News

• Make Sure Your Dream Job Doesn’t Pass You By [Forbes]
• How to Respond to Criticism [HR Communication]
• What You Should Know About a Job Before You Accept [CBS News]
• Get Your Boss to Communicate Better [Lifehacker]
• How to Plug Holes in Your Work History [Career Realism]

No, those new hires aren’t getting younger by the minute. Today is “Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day,” meaning some 3.5 million workplaces will be hosting pint-sized guests eager to learn what their parents do when they disappear to that mysterious thing called “a job.” Now in its 20th year, this national public education program was designed to help children connect what they learn at school with the actual working world and encourage them to think about what they might like to do someday.

• Why You Learn More from Success than Failure [LinkedIn]
• 10 Career Lessons from Powerful Women [Forbes]
• How to Overcome Creative Blocks [Lifehack]
• 7 Elements of a Good Job [Jobacle]
• Tips for the Introverted Job Seeker [US News]

Happy Administrative Professionals Day! In honor of the occasion, take a little break and test your knowledge of the industry with some fun questions:

In which state is the annual salary for administrative assistants the highest?

At $51,100, New Jersey is tops. Washington, D.C., is second at $47,760 and New York third at $47,180.

• Surviving a Job with Outdated Technology [Lifehacker]
• Ways to Improve Your Twitter Job Search [Career Realism]
• Survival Tips for an All-Day Interview [Mashable]
• How to Handle Helicopter Bosses [Psychology Today]
• Get Hired for Your Dream Job [US News]

Who is the biggest team player in the office and the most trusted office employee? You, according to a survey conducted by Staples in honor of Administrative Professionals Week. Two-thirds of non-admin respondents gave “top team player” honors to their admin, and admins beat out the boss and human resource workers for the title of “most trusted,” too. (More than half of those surveyed also believe you are under-compensated and that you have “super-human” powers.)

The “greenest” employee at your company may be the one who doesn’t come to the workplace. According to a survey by USamp and TeamViewer, telecommuters often demonstrate more environment-friendly behaviors than their office counterparts because they are used to trying harder to conserve at home.

• Aligning the Elements of Your Work Life [LinkedIn]
• Five Reasons to Follow Up on Your Job Search [Career Realism]
• Excel Shortcuts That Will Save You Lots of Time [Business Insider]
• Ways to Lose Your Co-Workers’ Respect [PR Daily]
• Why Setting Goals is Essential for Success [Lifehack]

&nb

When it comes to helping the environment, every little bit counts. In honor of Earth Day, here are some ways you can make a difference:

1. Think before printing. Limiting the use of paper not only saves trees, it can reduce the amount of office clutter. Store emails and documents electronically for easy retrieval.

2. Encourage the use of front and back printing for internal documents by placing a bin next to each printer in your office to store sheets that have been printed on one side. These sheets can be inserted into the printer for new documents.

The Office Professional would like to extend our best wishes to all admins as Administrative Professionals Week kicks off. While Wednesday marks the individual day when many workplaces recognize the contributions and accomplishments of their amazing admins, it’s never too early to get the celebration started when it comes to feting dedicated, invaluable workers!