Administrative Assistant's Update

Leading through mentoring Helping junior admins create resumes By Laura Brockwell Davis One of my favourite things about my career is the abundant access to mentorship opportunities. Over my 17-year professional path, I've had my fair share of memorable mentors and I actively look for ways to pay it forward by mentoring my colleagues. There are many ways to be a men- tor. A great place to start is assisting junior administrative assistants to create resume packages that highlight their professional growth and career goals. Nearsighted employers may see resume enhancement as an attempt to make staff more marketable for poaching. Progressive employers, on the other hand, understand that high- lighting the professionalism of their administrative support staff improves the value of their company. Encouraging your admin team to dedicate time and effort to creating and maintaining their resume pack- age is an impactful way of mentoring. In today's employment marketplace, upward-bound admins are finding cre- ative ways to stand out in the crowd by way of unique biographies, career highlights summaries, outstand- ing LinkedIn profiles and hard-copy portfolios that can include notecards, samples of writing, transcripts, certifi- cates and more. My favourite type of portfolio is an inexpensive "ShowFolio" from Staples that includes see-through pockets and tabs. Take a moment to walk through the Report Cover Aisle for inspiration on how to present your own portfolio. Promoting resume updates that highlight strengths within a current role can lead staff to internal promo- tions and preferred career paths. In- spiring the compilation and storage of positive emails, memos and reference letters from clients and management to add to portfolios is a must for acing future face-to-face meetings. Creating personal biographies and career highlight summaries as eye catching, at-a-glance documents sets staff apart and should include a pro- fessional headshot. Dedicating time to creating interesting and professional LinkedIn profiles legitimizes experi- ence and capabilities. Colleagues I have mentored via this method have taken a keen interest in their role's job description, maximiz- ing their abilities in all aspects of their current role and prompting them to ask for responsibilities that they may find weak on their active resume. This is a benefit for organizations as staff proactively begin looking for the overlooked tasks where they can make a positive impact and gain new experience. A nurturing mentorship is not only rewarding but often leads to enhanc- ing your own professional growth. Brainstorming with colleagues always produces new energy that can trans- late into your own resume package enhancement. Mentoring truly is a win-win scenario. Laura Brockwell Davis, CMP, is a senior executive administrative assistant at a Toronto-based real estate development company. She is a Certified Meeting Planner (CMP) and is active in the Canadian Society of Professional Event Planners, Senior Planners Industry Network and the Association of Administrative Assistants. 7 Administrative Assistant's UPDATE Laura Brockwell Davis Credit: ESB Professional (Shutterstock) Are mentoring and coaching the same? Mentoring and coaching are simi- lar but not the same thing, says John F. Reh, a senior business executive writing on www.thebal- ance.com. They both support a person's development, he says, but "they are very different disciplines in practice." Coaching focuses on particular development needs and typically takes place within a specified pe - riod of time. It's initiated "to help professionals correct behaviours that detract from their perfor- mance or to strengthen those that support stronger performance around a set of activities." Mentoring, says Reh, supports long-term growth and develop- ment. "The mentor is a source of wisdom, teaching and support, but not someone who observes and advises on specific actions or behavioural changes in daily work."

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