May / June 2012 Archives

Opinion
Issue: May / June 2012

‘Mad Men’ and Powerful PAs

By Claire Lister - May 25, 2012

There is an office career revival afoot – and Secretaries are leading the way. Whilst I’m a big believer in looking forward, not back, I’ve had good cause to reminisce over the past few months as we’re currently celebrating 175 years since Sir Isaac Pitman invented shorthand. As part of these celebrations we’ve asked... Read more »

Career Development
Issue: May / June 2012

Waiting for the Great Leap Forward in Training

By Peter Cook - May 25, 2012

Peter Cook's no-nonsense guide to providing effective training to manage performance

Cover Story Processes & Procedures
Issue: May / June 2012

Managing Difficult Diaries – A Flexible Approach

By Adam Fidler - May 25, 2012

Managing difficult diaries can be made a whole lot easier with a bit of creativity and common sense says Adam Fidler Managing a busy diary is no simple task – as every Assistant will know. Some executives diaries are so complex they employ two Assistants: one to work on the diary – the ‘diary Assistant’... Read more »

Career Development
Issue: May / June 2012

A DATE WITH AN INTERVIEWER – Practice

By Annabel Moorsom - May 25, 2012

Continuing on from last issue’s preparation theme, practice is the next essential step to winning over your next employer. We’ve mentioned before that an interview is like a date – it could be the beginning of a long and happy relationship – however, we often have to kiss a lot of frogs before we... Read more »

Technology
Issue: May / June 2012

An Introduction to Visio

By Bonnie Biafore - May 25, 2012

Executives want information that’s meaningful, clear, and concise, which is why diagrams of all kinds are a staple of the business world. Charts, graphs, plans, and other types of diagrams can convey information succinctly, but not all diagrams are created equal. That’s where Microsoft Visio can help. Visio makes it easy to create, edit and... Read more »

Communication
Issue: May / June 2012

Regional Focus: South Africa – The Rainbow Nation

By Neil Payne - May 25, 2012

Executive Secretary asked three experts on the region to give their personal guides to doing business in South Africa. The Consultant’s View The founder of Kwintessential, Neil Payne is currently the Managing Director of the company, overseeing global operations. He is also responsible for the management of cultural awareness training in Europe. South Africa is... Read more »

Opinion
Issue: May / June 2012

I Am So Organised Because Of A Bump In The Road

By Anonymous - May 25, 2012

One Assistant wonders why all has gone quiet on the office front. “Well, that’s another job done”, I think to myself with some satisfaction. It has been ages since I had time to sort out the hard files and archive older files. Electronically, my files are all organised so I can always find documents. Anything... Read more »

Technology
Issue: May / June 2012

The New Scourge of Cyberbullying

By Carole Spiers MBE - May 25, 2012

An insidious new wave of bullying has arrived, and it is important to be able to identify it, explains Carole Spiers

Technology
Issue: May / June 2012

An Introduction to Blogging

By Erica Douglas - May 25, 2012

Understanding what a blog is and how to set one up “What is a blog? The word ‘blog’ is shortened from its full title ‘weblog’ and a blog is just that, a ‘web’ ‘log’. A log, journal or collection of articles on any topic. What is a business blog? A business blog is an ongoing... Read more »