Administrative Assistant's Update

OCTOBER 2016 2 E D I TO R ' S N OT E George Pearson Networking and professional housekeeping This month's coverage of hiring trends will perhaps raise questions in your mind about your own employment situation and your worth to your employer. Perhaps you've looked around a bit at opportunities within or outside your present organization and won- dered if you could maybe do better than you're doing now. The economic landscape is constantly shifting, and even if you are pretty happy with the way things are at work, they won't necessarily stay that way; executives change, business owners change, business conditions change. So you may want to consider the next stage of your career. The administrative professional's role is evolving, with new software to learn, social media to manage, projects to coordinate and executives to support. Whether that next career stage is with your current employer or somewhere beyond, you'll likely need to sharpen your skills. Networking with peers through professional association membership is a popular and rewarding path to professional development. The As - sociation for Administrative Assistants (www.aaa.ca) is a Canadian organiza- tion. The International Association of Administrative Professionals (www.iaap-hq.org) is a U.S.-based organization with a large contingent of Canadian members. Beyond that, your own network, carefully assembled, can be a price- less asset in your professional de- velopment. As well, tidying up and strengthening your online presence is a must. Below are some tips from the Career Centre of the OfficeTeam website for both activities. Administrative Assistant's Update is published once a month by Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. Director, Carswell Media: Karen Lorimer Publisher: Todd Humber Editor: George Pearson george@adminupdate.ca Associate Editor: Jennifer Lewington jennifer@adminupdate.ca EDITORIAL OFFICE (519) 271-6000 Administrative Assistant's Update Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. 1 Corporate Plaza, 2075 Kennedy Road Toronto, ON M1T 3V4 CUSTOMER SERVICE (416) 609-3800 (800) 387-5164 FAX (416) 298-5082 (877) 750-9041 carswell.customerrelations@ thomsonreuters.com Contents copyright. All rights reserved. © 2016 Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. Contents may not be reproduced without written permission. Brief extracts may be made with due acknowledgement. Annual subscription: $189. Publications Mail Registration No. 40065782 GST# 897176350 UPDATE Administrative Assistant's Professional Networking Tips – and Mistakes to Avoid Limiting your circle of contacts – Ex- pand your network to include profes- sionals at varying experience levels, not just your peers. Overlooking new venues – Net- working isn't just for business occa- sions. Make an effort to meet new contacts at social gatherings, and always carry business cards with you. Having a hidden agenda – Be up- front about the assistance you seek and prepare a quick pitch to support it. Others will appreciate your candor and be better able to help you. Being overly aggressive – While it's important to communicate regularly with people in your network, avoid becoming a disruption. Your contacts will quickly ignore your requests if you become overbearing. Failing to write down pertinent information – After meeting a new contact, jot down a few notes about your conversation so you can refer - ence these details in the future. Lacking appreciation – Always let people know you value their help. A simple thank-you note or email is appropriate. From the Robert Half website: Career Centre Digital Footprint: Best Practices for a Strong Online Presence Do a thorough self–search. The first step in managing your digital footprint is becoming aware of what you are up against. Run searches for information about you that is avail- able for potential employers to see. Try to take action. If you find information that you fear will under- mine your professional credibility, try to have the content removed. Also remove tags from photos of you. Accept that you can't get rid of everything. In cases where damaging references appear to be permanent online fixtures, be ready to discuss the topic in a job inter- view. While your online transgres- sions might not come up, it helps to be prepared to address your digital footprint's effect on your ability to perform the job well. Don't be your own worst enemy. Familiarize yourself with the privacy settings associated with each social network you use. If you maintain a website or blog, closely review every piece of information you've presented about yourself to make sure your digi - tal footprint is as clean as possible. From the Robert Half website: Career Centre

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