5 Ways to Get the Most of your Assistant

By Keila Drum, Executive Assistant, @laineschmidtcoaching

Your virtual assistant can do much more than keep up with your calendar. 

The reason you hired an assistant was to focus more on growing your business and freeing up a lot of your precious time. Here are 5 ways to get the most out of your go-to person: 

1 – Create Systems – Assistants work best when they can follow a simple but detailed task list. If you start each week with specific instructions and a laid-out plan, you will need very little training or one-on-one time with them and tasks should be completed with excellence and in a timely manner.  

2 – Start with easier tasks and be patient – When you first hire an assistant, you are learning about them and they are learning about you. Do your best to explain what your business is about, impart to them your passion for what you do and be patient with back-and-forth questions they may have about the job and tasks. Once they learn, it will flow like a well-oiled machine. 

3 – Set priorities and expectations – Your assistant helps you be more productive and take administrative tasks off your plate. Take some time to decide what you can delegate, provide specific goals, outline a checklist for them to follow and most importantly, be clear on what is most important to you. 

4 - Brainstorm together – Making your assistant part of your team is key to getting the most out of their time. Ask them for suggestions and they will help you achieve your goals faster and bring a fresh perspective to your ideas. 

5 -  Let them know they are important – Your assistant can be a lot more than just your assistant. They are someone who you constantly rely on to help you perform your best and assist you on the growth of your business. 

When you empower them in their position, let them grow and share your successes, they will move heaven and earth for you.

Leaders Who Do This Rank High in Evaluations

You can pretend to care, but you can’t pretend to be there. 

Leaders who practice consistent, good judgment, and positive relationships, rank in the 80th percentile in good leadership.  Those who don't rank in the 20th. 

The best leaders show compassion and provide resources to their team WHILE still holding the team accountable.  

Showing up for the team by caring about them as humans while also giving them what they need to succeed will create a more trusting environment where members feel valued and supported. 

This promotes productivity.  When you are there, the team knows you care.

How are you showing up for your team?

- Coach Gigi

What Deserves Your Time?

You can do anything, but you can’t do everything. 

You are able to do anything you set your mind to. The problem most of us have is that we try to do too much, and often, try to do too much stuff that doesn’t really matter, instead of focusing on what’s most valuable to us. 

Maybe you are like most people, and you are so busy just keeping up that you can’t give time to the things that should be getting your time.

If you want to see yourself make real, transformative progress, do the hard work of thinking about what your goals are.  Then, look at your life and discern what things you are doing that are helping you get there, and what things are slowing you down.

Once you’ve established your goals, write them down.  At that point, it’s a matter of getting started.

Remember, you’re capable of anything, but no one can do everything.

By Coach Sean

Make Your Resume Pop

The purpose of a resume is to land the interview.

It is the tool employers use to gain insights into your qualifications and skills. It is a means of communicating with a prospective employer quickly and concisely.  

As most employers give the resume a quick glance, in order to make your resume POP, here are a few suggestions:

1.  Use a resume template. This allows you to make quick and easy updates.  

2.  Instead of an Objective Statement use a Summary Statement. What’s the difference? A Summary Statement includes your qualifications for the position. Be sure to include keywords that are specific to what the job description and qualifications are requiring. 

3.  Use a Chronological format in reverse order, using your most recent position at the top. 

4.  Keep your resume to one page. Again, the employer scans over the resume in a few seconds. An exception to this rule is if you are applying for an executive level position - then you can go crazy with two pages. 

5.  Tailor each resume to the position. Meaning, you do not have one resume.  You have the bones of a resume, and you customize it based on the position you want. You want to get their attention! Let them know that your skills are a great fit for their company.  

By utilizing these tips, you should be well on your way to getting plenty of job interviews!

By: Coach Louanne