A Great Day's Work

Education

Do You Have the Desire for Learning and Growth?

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A person who wants to grow needs a desire to learn. On a scale of 1-10, what’s your desire for learning?

Now, take a moment to do a job search for positions you would be interested in considering now or in the near future. Read about the qualities of the ideal candidate. Are you equipped with the work experience, skills, and qualities desired by the employer? Do you feel you are lacking in some key areas? Do you believe your cover letter and resume would be pulled by the Human Resources staff to schedule an interview among the hundreds of applicants? [Read more…] about Do You Have the Desire for Learning and Growth?

Do Not Ignore Tuition Reimbursement Programs

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pizzaDoes your employer offer a tuition reimbursement program? If not, do you know what your employer is willing to pay for to help you gain knowledge and new skills that would help you to add additional value to the company?  If you don’t know the answer to these questions, find out immediately.  Do not, I repeat, do not leave this benefit of training dollars sitting on the table.

Investing in yourself is critical to your career and your future success. If you are not regularly engaged in professional development, you could be making a huge mistake. [Read more…] about Do Not Ignore Tuition Reimbursement Programs

Every Day is a New Adventure

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On January 1, Adventure2016, I kicked off the New Year wanting to experience something new every day for 366 days.  (Yes, it is leap year!)  Why do I want to experience something new?  I’m a creature of routine and habit.  I like what I like, and I stick with it, but not this year!  This year I am committed to having 366 new experiences.

I announced my 2016 adventure on Facebook at the beginning of the year.  Why?  It created accountability, and now my friends and family text, call, and ask:  “What is today’s adventure going to be?”  My reply is “Wait and see.”  Since the beginning of the year, I have been posting my new experiences and pictures daily.  Setting this new goal for 2016 was not the hard part.  The hard part was making the decision I would have 366 new experiences and post daily. [Read more…] about Every Day is a New Adventure

How Confident Are You Talking About Money?

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MoneyAs men and women, we all have a different level of understanding and comfort when it comes to talking about money. In some families, money is rarely discussed.  In some college majors, money is rarely studied or learned.

As administrative professionals, we carry a responsibility to help businesses and governments succeed. I believe businesses and governments will be better served by having administrative professionals who can confidently talk about money.

To partner with executives and managers, administrative professionals should want to become more money savvy. This knowledge will help administrative professionals become more confident in having business-related conversations, offering recommendations, and catching errors.  [Read more…] about How Confident Are You Talking About Money?

Why Become MOS Certified?

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362935_sWhen I began my career as an administrative professional, the technology I used was simple—a typewriter. The recognized certification at that time was a typing certificate. I remember working with college faculty to obtain a typing certificate to verify my speed and errors on a 5-minute timed writing, which I later used as evidence to demonstrate to a potential employer my typing speed.

With the advances in technology, administrative professionals in today’s workforce need to become more technology savvy. While my typing skills are still relevant as I key text on a keyboard, administrative professionals are using software programs today such as: Microsoft Office, Adobe, QuarkXPress, Visio, WordPerfect, QuickBooks, WordPress, Google Docs, FileMaker Pro, and more. [Read more…] about Why Become MOS Certified?

Back to School (Isn’t Just for Kids)

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43411735_sI love this time of year when students are preparing for a new school year. It’s an exciting time filled with anticipation, discovery and learning, and school shopping to pick out new school clothes and supplies.

Since the age of five years old, I can only account for two years that I was not in school as a student or teaching on a college campus. Education has played a significant role in my life both as a student and as an educator.

Over the past year, it has been an exciting adventure to step out of the traditional classroom setting to launch Admin to Admin and A Great Day’s Work, accept speaking engagements and writing assignments, conduct onsite trainings, and serve as a subject matter expert in the way of consulting and coaching. As much as I enjoy working with employers, associations, and administrative professionals, I do miss working with students throughout the academic year. [Read more…] about Back to School (Isn’t Just for Kids)

IAAP Summit 2015: A Great Career Investment

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11752493_10206941487606679_2182780940483066718_nJuly 2015 offered administrative professionals from around the globe the opportunity to attend the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) signature annual conference in Louisville, Kentucky. The decision to attend the IAAP Summit 2015 this year was a great career investment.

I am thankful for the IAAP staff, leaders, volunteers, members, and businesses that supported the IAAP Summit 2015. IAAP conferences have proven to be a great source of learning. A special thank you to my co-workers Karin and Kim, who covered for me in the office while I attended this conference.

Through my social media posts, I was able to share events and pictures related to the IAAP Summit 2015 and my travels throughout Louisville, which was informative to my employer, co-workers, family, and friends. [Read more…] about IAAP Summit 2015: A Great Career Investment

Sisters on the Go: Traveling to Historic Places

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11692520_10152579118044229_9069016428744073532_nI recently had the opportunity to spend 10 days with my sister Michele visiting Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Delaware to learn and become more appreciative of American history.

During our travels, we joined organized tours, visited historical sites and monuments, toured buildings and museums, listened to lectures, and walked more than the recommended 10,000 steps per day.  This travel experience helped to bring to life stories I have read in textbooks and pictures I have seen over the years. America is a land rich in history and filled with opportunity!

[Read more…] about Sisters on the Go: Traveling to Historic Places

Graduation: A Time To Celebrate!

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GradI love this time of the year when children and adults are sharing in the accomplishments and hard work that lead up to high school and college graduations.  As a college graduate and educator, I have had the opportunity to attend nearly 40 graduations.  These joyful graduation celebrations are a delight not only for the graduates but for family and friends as well.

On Saturday, June 6, 2015, I had the opportunity to attend a college graduation with my colleagues and friends.  This graduation was especially memorable as it was held within the community I work and serve each day as an Executive Assistant to the City Manager’s Office for the City of Rancho Cordova.  I’m grateful for the voluntary efforts of the team that worked miracles to host a graduation ceremony for college graduates.  I’m appreciative of our elected officials, Mayor Robert McGarvey and Council Member Linda Budge, who were able to participate in the program. [Read more…] about Graduation: A Time To Celebrate!

Be Prepared for the Unexpected

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11138626_10206097638550980_3148323300022890235_nWhat are the chances of an employer who has been in business since 1863—152 years closing its doors overnight?

Over the last week within the United States, thousands of students, staff, and faculty have recently been impacted by the influence of the Department of Education to close Heald College. Heald College was once a regionally accredited business-career college in business since 1863. Many students are now scrambling to seek alternatives to continue their education and dear friends of mine that I have worked with for 16 years are now displaced and out of work.

As the doors closed the week of April 27, 2015 at Heald College, employees were handed final paychecks with no severance pay, no job placement, and no cobra health insurance to continue their healthcare benefits after April 30, 2015. How do I know this? I was one of the faculty members impacted by this decision. [Read more…] about Be Prepared for the Unexpected