Approaching Agencies - Ditch the Broadband - Go Offline!!!

I meet so many people who feel so down in the dumps about agencies I am heartbroken for them. They think they’re applying for “loads” of jobs on a daily basis and either not hearing anything or getting an impersonal email rejection.

 

When probed (with questions – not a stick or anything similar!) most of these poor, down-hearted applicants turn out to have been spending their life online. Firing off CVs to electronic adverts, or sending them to info@... email addresses only to be lost in the ether. When I ask them what happened when they followed up they often tell me that they get an email back saying “In the current market we don’t feel that you are a suitable candidate for us” or worse – they just say “I didn’t, I just assumed the job had been filled”.

 

BEWARE - REVELATION TIME!!!!

 

RING THE &($*£%^" AGENCY YOU TWIT!!!

 

Seriously, though are you kidding me? How do you expect to make an impression if you don't connect with these people? They are people you know, they're essentially Sales People... but every now and then you will find one with a soul who is actually interested in helping you to find a job that you really want.

 

I know this, because before I was Devil-Wear's-Prada-ing my way around the City I was one... and I loved the thrill of getting someone a job they really wanted and of making sure my clients were well looked after.

You need to talk to them. It's pretty obvious that a confident telephone manner is the corner stone of being a crème de la crème Personal Assistant (for that matter I think email has a lot to answer for - make appointments over the phone - much easier that exchanging lists of dates with a stranger - go on -  pick up the phone - make a friend!). Use this opportunity to show off one of your core skills.

If the relevant person isn't there and they don't call you back, call again. You are their only commodity, frankly if an agent isn't willing to at least telephone screen you - then they're not a very good agent.... If they can't sell you they might not be "interested" in you or your skills. But I can guarantee one will - and a good one will see your transferable skills and even tell you what they are!

As you know,  I'm a career temp at the moment (and loving it) I'm with six agencies and in five months I have only worked for two - but when I'm looking for work I make sure they ALL know.

You should foster these relationships when looking for any kind of work, be it office based, temp or perm. Agencies are a great, convenient way for you to find a job. Trawling adverts is not.

 

 

Oh No, No, No! Don't Apologize!

Dealing with difficult or disparaging comments from a “Challenging” boss is VERY simple:

 

1.       CONFIDENCE (even if you’re dying inside)

2.       Never apologize unless you are absolutely in the wrong.

3.       Never explain unless an explanation is demanded.

4.       Don't say sorry while you're explaining.

 

I am a natural apologiser... 

 

"Sorry, to bother you, could I just have 5 minutes of your time for you to sign these urgent documents that will make you lots of money". 

 

"I'm sorry that the person who works for another company who I have never met before was 15 mins late to the meeting I organised at his office". 

 

"I'm sorry that the traffic was so bad that you were late for your Opera".

 

"I'm sorry that the suite in the hotel (in a country with a 9 hour time difference that I have never been to and don't speak the language of) was so below par that there was no natural light in the bathroom".

 

"I'm sorry that you're in a bad mood this morning".

 

 

 

It is your job to help them get everything done that needs to be done and in the way they like it. But certain circumstances are beyond your control. Do not take responsibility for them! 

 

For document signing that MUST be done today simply walk into the office (when they are not on the phone – naturellement) and say "This is the sign off for the new Client Management System, it needs to be done today" put it down on their desk at the appropriate page with a sticky arrow and hand them a pen. Make sure you know what it's for or about – riding that little monster can bring a whole heap more of “I’m sorry”.

 

Traffic is a universal HATE. If your boss has to be somewhere at a certain time find out about the journey times. If they’re collecting their partner – tell their partner what time they will have to leave home. Timings are easily figured out with googlemaps and if that's beyond you speak to the driver or car service (that said Addison Lee are OTT about their timing and will get them there an hour early!). If you’re worried, just google "live traffic reports".

 

Hotel accommodation - if they pick at you for this simply say "I was assured that you were getting a premium suite, next time I'll make sure that the hotel knows your preference" - then make sure you do... (and shhhhh with the “Sorry”).

 

Bad moods.... If you say "I'm sorry you're in a bad mood" it can go one of two ways... either in you clearing your desk or in them laughing it off and apologizing to you. It's a game of roulette so don't play it - leave it under your breath - and then stand well back. 

 

If you have forgotten to do something then do it as soon as you remember - if it's too late... then it depends on your boss. Honesty is the best policy, but the amount of times you will genuinely forget is minimal. Make sure you only apologize for genuine mistakes - they are much fewer and will make you appear much more efficient. Never say "I'm sorry, I forgot" it sounds arrogant and defensive. "That was an oversight on my part" is a better option -  remember not to follow it with "I'm sorry"... just leave it hanging and see what they do. You have taken responsibility for it - you don't need to beg for forgiveness. They might sigh with disappointment - and they might remind you about it in the future... but you will not be thought of as the PA who is always doing things that she has to apologize for!

 

If you succeed in doing this - tell me how. :)

Being Organised: Some Things You'll Need To Know

When you first walk into an office to work as a PA/EA/Office Manager or Secretary it's easy to have a pre-conceived notion about what the job may be like. Expectations are strong on both sides. You expect to find a level of structure in place, your boss expects you to either maintain or (more usually) improve on the current state of the office.

You might be walking into a role that is well established. What is expected of you may be written very clearly in the form of a job description or handover notes. You might be flying blind.

Here are my top tips about things you can put in place to make sure you are providing the right kind of support to an employer.

1) Answer the phone in the right way. If you're not sure - check out this article. It's one of the first things you're likely to have to do and it's always a great way to make the right impression.

2) Find out about the existing arrangements for diary management. This can be done in a number of ways. You might be wholly responsible for the management of someone's time, either all of it or during office hours. It's likely that you will deal with appointments, meetings and invitations straight away. Familiarise yourself with the existing system as soon as you can. Most offices use Microsoft Outlook and give you direct access to your boss's diary - this is also a tool that they can see. For any electronic diary system it is important that any appointments that you confirm are added to this in a timely manner. More on this here. If you walk in to the stone age and are faced with a big leather book (trust me - I know that this still happens) that lives on your boss's desk then you'll have your work cut out for you. just ensure that the lines of communication are as open as possible and you will learn the true meaning of "I'll pencil that in".

3) Contacts need to be managed well. Outlook has an efficient and straight forward provision for this. Ensure that these records are kept as up to date as possible. It is easy to cut and paste or enter a new phone number or other details as an when they come up. There can be a bump in the road when you stock pile business cards handed to you when your boss comes back from a meeting if you don't enter them straight away. Typically, if they have met someone recently then they are likely to want to contact them soon. They'll want to know why, when they come to send the email they've been thinking about for a couple days the person's details aren't in their contact file. Check out this article for more info on contacts management in Outlook.

4) Filing is still an integral part of the "paperless" office. Regardless of medium, this system should be as navigable as possible. Thankfully electronic filing is made a lot easier in this day and age than physical filing due to the ability to "search" documents you have correctly labelled. This is true too for emails. If you can get something again then don't keep a paper copy of it, unless your boss has made notes in the margin. I had a boss who was very keen on his noted copies of meeting agendas... made for a laborious filing system - but I managed to find everything... eventually! See this article for more info on filing and ways to approach it.

5) A Bring forward file is a useful tool when you need to pass your boss tickets or invitations at a later date. It's also useful for keeping papers relevant to meetings in the right place to pass to them to read the night before a meeting. Just remember to check it! See here for notes on how to set-up this simple system.

6) Having a dedicated signature book might seem old fashioned. Signatures are still required in the real world though! If you are working for someone in a position of authority in a firm (and most people with an Assistant generally are) a dedicated file of documents that need to be signed is useful. You will know where they are and you will be able to work out a good time to ask for them book to be dealt with. Make sure you know what the documents are though as it's often quite embarrassing to be asked a question you don't know the answer to. If you have any correspondence relevant to the document then it's worth printing them off an clipping them under the signature page for your boss's reference. If you don't - then ask the person who requires the signature to send you a short email summarising the reasons they need the signature.

7) Template letters are very useful and if you arrive in a role and can't find any then it's useful to set them up. A standard thank you letter (see here for an example) that you can personalise to the occasion/individual is a great one to have for those blanker minded days. As you progress in the role you will become more familiar what is and isn't relevant.

8) It is essential that you have a working knowledge of Microsoft Office packages. You need to be familiar with the way they work. The whole of Microsoft office is very similar. If you know how to use Word then using Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint is more intuitive. If you can't use the packages, get some training. At the risk of showing my age, this wasn't something I actually had lessons in at school. I taught myself all my Microsoft Office skills on the "job" as it were. University was my main training ground on Word - I soon learned to double line space an essay that was required to be a certain number of pages (!). Excel is difficult to learn if you don't have a purpose for it. It's brilliant for anything financial, but it's also fantastic for creating easily negotiated lists. I use it for address databases (mainly to use the mail-merge function in Word), invitation lists, basic budget planning (though it is much more capable than me of doing very complicated stuff ). Outlook is very intuitive and the help function is always useful. If you're scared - train. Pay for it if you have to. It will be a great investment. If you're coming into the sphere of the PA through an agency you will have to complete tests on these packages - so don't lie! :)

I have worked in a lot of different offices over the years, and for some very busy people. You might be surprised to learn that even though I have called this website "Shorthanded" I don't actually have shorthand, not at a level good enough to put it on my CV anyway. I also don't touch type... I have tried learning - but my three finger method seems to work out at about 50 words a minute which has been good enough so far. My point is that even if you didn't go to secretarial college, then that shouldn't be an obstacle to you getting a good job in the admin world. Don't get me wrong, I think having proper secretarial qualifications is very useful and I often wish I had formal training. However, I've done okay with what's between my ears and a willingness to show willing!

The Basics: Dress Codes (And How to Advise About Them)

I can’t count how many times I’ve been asked “What do you think I should wear?” by my boss or their partner (or friend for that matter!).  Dress codes are not always as prescriptive as they are in the Royal Enclosure at Ascot, but they are stated in a few cases, and in others it’s often something you will have to investigate.

Again, this is a case where my trusty Debrett’s comes in. This is wonderful as it has definitions for ALL dress codes that you are likely to come up against.

Most formal is “White Tie and Decorations” – which is usually attributed to functions hosted by Aristocracy or Senior Politicians. If you work for the kind of person who will be invited to that kind of function, don’t concern yourself. They will know what they’re doing (and probably won’t require your advice).

“Black Tie” – considered by the gentlemen of Downton Abbey to be some kind of sports dress,  is the modern equivalent of “Let’s get dressed up”. It’s easy enough to navigate this code, it’s always for an evening event, sometimes for an evening wedding, and is well known/documented for gentlemen.

For ladies, the formal definition of Black Tie is a little less strictly observed in this modern age. Debrett’s is very relaxed about this whole thing stating that a “Smart Dress” is appropriate and it can be “Long or short, as long as it’s not too short”. The key to elegance is to be slightly enviable without being shocking.

The social minefield is thrown up by “Smart Casual”. This is a hideous thing to be told… I loathe it… It’s daunting to all. And as it is the most common of all the dress codes that fall into the mire of less formal entertaining, which is on the increase.  Of course Debrett’s are definitive on the matter and this is real help – however, in the offices of the younger generation of up-coming executives this is often a “code” which is touted but seldom fully observed.

With a continuing trend of very expensive, designer “sportswear” and credit-card weakening jeans those with the cash to splash often want to show off their latest acquisitions at such occasions as being seen in company.

If you are asked, ask host, or the host’s office. Only enquire about this if you are asked to. Giving advice such as this, unbidden, could cross a line into your boss’s personal relationships that you are not at all welcome to cross. However, it is imperative that if there are concerns from your end that you must enquire and advise. If your boss’s boss’s wife is hosting her weekend BBQ in a pair of Alexander McQueen jeans and a Chloé hoodie then that is her prerogative, if your boss’s wife turns up in similar and the host’s wife is in a beautiful tea dress… then you have a problem. Or your Boss does.. and you’re there to make sure these things don’t happen.

(Follow the links – they link to all the relevant pages).

The Basics: How (and when) to Write a Thank You Letter

One of the greatest feelings of achievement I get is when I type up a letter, take it in for signing and whoever I am working for  just signs it. No corrections, no changes or re-working of wording… just a signature… In my years and years of producing letters for other people I am glad to say that (eventually) this happened with increasing frequency and with no diminished feeling of triumph!

"Thank You" letters are a very good place to start achieving this yourself. Hopefully this how-to will help you to get there just a little more quickly than I did!
 

Never under estimate the power of a well-placed vote of thanks.  A number of the VIPs I have worked for recognise this and, I am of the belief that this is one of the details that keeps the regard held for them so high.

Regardless of the medium you use an “appropriate” thanks will not go unnoticed or without a smile of appreciation.

Appropriate is the key here. It is appropriate to thank someone when they have hosted an event (e.g. a cocktail party, dinner, sporting event, ball etc.), sent a gift, responded to an appeal for help or gone beyond the call of duty in anyway. This applies in all areas of life, not least in business.

There are a number of guides out there regarding when it is appropriate to send a business related "Thank You" letter or email after a job interview. In my opinion it is NEVER appropriate to thank someone for interviewing you. Even if you really want the job, it is the mark of a sycophant (needy person) and who wants to employ such a person  - even as an Assistant? Anything that could be construed as "Please like me" is unprofessional. Have the confidence to know that you have responded to someone's need when attending an interview and that they should be thanking you for your time. Conversely, it IS appropriate to thank anyone who may have been involved in making the introduction that lead to the interview, regardless of the outcome. If you have networked your way into such a situation, those in your network deserve a line or two via email, and if you get the job - the drinks are on you!

 
Thankfully, in the realms of what is and is not socially acceptable there are some clear rules you can follow that (like a knee length hem-line) will never cause you or the person you represent any embarrassment:

I believe that you should thank in the medium in which the invitation was made. For example, if you receive a formal thick card, embossed invitation (rather affectionately known in more than one London office as a “stiffy”) which has a handwritten name on it then it is appropriate for the guest to write a handwritten reply on their own personal headed paper.

Accepting the invitation is a different matter. Most formal invitations will come with a reply card that involves you filling in the information and sending it back. All invitations will include instructions as to how to RSVP (Respond). You should follow these instructions (especially if you’re accepting the invitation) as this is the easiest way for the host to compile responses.

If the invitation was via email then it is acceptable to send a thank you in the same way. However, if the invitation is to a formal or very special event, such as something which is part of “The Season” (i.e. Ascot, Henley, Glyndebourne, Wimbledon and various other outdoor events) or includes a titled* host or guest of honour then a written letter reply is appropriate.

If an invitation makes use of a formal title such as “Sir” or “The Rt. Hon” or even "His/Her Royal Highness" on the invitation this indicates that the host is keen to show that it is a formal occasion so any thanks should be sent in formally.

Traditional form suggests that if the invitation is personal and to a couple that the lady of the couple is responsible for producing a letter of thanks and such a reply should be directed to the lady of the hosting couple at their home address. This is terribly formal, rather old fashioned and largely out of your hands, even if you are a home office or “Personal” Assistant. In your capacity as an Assistant in the work-place there is a slightly less formal, but no less important process to follow.

Usually, business related entertainment that is directed to the person you are working for along with their partner will be sent to the business address (rather than their home).  In the case of a business invitation directed solely at your boss you will simply need to ask if they would like to send thanks. They will need to be involved in the process and it is always best to ask if you don’t know!

You could structure your letter like this:

1. “Thank you for....” – this is the purpose of the letter and should be stated immediately
2. Personal detail – this shows a great level of detail and therefore appreciation for the host’s efforts.
3. What I/we liked about what you did for us – as above and shows that the writer is keen to nurture the relationship.
4. Allude to the future – this is a positive way to conclude and can also be non-committal.

 An example of a generic business thank you letter:

It should be sent no later than the Monday after the event (to arrive on the Tuesday) or if your boss is travelling it should be waiting for signature upon their return. If there is a gap longer than a week between those days reference to the “lateness” of the thanks should be made in the first paragraph of the letter e.g. “Please forgive the time it has taken for me to thank you for including me/us <<etc>> I have been out of the country....".

I owe a great deal of this knowledge and the accomplishment of the finer details to Debrett’s. This is the definitive guide to getting things right in the minefield of communication and they now have a great deal of this information available on line. For me though, my copy of “Correct Form” is well thumbed and considered an office essential.

These tips should get you through the fear of the blank page staring back at your when you boss asks you to "Sort out a Thank You letter for...." Anticipating this need when you diarise and accept an invitation is a great way to demonstrate pro-active thinking. Set a reminder in your own diary, produce the letter in a timely matter, pop it in the signing book and your boss will start to think you're psychic!