Administrative Assistant's Update - sample

5 Administrative Assistant's UPDATE How much does listing your "Skills" matter? By Leslie Hughes During my LinkedIn training sessions and keynotes, I'm often asked how much LinkedIn Skills matter on your profi le, or better yet "Why do people endorse me for skills I haven't listed?" I originally thought this section didn't matter at all, but I've come to fi nd that the Skills and Endorsements section not only helps you to rank higher in LinkedIn search results, but it's very important for recruiters and the job search functionality. Accord- ing to LinkedIn, members with fi ve or more skills listed are contacted (messaged) up to 33 times more by recruiters and other LinkedIn mem- bers, and receive up to 17 times more profi le views. A customized testimonial is much more personal and carries a lot more weight than simply a one-click en- dorsement, but acknowledging your connections for relevant skills is a gentle nudge that you're interested in keeping in touch with them. Be sure the endorsements are relevant to the skillset your connection has. Optimize the skills on your own profi le – so that your connections can endorse you properly – as follows: • Click on Me > View Profi le and then scroll down to the "Skills" block and click on the pencil or "Add a new skill." • Choose from a list of relevant skills you feel fi t your skill set. • Focus on the top three skills, as these are the ones that appear most prominently (you can feature up to 50 skills on your profi le). • Some skills may seem redundant, but repetition of keywords is important. • Ensure all your skills are up to date and relevant. You can delete irrelevant skills by clicking on the "X" listed to the left of the specifi c skill. You can also re-order the skills by "dragging and dropping" each block. You don't need to spend a lot of time making sure your skills and en- dorsements are optimized, but they are an important component of your profi le so take a few minutes to make sure it's up to date. Leslie Hughes was called a "Social Media Guru" by CBC Radio and has been working in digital marketing since 1997. She is a LinkedIn optimization specialist, professor of social media, corporate trainer and principal of PUNCH!media. PUNCH!media clients include The Children's Wish Foundation of Canada, Guardian Life Insurance Company of America and TVO. www.punchmedia.ca (sign up for weekly newsletter) leslie@punchmedia.ca Surviving bullying: Success is about being an advocate for yourself By Jennifer Lewington Feel trapped in a dead-end job that leaves you vulnerable to a workplace bully? The answer is in your hands: education. As a bank teller and later as an admin professional, Sue Munro (see "Bullies: A workplace blight for admins," page 1) has embraced opportunities for learning. With education, the tools for success are within an individual's grasp. "It starts with you," says Munro. "It is about being that advocate for yourself." When she worked for a bank in the 1980s, she fi lled a new role of branch "greeter," in part because the assignment came with an opportunity to take a word-processing course. As an admin professional, she takes specialty courses to up- grade her skills in PowerPoint and other software tools. In 2011 she went back to school part-time to earn a certifi cate in adult education from Sheridan College. She is also a volunteer and volunteer trainer with Distress Centre Halton, which supports those in emotional crisis in Ontario's Halton Region. "The listening skills I have obtained from doing that type of volunteer work has helped me immensely in my [administrative professional] role," she says. In her current capacity with Yellow Pages, she has wide-ranging responsibilities that include working with in-house and outside contractors to ensure that new state-of-the-art technology in the company boardroom functions fully for meetings. "It's a great learning curve to be able to stay up with the latest technology," says Munro, a member of the company's health and safety committee. Leslie Hughes

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