One hardly hears that word these days – etiquette. Are there any formal written rules for emailing/texting? I have not seen any formal written rules for emailing/texting, except those rules drawn up by companies for their staff to follow. And if there were, do people adhere to these rules? It is so easy to type out emails/sms and click on the ‘Send’ button without a second thought. It is when we get the reply that we realise (too late!) that our message could be misconstrued to mean something else. So re-read your messages before clicking the ‘Send’ button and keep in mind that someone else could quite easily read your message as well.
How do you address an email message? An email message is still a letter/memo sent by electronic exchange, so it should be set out the same way.
Before you compose your message, gather all your facts and figures to be sent in one message, rather than sending multiple messages on the same subject.
Avoid sending ‘chain’ emails.
Lets minimise everyone’s stress levels! Before sending attachments, check the size of the file(s) – this could take hours to upload/download. Send smaller files rather than multiple files.
When forwarding emails check that the message you are sending is intended for the recipient only and does not contain information that is highly confidential.
Do you clear your ‘Deleted Items’ folder in your Inbox regularly? Interesting what you could find in there! Set up Outlook/Outlook Express to automatically clear your Deleted Items folder when you exit Outlook/Outlook Express.
Like everyone else, I am now looking for new diaries for 2010. I’ll leave my shopping for new stationery for the January school year sales! But one definitely needs to get a diary now to start entering appointments for January 2010. Whilst shopping at Officeworks recently I had seen some customers checking out the diaries section, which was a prompt reminder for me. There have been many types I have purchased in the past, but I still haven’t found the one that suits my needs. I need one that is light and compact for my office handbag. Any ideas? Look out for my web links while I surf the web.
Have you ever been asked this question lately? “Do you have a copy of your resume?” Sometimes this question throws people into panic. People are not even aware they should have their resume updated on a regular basis. Who knows what tomorrow brings. The company you’re working in may close down, relocate or restructure and you may need to apply for a job – whether it is internally or elsewhere. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve been working in a company for the past ten years and it doesn’t look like you’ll be moving. Your resume is your working life history. It should be documented. Its important that you keep a printed copy and an electronic copy on file. It contains valuable information about your education, courses you’ve attended, employment history, list of duties you performed in each job, awards you might have attained whether its in your personal life or professional life, specific skills you apply to each job you undertake, hobbies/interests.
I would like to share a tip with you – your resume should give the reader (interviewer) an image of who you are as a person and what you have to offer their company. The front page should contain all important relevant information about your education and past experience briefly. Put aside some time on preparing your resume and focusing on your strengths, skills and abilities.
It is also a good idea to ask your employer for a reference letter in your current job. If you had a good working relationship with a particular employer, or if you performed well in a project/task ask him/her for a reference letter to keep on file (hard copy/electronic copy). With the passage of time that reference could come in handy for a future important job. In my own experience, I have lost touch with previous employers that I did outstanding work for, but I still ensured that I kept a copy of their reference letter to prove it.
If you need assistance with your resume/CV please contact me at manager@xpress-secretary.com I look forward to helping you.
Travelling on the tram this morning, something caught my attention. I was watching this young girl in front of me typing a message on the keypad of her Iphone or mobile with just one finger. I was trying to guess her speed – no it couldn’t be faster than your average typist (40 words per minute?), but one could type fast using abbreviated text or shortform. But is it readable? I’ve seen messages as long as your arm sent from a mobile (in a very abbreviated form such as its unreadable)! I still haven’t mastered the art of typing fast on my mobile phone and my speed is well over 100 words per minute on a computer.
It brought back memories of when I used a manual typewriter, a stencil machine, telex machine to send out messages. It was hard work, no shortcuts! I guess you might be thinking how old I am, but I’m not anywhere near retirement yet! I was thinking of the times I would type stencils to reproduce hundreds of copies. It was a time consuming, nerve wracking ordeal, (partly due to the temperament of the machine if it was in working order that day!) requiring accuracy, skill and dexterity!
Are we getting lazy in the habit of using abbreviated forms of typing/writing or shortcuts? Do we need technology to get things done faster and with less effort? Does the question of speed of transmitting data supercede the accuracy and quality of the written word/data? And for all these time-saving devices, shouldn’t we have more time on our hands? I hear more people say there aren’t enough hours in the day to deal with work and home tasks as well.
Upload your documents in Word, Excel and PowerPoint on Google Docs for easy access where ever you may be. To use this service, you will need a Google account name and password which can be easily set up.
With your new Google ID account, you can also use other applications, e.g. Google Calendar, Email, etc. Gmail allows you to read your email from any computer around the world.
Take a look at this online video and learn how to use Google docs:
“Really big people are, above everything else, courteous, considerate and generous — not just to some people in some circumstances — but to everyone all the time.” Thomas J. Watson
Travelling on the tram this morning, something caught my attention. I was watching this young girl in front of me typing a message on the keypad of her Iphone or mobile with just one finger. I was trying to guess her speed – no it couldn’t be faster than your average typist (40 words per minute?), but one could type fast using abbreviated text or shortform. But is it readable? I’ve seen messages as long as your arm sent from a mobile (in a very abbreviated form such as its unreadable)! I still haven’t mastered the art of typing fast on my mobile phone and my speed is well over 100 words per minute on a computer.