Administrative professional secrets

- In my 27 years as an administrative professional, I have learned many tips and secrets of the trade and I want to share that with you. One thing you will always have to remember is that as an administrative professional, you're in a confidential role. In some instances, you may even have access to your executive's email. This is highly confidential and you need to make sure that you respect and uphold all confidentiality. It's also very important for you to have a high degree of professionalism. Remember that you're the first person people come in contact with before they see your executive. Therefore, it's very important for you to be aware of how certain things such as how you speak on the phone, how you greet someone, how you dress or behave in a meeting, how you take meeting minutes, where you sit, how you sit, and even how you walk into a room, these might seem like small things, but all of those reflect on your executive. You have to remember that sometimes your boss or executive manager may not be able to attend a meeting and they may want you to go in their place. Are you comfortable enough that you'd be able to show a high degree of professionalism and be a positive reflection of your executive? These scenarios can and do happen. As an administrative professional, that's part of your job. You're there to support the executive and be their extension. You're there to be the eyes and ears for them when they're not around. This is why it becomes extremely important for you to always maintain that high level of confidentiality because your executive trusts you with information that not everyone in the company may have. For instance if you work for a CFO, you're going to have access to financial data. If you work for the CEO, you're probably going to have access to most of the business data. If you work for a sales manager, you're likely to have access to sales numbers. Remember the information you have from your executive might not be available to people in other departments. Once you realize and understand these boundaries, it'll make things much easier overall. You'll begin to gain respect and confidence from all of your colleagues and upper management. You'll be seen as someone who is professional and can sit in on high-level meetings and who may also be able to speak up on behalf of the manager or the executive. Those are extremely important qualities for an administrative professional. Not everyone is aware of these potential responsibilities, so hopefully these tips will help you in your role. Ask yourself if you feel comfortable maintaining confidentiality in difficult situations and if you feel confident representing your executive to other high-level professionals. If you're up for the challenge, this is a great way to build yourself up from being an entry-level administrative professional to becoming a senior-level administrative professional. And remember, as always, you're there to support your executive and make sure that they are always shown in the best light possible.