Saturday, March 14, 2020

Traits of a great admin assistant gatekeeper

Traits of a great admin assistant gatekeeperSo youre an admin or executive assistant and you want to be a great one. However, if youre not a ninja-level gatekeeper, youll never hit your goal. Great gatekeepers are experts at managing flow. They are more about filtering out the noise than blocking people, and they do it all to ensure their anfhreres receive all necessary information and communication while still having plenty of time to accomplish their workloads.To be the best gatekeeper you can be, make sure youre doing the following key things.You look and act the part.To be a real rockstar gatekeeper, you have to first be a rockstar assistant. You must do all parts of your job competently, calmly, and efficiently. You must be an A+ communicator both verbally and over email. Be pleasant but firm. Dress the part. Command authority without going on a power trip. You have to be able to seamlessly manage your and your bosss time by dealing with distractions. Being the best involves kno wing your job, your boss job, and your industry inside and out.You demand respect.Its probably a given that your boss is expected to receive a certain degree of respect, but you have some coming to you as well. If anyone isnt properly respectful of both your boss time and your time, then its appropriate for you to deny him or her access until you both start receiving the consideration you both deserve. If people are rude and dismissive of you and your position, any good boss would be fine with you denying them accessespecially if they want a favor.You read minds.Reading minds may seem like a magic trick, but its actually an achievable skill when it comes to gatekeeping. It basically involves figuring out what anyone trying to schedule a phone call or meeting with your boss is after. What is their motive? What do they need to discuss? Is it something that really requires a meeting or your bosss time? If not, and you can get them what they want or need through other channels, it will limit the strain on your bosss brain and schedule. The more time you put into your job, the better you will get at sniffing out what people really want when they ask for a few minutes of your bosss time. One you recognize patterns, you can ask directly Is what you really want time sensitive? Tell me why, but if not, then I will have to schedule you when my boss is not in a crunch time.You use discretion.According to a survey performed by Staples, administrative assistants are the most trusted members of any sekretariat. Always remain among the trustworthy by keeping your head high while wading through office politics without getting bogged down by gossip or distractions. Be comfortable and clear when handling confidential information. Be reliable. Be a vault. Cultivate and exercise unimpeachable good judgment.You establish a system with your boss.You and your boss need to function like a dynamic duo to make both of your work lives run smoother. Perhaps you two can develop a secret s ignal she can give you when someone is monopolizing her time. Or maybe you can color-code your online calendar red meetings are crucial and yellow meetings arent time-sensitive and can be rescheduled as needed. Work together so you can become her ideal gatekeeper keeping out the unnecessary and letting in the crucial.

Monday, March 9, 2020

Ask Amanda How to Boost Your Confidence at a Job Interview

Ask Amanda How to Boost Your Confidence at a Job bewerbungsgesprch Ask Amanda How Can I Be More Confident During Interviews?Each week, TopResumes career advice expert, Amanda Augustine, answers benutzer questions on Quora. Well be republishing those answers here. A certified professional career coach (CPCC) and resume writer (CPRW), Amanda has been helping professionals improve their careers for over 10 years. Have a question for Amanda?Submit it here.Q How can I look confident during an bewerbungsgesprch?I just started einstellungsgesprching and I could use some tips. People used to call me names and it left me with some confidence issues. R. RudolphHi R.R. Interviewing for a new job is much like going on a first date. You want to come across as confident, but not arrogant. Humble, but not insecure. After all, if youre not confident in your abilities, why should the hiring manager think any differently?Luckily, theres mora you can do to prepare for a job interview than a blind date . The key to looking confident during an interview starts with your interview preparation. The better prepared you are for the interview, the less nervous youll be and the more confident youll come across to the hiring manager. Below are a few tips on how to be confident in your next job interview.Do your homeworkResearch the company online, talk to people you know who currently work or previously worked at the organization and take a closer look at the job description so you have a good sense of what the hiring manager is looking for in the right job candidate. Prepare questions to ask each interviewer so youre learning more about the position while demonstrating that youve done your homework on the company. Click on the following link to access my complete interview prep guide.Practice being a S.T.A.R.If you feel uncomfortable bragging about your accomplishments, practice developing interview responses to difficult questions like Tell me about yourself so youre less nervous talkin g about yourself during the actual interview. For behavioral-based interview questions like Tell me about a time , use whats known as the STAR method to brainstorm your answers. The framework is fairly simpleDescribe a Situation you faced or a Task you had to completeExplain what Actions you took to resolve the issue or get the job doneThen, discuss the Results of your actionsTake another look at the job description and make a short list of the required skills to perform the job. Then, take a look back at your brag book and brainstorm a few stories using the STAR method that demonstrate how youve leveraged those skills or handled similar situations in the past.Dont memorize your response. Instead, jot down a few words for each bullet to jog your memory so your response doesnt sound rehearsed.Plan aheadNothing can throw you off your game faster than an emergency the morning of your interview. Do what you can to plan for these curveball situations, so you can focus on the task at hand learning more about the job opportunity and impressing your interviewers.For example, to avoid being late to the interview, plot out your commute to the office location using apps like Google Maps for the same day and time of day your interview is scheduled so you are familiar with the route and can properly budget your travel time. Give yourself plenty of extra time to get there, just in case theres an unexpected delay.If you arrive more than 15 minutes early, head to the nearest coffee shop where you can collect your thoughts before the interview.RoleplayA great way to work out the kinks in your interview responses and build up your confidence is to do a mock interview. Ask someone you trust to play the role of the hiring manager or recruiter and ask you common interview questions.Better yet, consider working with a professional interview coach to refine your skills before an important interview. An interview expert like those at TopInterview can give you professional, objective feedback on everything from your body language to the delivery of your interview responses.Whether its been a while since your brde interview, or youre just looking to fine-tune your elevator pitch, TopInterviews one-on-one video coaching sessions will give you the confidence to enter interviews ready for anything.Final thoughtsIf your nerves are wreaking havoc on your confidence, stop and take a deep breath. Remember that the company is already interested in you youve made it past the infamous resume black hole and their initial phone screen. Remember what you prepared for, and be confident in your abilities. Best of luckClick on the following link for more interview advice.Want to feel more confident during interviews? Check out our sister site, TopInterview.Recommended ReadingOfficeHours How to Ace Your Next Job InterviewInterview Tips for Introverts5 Tricky Interview Questions and How to Handle ThemRelated Articles