Happy Virtual Assistants’ Day, VAs!

BalloonsI have to confess that I only found out about Virtual Assistants in the last year or so, when a friend’s husband was telling me how he uses VAs to support his small business. I couldn’t quite comprehend how “office-based support” could be done away from the office (in the words of Vizzini in The Princess Bride, “inconceivable!”), but in recent months I’ve really become fascinated by the concept and just how much can be done (and how efficient it can really be!)

I’ve actually spent  some time working as a VA to get a greater understanding of how it all works. It’s fascinating to see just what can be done away from the office with the right tools and technology (much of it free!). I’m writing about my experience and promise to share it with you all in the next couple of weeks.

Want to know what is a Virtual Assistant or find a directory of Virtual Assistants?

Have you heard of Virtual Assistants before? Do you think it’s possible to do your job from home?

 

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Is your corporate uniform ugly?

April 18, 2013 Fashion
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It feels like every (wo)man and their dog are talking about the new QANTAS uniforms. What do you think? Are they onto a winner with these? Between you and me, I think it’s actually quite a good uniform. But: I don’t have to actually wear it! I dare say I would absolutely hate wearing that day in, day out. Over on Business Chic the new QANTAS uniform has been compared to the Star Trek uniform – and now that I’ve seen that, it cannot be unseen. Very rarely do those with corporate uniforms actually enjoy wearing them. Even fewer think ...

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What qualifications do I need to be an admin assistant?

February 25, 2013 Job hunting
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The question I’m asked most often about getting started in the work of admin is: “Do I have to do a course?” In actuality, you don’t NEED any qualifications to work in office administration. Having some qualifications or training under your belt will certainly help you progress in your career, but it’s not a requirement to work in this industry. What do I need, then? The key thing you need is experience. By experience, I don’t just mean in an admin role. You could have worked as a teacher, volunteered to answer the phones for your local charity, helped manage the local ...

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11 best keyboard shortcuts for Gmail

February 14, 2013 Email
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When I started with my current employer, I came face to face with corproate Gmail for the first time. I was an Outlook user for as long as I could remember and I found the transition to Gmail really confronting. Don’t get me wrong; I love using Gmail and actually use it for my home email. But home and work are two completely different things. At work I spend at least three hours a day knee-deep in email and — I’ll be completely honest with you — I really struggled with the change. My biggest struggle was the (perceived lack ...

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What to wear on your first day

February 5, 2013 Fashion
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By Melissa from Suger Coat It When it comes to your first day in a new office, it’s tricky to know what to wear. Every office has a different standard of dress from a laid back casual approach to full corporate attire. When it comes to dressing for the first day, here are a few simple pointers to follow if you don’t know how to dress. Let’s face it, if the dress code hasn’t been made clear you could easily end up over or under dressed when you walk in the door. That may leave you comfortable and on the ...

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From our sponsor: win a $45 personal-planner.com.au voucher!

January 25, 2013 Giveaways

Would you like to reflect your personality in the workplace while working smarter, not harder? If so, Personal Planner has got a great idea for you! Thank you to everyone who entered – this competition is now closed. If you would like to win a $45 voucher to spend on your own Personal Planner, read on! Our planners provide you with endless design possibilities. You can change colour, text and design on the front/back cover as well as inlay. There are also clever boxes for to-do lists, gym sessions, ideas and weather. Birthdays can also be added to the inlay ...

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My favourite stationery: OfficeOne (Kmart)

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I’ve been at it again. I let myself loose at my local Westfield and found myself in the stationery section at Kmart. Kmart’s stationery has really improved in the last year or so. A great selection of branded products (especially Sharpie) but I’ve decided to focus solely on their own OfficeOne brand. There were so many pieces I wanted to buy to update my stash for the new year! OfficeOne mechanical pencils 4-pack – $1.50 OfficeOne neon sticky flags 100 sheets – $1.50 OfficeOne highlighters 6-pack – $3.00 OfficeOne sticky notes 400 sheets – $2.50 OfficeOne ballpoint pens 1 0-pack ...

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Study: Facebook usage in the Australian workplace

January 21, 2013 Productivity

For the 18 months between mid-2011 until the end of 2012, Smarter Admins readers completed a survey on their usage of Facebook when at work. The response was fantastic and I know many of you sent the survey on to family and friends – thank you! I know many of you have been keen to see the responses and I have finally synthesised them into this infographic: The survey was completed by Australians employed full-time and shows that 82% of respondents access Facebook at work. Of those respondents, 39% spend more than an hour on Facebook each week. 68% respondents ...

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How do I manage my boss’ paperwork?

January 15, 2013 Productivity
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A reader by the name of Jessy (Hi Jessy!) emailed me recently with the following question: Dear Laura I have just started a new role and my boss’ desk is covered with paper. Do you have any tips for ways I can help them to keep important documents together and make sure they don’t lose all the paperwork I need them to sign? In my last role I used signature books which is similar to I guess a A4 scrapbook. So a book with about 15 pages which are a thick cardboard where each page I would put a piece ...

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Smarter Summer Office Dressing

January 10, 2013 Fashion
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Here’s this month’s post from the gorgeous Melissa! When it comes to the peak of Summer heat, sometimes an office can be the best place to be. It’s all air-conditioned comfort and classic styling, right? Well not always. Let’s not forget the bank or coffee runs, the errands of the everyday workplace. These will have you running in and out of stores, may involved prolonged exposure to the ACTUAL outdoor temperature and see you melt in your classic office attire. So what can you do about it? I issued the same question to my readers and they had a few ...

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