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Being an Excellent Executive Assistant

It may sound like an easy job, but the truth is, being an Executive Assistant can be quite taxing on, especially for those who are just starting in the job. An executive assistant is basically the link between the executive and everything else. This includes call screening, travel coordinating, fixing the calendar and all in all trying to fit a hectic schedule in a day. Executive Assistants require skills that are usually honed through training and personal perseverance. So what does it take to be an excellent executive assistant? Read on and find out.

At the Tip of Your Fingers

Make sure to keep every information current and available. You’ll never know what file folders the boss will ask for next so don’t tempt fate and keep your files updated. It also pays to stay one step ahead of the boss. Keep your mind working and if you can’t be one step ahead – then walk with your boss at a steady pace. Maintain and organized file system so you won’t fumble when the boss asks for a particular file. Get organized; maintain a diary or a PDA to ensure organization. Try keeping everything at their proper places so you won’t waste precious time looking for something.

Know What Comes First

Important projects require important attention. You have to keep this in mind if you want to become an excellent executive assistant. Learn to juggle the work and perfect multi-tasking by manipulating your time to suit your needs.

Stay Calm

This is very, very important. The Executive Assistants office environment is often plagued by unexpected changes and unbending schedule. Situated at the midst of it all, you have to keep your head or otherwise, the bad situation will only get worse.

It’s a tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it!

Acing the Competency Interview

Interviewers nowadays are no longer just concerned about your social status, what you did on your last job or how long you plan to stay at the company. Now, with competition getting steeper and steeper, businesses are concentrating on finding quality workers that would help them in making the company successful. This is why they have devised different interview styles and questions to have an in depth assessment of possible candidates. One of these is competency interviews. If you are not yet sure about how well you will fare at this type of interview, then read on to ace this step to employment!

First of all, a competency interview is a style wherein your prospective employer tries to learn how you have fared in difficult situations in the past. From the name itself, the interview assesses how competent you are when faced with particularly hard situations as this would predict how competent you will be in the future – hopefully while working for them.

The right and wrong answers are usually dependent on the person asking the questions. Before a competency interview, interviewers usually study you resume, assess the skills you have written there, decide whether those skills are vital for the position you are applying for and start to form a draft of possible questions. Regardless of the job you are applying for, the usual scenario goes like this. They will first ask about:

      The most difficult part in your previous job.

      The most difficult situation you have encountered during your previous job.

      What you have done to fix the situation.

      What was the result of what you have done.

These are the major questions asked so better start preparing for it. Since its you who provides sets the stage by supplying your previously most difficult situation, then start thinking answers up right now. Good luck!

Resume Tips for Teens

In your foray to the “adult world”, teens would inevitably encounter resumes when searching for jobs. Since you’re fairly new and this could be your first time to produce such document, this article focuses on resume tips for teens.

No Fancy Paper

A plain white one is enough. Colorful papers with distinctive scents are more likely to be placed in the “rejected” pile.

Find a Sample

Look for a resume and use it as a format. The usual information required is your name, address, contact number, email address, education and work experience. I know some of these information will be hard to supply, but with the proper style, any data can be worked to your advantage.

Work the Kinks

This is what I’m talking about when I said “proper style”. For example, if you’re still in school, you could just write something like “Presently a Senior at ”. If you’re in college, then add the course you are pursuing.

      Ex. Presently a Senior at , Bachelor in Business Administration, Majoring in Management

Another one is your work experience. Start thinking about the jobs you’ve had and incorporate them in your resume. Even babysitting is work, you just have to use proper terminology and spice it up a little. For example, you could say that you are involved in child care.

Site References

this is a very important part of a resume and is usually placed at the end of the document. Basically, its people you know who can vouch for your skill and dedication. It could be a former employer, a teacher or someone well thought of in the neighborhood. Place the contact number of your references and never ever forget to ask them first if you could use them for recommendation.

The Importance of Feedbacks

An employee efficiently working without supervision is admirable. However, a boss who allows you to work for days on end without feedback – positive or otherwise – might dent employee motivation and quality of work. The importance of feedback is not to feed the ego, rather to provide reactions on projects to allow for the improvement of company employees.

As competitions become strong and companies become more and more goal oriented, it is important for employees to know what they are doing right so that they can continue on the same path. Likewise, knowing what they are doing wrong would give the employee the chance to shift course and walk the right path.

However, feedback is not only left at the hands of the boss. The employer could give reactions on an employees work the same way an employee can comment on his or her boss’s managerial skills. Although this is not always the case, some company’s allow for questionnaires to filled up by employees to assess their current heads. This could be a very good source of information to further improve those from the higher ups.

One reason why feedbacks are often overlooked is because of the lack of communication between colleagues. As two personalities are awkward with each other, the bigger is the possibility that problems will only be dealt with individually instead of letting everyone work towards a solution.

Hence, lack of feedbacks can cause a slow, uneasily traced deterioration of a company. With no people professionally commenting on each other’s work, no motivation and room for improvement is supplied. It is an employer’s role to give reactions on employee projects. As mentioned above, questionnaires can also be produced for the bosses themselves. Ultimately, knowing where you stand in a business produces well-oiled employees contributing to an efficient and fruitful company.