Administrative Assistant's Update

7 Administrative Assistant's UPDATE Need-to-know software list keeps growing The need-to-know list of software skills for admins is constantly expanding. An OfficeTeam post ("Receptionist Jobs: In-Demand Software Skills for Admins") calls attention to a survey report that admins said they collabo- rated more with IT staff than with any other department. About half the survey respondents said managers had asked them to help apply technol- ogy to benefit the organization and employees. The survey was conducted by Offi- ceTeam and the International Associa- tion of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) as part of their joint Office of the Future project. The implication for admins is that they need not only to become familiar with a widening range of software but also to be able to apply the software strategically. While Microsoft Office Suite is still the foundation piece for admins, Google Drive is gaining popularity. Available online (for free), the Google office suite includes a word processor (Google Docs), spreadsheet pro - gram (Sheets) and presentation tool (Slides). Google Drive has collaboration features that allow users to work on the same document in real time, simple web forms and online surveys that can be produced without special skills, and offline file storage that can be synced to multiple computers. The OfficeTeam post describes Mi- crosoft SharePoint as "a collaboration tool that acts as an organizational library and content management system (CMS). Staff members can use it to create and manage virtually every piece of information a company needs to function properly: employee handbooks, policy and procedure manuals, corporate reports and lots more." Database software, such as FileMaker Pro and Microsoft Access, is also on the list, as are tools for admins who are asked to manage web content. "While some organizations have their own proprietary content management systems," OfficeTeam says, "many are looking for administrative professionals with experience using the CMS features of SharePoint or a web CMS such as WordPress." Sometimes admins are as - signed to put together newsletters or other kinds of publications, and this is where working knowledge of Microsoft Pub- lisher can come in handy. On a more advanced desktop-publishing level, Adobe Photoshop or InDesign can come into play. A web-based tool, Concur, is used by many organizations for travel and expense reporting. It automates selec- tion and booking of flights, as well as filing expense reports. OfficeTeam suggests that admins In the healthcare field be aware that Nextgen, eClinicalWorks and Medis- oft are systems they may be asked to work with. Credit: Dmitri Mikitenko/Shutterstock That pesky comma again . . . Sometimes commas are optional (such as before and in a series of items), but for the most part their use follows pretty clear rules. Such is the case for restrictive elements (not set off with commas) and nonrestrictive elements (set off with commas). Words, phrases and clauses are nonrestrictive when they are not essential to the principal meaning of the sentence. For example: Details revealed by his mother, Mary Smith, paint a picture of a seriously disturbed teen Mary Smith adds information but is not essential to the meaning of the sentence. It's nonrestrictive; set it off with commas. Here is an example of a restrictive element: Vancouver architect Bing Thom is known for his emphasis on com- munity-minded work Bing Thom is essential to tell us which Vancouver architect is referred to. Do not set off Bing Thom. Now test your ability to set off or not set off the italicized words in the sentences below. (Answers on page 8.) (a) I will pass your request along to our treasurer Adrianna Lolly. (b) The city's chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat told our designer . . . (c) Chief city planner Jennifer Kees- maat told our designer . . . (d) Willard is going to bring his daughter Janina with him to work Tuesday. (e) Our parking attendant says that a car supposedly identical to yours was parked all weekend in the company lot.

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