In a previous post, I indicated that I would be sharing some of my computer tips with you and so, we begin with the following tips today. I will be adding further tips and tricks in future posts as well. I cannot list them all at once or the post will be far too lengthy, and you will lose your focus if you are following along.     

POWERPOINT

When you save your file, use the 'PPS extension' - this is the power point show option. When you email your draft presentation to your boss for review, save it as a show. When he or she opens it, it will run automatically and save your professionals valuable time. For your convenience, when you want to preview a presentation in your document directories, just 'right click' on it and select 'show'.

Create A Summary Slide Quickly

Open your PPT file and go to the 'View' Menu/Slide Sorter option or click on slide sorter depending on which program you use. Now select the slides you want to use for your 'Summary' slide, use the Ctrl key to select a number of slides at once, now on the slide sorter toolbar, choose 'Summary Slide.' A new slide will appear at the front of the first selected slide. To edit your summary slide, just double click and edit as normal.

EXCEL

When you want to 'preview' the entire workbook and edit from print preview, use the 'entire workbook' function located at the bottom left of the instruction menu. This view makes it easier and more efficient to eliminate unwanted page breaks, versus trying to edit them globally. It is also much more accurate, since it is a wysiwyg view.

Selective Cell - Copying

Leave out 'hidden' cells when you are copying your excel sheet or workbook. Use your 'left hand' mouse to click on 'edit', then 'go to'. Once you are in the Go To window, single click on 'special' - choose 'visible cells only' and click on OK. Only the cells you see in your workbook will now be copied over.

WORD

Use a  'non-breaking space'to keep your words together in a line or paragraph of your document. Using Ctrl, Shift, Spacebar, after 'each word' in the phrase, will keep your text united.

Format Breaking - 'Continuous Page Break'

Use this function if for instance you have plain text on page one, page two is in columns, and page three is a different style, or has a different font. Create a continuous break between each page to maintain all of your formatting properties for each page.

Across all MicroSoft programs, you should have your computers set to do an automatic backup every 5 minutes or less, depending on the size of your documents. In Word, I suggest using every 3-4 minutes as you are  likely using import and export functions with graphics etc.

With your ‘self-assessment’ out of the way and approved by your team leads, you can now relax knowing you have given the most honest and concise feedback you could provide on your performance, the improvements you have made, and your new goals.

Now, you must wait for the Performance Review Panel to give their feedback and, hopefully, their full support of what you have submitted as your future career goals with the firm.

Providing you do receive that approval, and your professional team fully support you, you are well on your way to beginning the process of adjusting your focus onto your ‘new goals’ for the upcoming period.

If you have previously been successful in achieving, or perhaps even exceeding your goals with the firm, it is likely that the Performance Review Panel’s response will be favourable.

I think it would be wise, under these preset conditions, that you give careful consideration to the possibility that you could find yourself being approached to ‘take on more responsibility’, although this will not necessarily mean a public ‘promotion’ or ‘salary increment’.

I suggest that you give this a great deal of thought, as you do not want to find yourself back in the ‘go-to’ role and simply taking on the task of performing work for others, as in your ‘Yes’ days.

I encourage you to review your past performance reviews and read the feedback you received, as well as the general consensus of your professional team and Team Leader.

This would also be a perfect time for you to review pay increments you have received since joining the firm, if any, depending on your tenure. You should also take into account any bonuses you have received, or special recognitions such as Thank You cards or emails for going ‘above and beyond’ to meet a client deadline. Note that all of your ‘kudos’ should be kept in a personal paper file for your future reference and Portfolio.

Although we are in a global recession, Canada is performing reasonably well, and the economic forecasts for the New Year are brighter than anticipated. I personally believe that a promotion, however small in scale, and/or a salary increase is not out of the question, depending on the industry you work in and how well your firm is performing overall.

My suggestions assume that you have developed a professional and ‘open communication’ style with your Boss and Team Leader since joining your firm. I also anticipate that your firm is bearing well under the pressure of our current market conditions, and therefore has the potential for growth.

We touched on this topic briefly last month in my post ‘Could A Promotion Be Imminent?’ in which we discussed your Performance Reviews and the Performance Review Panel’s decision on your listed goals for your firm’s next period.

Today, I would like to share some tips on how to ‘Prepare for a Promotion’ by providing some steps you can follow to encourage a successful outcome in your quest to move up the corporate ladder.

We all know that when a firm has an open or newly created position, they will look from within their organization first before advertising, or seeking out the services of a professional placement agency for assistance.

In order for you to prepare yourself effectively for a challenging new role, you must first be ready from a psychological standpoint, as this is a crucial stepping-stone in your career advancement. You do not want to be coming from an ‘emotional’ state of mind when contemplating this move. To avoid any misgivings, or feelings of insecurity and uncertainty, it is important you ‘research the role’ you are interested in, whether within your firm, or making a fresh start elsewhere. For the purposes of this post, we will assume that you are going to embark on this new role from within your firm.

The first and most important task you can begin with is establishing clarity by sitting down in a quiet area with pen and paper and analyzing what you think you want, what your expectations are, and how ‘prepared’ you truly feel about this move. Do you really have what it takes on the ‘skills’ side, what about  your ‘communications’ style and personality profile’ - list all of the ‘pros and cons’, as well as any and all thoughts that come into your mind.

It is important to take as much time as you need to work through this process of ‘self-analysis’, be gentle with yourself, and very honest and 'realistic' about what you can bring to the new role. The good news in this scenario is that you are in control of the time-line, so there is no rush or pressure to make your decision. When you feel convinced that you are ready to move forward, you may want to consider the following steps:

Make sure you keep up-to-date on company activities that include potential mergers and acquisitions, and research accordingly;

• If you are ‘replacing’ someone in another division, OR, ‘joining’ a new division, be sure to seek out as much information on the division as possible - once again the company portal should assist you with this;
• In the case of replacing an employee, ask the departing party out for lunch or at least a coffee or two, and ask direct questions relating to the job requirements, staff, expectations, etc.;
• If you are ‘joining’ a new division, ask one of the staff members out for lunch to talk about their role in the division - you can learn a lot from this meeting;
• Research this new role by job title on the Internet and learn the functions of this role in other companies;
• To make this process even more interesting, you could conduct ‘informational interviews’ with individuals in the position you are striving for;
• If you learn the new division uses applications that you are not familiar with, find free training courses to take at home, or if not possible, use a few of your lunch hours to work on them, or perhaps stay behind after work hours;
• Do NOT discuss you plans with anyone - not even a ‘buddy’, inside or outside of the office;
• Keep your own information on the company portal up-to-date, adding new projects you have completed, new programs learned, new corporate memberships, volunteer work, etc.;
• Attend as many meetings and join Committees hosted by the new group as time permits;
• Remember to take full advantage of your company portal, and look up staff Resumes on your target group; this will give you an edge, as you will know individual career and educational backgrounds. The document database holds proposals and other documents the division in question have submitted, along with client lists, etc. Review as much material on your own as possible - this is ‘your due diligence’. Assuming all goes well, your efforts will be applauded in the not too distant future.

Writing down your goals and giving self feedback on your progress over the course of a set period can be a challenging exercise, and certainly one that requires your full attention and contemplation. Coming up with a list of goals in and of itself, is a difficult task, particularly if your goals are on-going, such as computer training or upgrading.

In setting your career goals, you may want to consider what tasks you perform in your current position that you truly enjoy, as well as areas that you know need improvement, whether on a professional or personal level.

This could look like taking more of your time to learn a computer program through available office training, or perhaps distance learning at home. On a personal level, your goal may be to become more involved in Social Committees, or other Committees that would welcome your participation.

As we discussed previously, joining Committees does require a time commitment on your part, and you must be confident that you do have the time to dedicate and actively participate in your chosen Committee.

I have just provided you with a potential of two goals to write down on your list, and suggest that you give them serious consideration. Both of these potential goals could be excellent stepping-stones to your advancement within your firm.

If your computer skills are top notch, and your schedule does not permit becoming involved with one of your firm’s Committees, I would suggest you give thought to where you want to be this time next year in terms of your career growth, and target your efforts to advancement as a major, ongoing goal.

Your Team Leader should be supporting you with this exercise, and will likely meet with you to review your previous goals, and discuss your proposed new goals for this next period. Keep in mind that your Team Leader also has to perform this task and therefore, will likely anticipate any frustrations or difficulties you may be having in preparing more goals to add to your own review.

The Team Leader will also provide guidance to you in terms of how to write your goals so that they are clear, directed, and concise. The guidance you receive on how to present your goals should be followed and adhered to, as your Team Leader most likely has more experience in this area. Keep in mind that your review will be under scrutiny with the Performance Review Panel.

We all have a hard time saying no, particularly to our boss, and our co-workers as well, when they seek out our help with something. However, as difficult as it is, I believe it is imperative that you learn how to say no effectively so all parties involved in the quest for assistance are not negatively affected in any way.

Naturally, you want to impress your boss and co-workers, especially if you are relatively new to the group, and of course, it can be very easy to keep taking on more work to appease and impress them. However, if you continue to do this, there will inevitably come a time when you are not able to cope with your workload, and other time commitments you may have with meetings or committees, et cetera.

This is why you need to learn to say no and realize that turning other work down does not, and definitely should not, have a negative affect on your job. The bottom line is that once you learn how to say ‘no’ effectively, you will be much more in control of your role and gain the respect of others in this process.

If you are one of those people with whom everyone expects a yes when they approach you to do something for them, then they will continue to keep asking you! I must confess and share with you the fact that it has only been over the last 7 years or so, that I reached the point of having to learn how to say no, myself and mean it, own it, act on it, and give no apologies for it. If you honestly can spare the time to devote to someone that needs your help, I would hope that you would do so. When you find yourself in need of assistance, the people that you have helped in the past will be there for you as well. This is what I like to call a win-win.

If you continue to be the yes person, this will only perpetuate the situation, and you will soon find yourself overwhelmed. You need to change the perception and expectation of others by changing the way you work and react to them. If they see that you are serious about learning to say no, then this action will earn their respect, and they will find alternate ways of getting their respective jobs done.

Do not simply stop taking on any more work or saying no all the time, because this will create confusion with your boss and co-workers, and possibly create some resentment. It is always best, in business situations, to deal with your concerns directly with the individuals in charge.

I would suggest that you approach your Team Leader, and provide clear examples of why your workload is becoming too much, as you have previously been the go to person when others needed help and/or your expertise. Then, if practical and possible, have your Team Leader speak to your boss and co-workers to explain where you are coming from in this regard. If you would prefer to deal with your co-workers directly, get a small group together for coffee, and gently let them know how you feel about the extra demands placed on your time, and the impact it is having on your own work and division.

How You Can Affect Change

In my last post, we finished off with ensuring your PDF files are 'locked down' prior to sending them out - internally OR externally. By that I mean, even if you are sending an email to head office, make sure the file is secured because it is travelling over servers and is therefore basically open to attack.

What I want to discuss with you today is how you can affect positive change by implementing some, if not all, of the following tools and resources, depending on your needs. Please note that anything that you feel needs to be addressed or improved upon will require some of your time and effort in research first.

For example, speaking with the people in charge of the appropriate division or matter, perhaps approaching your Team Lead, and so on. Once you have approached the appropriate individuals and are armed with further knowledge, you can move forward with your own research on costs, timelines for implementation, etc. At that point, you can re-address the issue with your Team Lead with all your data in hand to support your desired result.

To begin with, let's look at Scanning capabilities on your Copiers - a great place to start, and a task easily handled by your IT team. This will give you PDF and faxing capability as well. I have to note here though that the PDF quality is not appropriate for client delivery.

Other areas to look at are your Video Conferencing facilities -in terms of ease of use and access, as well as costs. Note that your company 'portal'may well have this capability, which would be substantially more cost effective for your firm versus using an external service at a per use fee.

If you learn your portal does not have either Video Conferencing facilities or 'document sharing' capabilities, I would encourage you to speak with your Team Lead to investigate this further. I repeat myself by reminding you that for changes to come about that are going to benefit you and those you work with, it is wise to be sure you have completed all of your research beforehand. This will demonstrate that you are a proactive employee and considerate of everyone's time.

Another very important area to look at is 'program' access'. In order for you to be efficient in your role, your company should provide programs such as Adobe Acrobat and Visio for 'all' Assistant's. Too many problems can arise when those with access to these programs are out of the office or otherwise not available to you. This particularly applies to the Adobe program given the importance of time and security. Having the proper tools and programs in place is an absolute necessity for your success as well as your professionals you report to, period.

If any of these areas are a 'hot button' for you, please let me know via email or in your comments below, and we can discuss a number of approaches you can take on the issue(s). More tommorrow!

Source: http:www.corporatesecrets-adminpro.blogspot.com

Marketing - Creating Your 'Portfolio'

Creating your own portfolio may sound like a daunting task at first, but trust me; it can be very enjoyable and satisfying. Allow me to elaborate on exactly what I mean by portfolio.

If you review some of the project work that you have produced, you will no doubt come across terrific charts created with Excel, excellent PowerPoint presentations, perhaps report writing, and various other forms of documentation created and/or authored by yourself. Where are these documents stored? I suspect that they are not in a nice new binder or casing with page protectors to keep them neat and clean, but rather, on your computer or network where they lay dormant. This is not good news for you if you want to market your particular talents. This then begs the question, how are these dormant pieces of creativity helping you to prepare for an upcoming interview for promotion - whether the interview is a directive or self-imposed? If you do not take action, they remain virtually useless to your marketing efforts and do not produce the other desired result, which, in my experience, is building your self-confidence and giving yourself an edge.

Therefore, I would suggest that you take your time to go through your projects, and strategically select the most appealing and impactful pieces to begin building your portfolio. In my own career, I have used a portfolio for the past several years, and am always delighted at the response it prompts. I must admit, in hectic times, it is easy to forget to include a very good piece and end up realizing that the opportunity has been missed. I sincerely hope that you do not find yourself in a similar situation.

My own portfolio includes excel charts, creative graphics, marketing and advertising materials I have authored, letters of appreciation, etc. Do not forget to include all your kudos for your great jobs, and going the extra mile when needed! I can guarantee you that your portfolio will prove to be an invaluable tool in your own career growth. Be selective with your pieces!

Source: http://www.corporatesecrets-adminpro.blogspot.com