airport. Needless to say, I looked like a superstar and they’re still talking about that lounge two weeks later.
So, if your boss is either an air traveling warrior with “frequent flier” status for each major airline or is an AMEX platinum card holder, you now have a quick and easy resource in your assistant tool kit to come in and save the day. Remember, having the right tool for the job makes all the difference.
Flickr Creative Commons image by mk30
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PermalinkOff Topic: Just some bicycle riding…
If you’ve got 5 minutes of “down time” (if not, bookmark it for later), the below video is for you… simply amazing:
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PermalinkHow to change bad habits and make good ones stick
Habits can be both good AND bad.
smoking = bad habit; exercising = good habit; biting nails = bad habit; eating lots of greens = good habit… and the list goes on.
I’m not writing this post to try and get you to quit all of your bad habits and start a bunch of good habits; nope, I’m not that guy who throws stones at glass houses. The goal of this post is to point you to a habit changing cheat sheet which lists 29 ways to change a habit or form a new one IF you want to either stop a bad habit or start a good one.
I wish I had that list when I changed one of my habits not too long ago… you see, I bit my nails. I know, gross and UN-attractive but I couldn’t help myself… was doing it for years and years. It was something that I wanted to stop for a while but it took some time before I finally rid myself of that BAD habit. Don’t really know how exactly I did it but I do know that I “fell off the wagon” a couple of times until finally kicking it for good.
This list from Leo over at ZenHabits would have helped me through that process. At least now I’m better prepared for next time… and there will be a next time, I’m sure.
If you’re wondering what this has to do with executive assisting or admin assisting, you can create GOOD habits in your job that will close the cracks so nothing slips through AND makes you look like a superstar… things like: always calling to confirm appointments for the following day or always writing down the tasks given to you no matter how trivial or simple they are or making sure you update contact information right when it changes for anyone in your boss’s contact list… you get the idea.
Flickr Creative Commons image by miscpix
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PermalinkSimple “easy to remember” & SECURE Passwords
Today I woke up to one of the worst things that could happen in this day and age… a truly terrible occurence that I wouldn’t wish on my worst nightmare—well, I probably wouldn’t care it if happened to my worst nightmare but close—... ready for it?
My personal Gmail account was hacked & hijacked!
It was one of those really nasty hacks where a worm emailed everyone I have ever emailed during the entire time I’ve had this email account. The subject read: “Dear Friends” which made it super sneaky in that most of my friends opened the email. Luckily, it was a sales email and nothing “Trojan Horse” about it that would infect their accounts too.
The body of the email talked about how I had just bought a TV at a great price from this website in China, that the link in the email actually took you to, so you too could buy a great, cheap TV! Most of my friends caught that the writing of the email wasn’t how I write but some fell for it.
I got emails back asking if I had changed jobs or “What kind of TV did you get?”... as I said, a very sneaky email hack attack indeed.
Anyway, that brings us to an article that I want to point you to from Slate.com that details how to create really solid, hard to hack passwords for all of your email, social media and Internet accounts. We’ve all got numerous accounts floating around on the web, it’s time to really protect them. It’s a great article and I used the technique it teaches to create a new and improved password for my “on life support” email account.
So, if you want to learn how to make super-easy-to-remember and solid-as-a-rock-passwords, check the article out. I sure feel better after using this system to change my password; come on hacker hijackers, I’m ready for ya!
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PermalinkAssistant tip: Use your “Out Of Office Assistant”
The “Out of office assistant” is a feature most all email platforms have that allow you to send an automatic message to anyone who emails you.
This is used while you’re out of the office on vacation, for a doctor’s appointment in the afternoon or any other reason that keeps you away from your email and unable to respond.
The more information and specifics you can include in these messages, the better. In this way, you can direct people to HR, accounting, new business or any other department that you direct emails to throughout your work day. Then, when you do get back in the office, a lot of the issues or questions that would have been waiting for you have taken care of themselves.
Most importantly though is that you will be directing anyone who is looking for your boss to the person covering for you who will then be able to help them out. It is this feature that truly is the reason for using an “Out of office assistant”. Since both you and your boss know that emails are being answered and direction being given, you can be totally relaxed while on your much needed vacation.
You should also take this thinking one step further and change your voice mail message on your phone to reflect your absence and to direct calls to the person covering for you. Now you’re fully covered.
Being able to take off your Executive assistant or Admin assistant hat while away from the office is critical for long term success and this little technology tip goes a long way toward making that possible.
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PermalinkThe Devil Is In The Details
I’m sure you’ve heard this expression before:
“The devil is in the details”... right?
It’s a great expression that can be applied to any number of different circumstances but here at ProAssisting, we truly believe in this statement when it comes to assisting… any kind of assisting, period.
The ultimate step to being a great assistant is to gain the complete trust of your boss. When this trust is built, even if you do screw something up (which is rare because you’ve spent time doing your job right to build that trust), you’ll get a pass and they’ll let the mistake go.
So the logical question is: how do you build that trust? - WARNING: get ready for my baseball analogy…
You build that trust be consistently hitting singles and doubles with the occasional triple or home run. And consistently hitting singles and doubles amounts to: making the car service reservations perfect every time; if your boss can’t find the car, you struck out… by making sure the schedule for the next day is up to date and confirmed; if an appointment never shows, you’re out… by making sure your boss’ desk is stocked with their favorite pens and paper; if they have to ask, out again.
These little things, details if you will, are the singles and doubles that you need to nail every time to gain your boss’s complete trust and then have a chance at hitting the triples and home runs by taking on bigger and more important projects. Hit one of those out of the park and you’re well on your way to being a “right hand” and either an eventual promotion or raise, your choice.
In the end though, the devil IS in the details and if you can keep that front of mind when assisting anyone, you’ll be well on your way to gaining their trust.
Flickr Creative Commons image by Chris Blakeley
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PermalinkHow Much Is Your Work Worth?
Salary.com is a great resource for finding out how much you can make in your job depending on what your title is, what city you’re going to be or already are working in, what industry you’re in, the size of your company or the company you’re applying at and your level of eduction.
Taking all of that into consideration, their service will spit out a bell curve showing the low, middle and high end of compensation of such a position in the location of your choosing.
This type of information can be very useful when negotiating for a job or a raise… by knowing what you’re worth, you’ll be better armed with information you need to get what you want.
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PermalinkOff Topic: Did you know? Technology.
This is the first blog post on our site that really doesn’t have anything to do with executive assisting, admin assisting, assisting in general or work!... isn’t that nice?
The below video is one you can watch when you have a little down time and want to get a glimpse of how technology has grown over the last couple of years and how it will continue to grow down the road. Just some eye-opening statistics and information that we found interesting and thought you might too.
Don’t worry though, tomorrow we’ll get back to giving you the tips, tricks and resources assistants use to succeed that we’re known for. [Sales plug alert!] - If can’t wait until tomorrow and you want to get all of our training, tools, templates, checklists and any answer to any assisting question you have right now, go ahead and enroll!
Now for the show:
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PermalinkFriending your boss online?... BE CAREFUL!
Give a quick read of the image below from a post on Facebook of a woman complaining about her job and her boss:
As social networking online grows, you might forget just who you’ve “friended” or who you’ve allowed to “follow” you so you better be sure to either:
1. Don’t say anything online that you wouldn’t say to your boss/mother.
Or…
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