The mobile office on a USB stick

How to work mobile : http://webworkerdaily.com/2009/10/27/how-to-carry-your-office-on-a-stick-usb-flash-drive/

Do you have a copy of your resume?

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.

Then and now …

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.

Life is hard work, there are no short cuts.

Google docs

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:

https://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLogin?service=writely&passive=true&nui=1&continue=http%3A%2F%2Fdocs.google.com%2F&followup=http%3A%2F%2Fdocs.google.com%2F&ltmpl=homepage&rm=false#

“Do it anyway”

I couldn’t resist adding this poem to my blog, which could be applied to all parts of our life. 

Poem by Mother Theresa – DO IT ANYWAY

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank; People may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

How Twitter started

Lets start at the very beginning … how did Twitter start … here is the video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opATiCz6Btw&feature=fvw

“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

How to use Twitter?

Here is a great video on how to use Twitter.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0xbjIE8cPM&NR=1

Twitter – I am intrigued!

Its the latest buzzword around town!  Everywhere I go, every website I peruse mentions the advantages of using Twitter and also Facebook.  I hear the word ‘facebook’ mentioned among groups of people chatting on the street corners at lunchtime. Amazing! It seems mostly everyone these days is on Facebook or Twitter.  So follow me on Twitter as I explore every nook and cranny on my Twitter journey. ID – xpress_typing

Which database program do you use?

Lets face it, your database is the lifeblood of your company. Finding the right software application for this purpose is the million dollar question, whether it will  suit your computer system requirements, number of users, reporting functions, etc.  However, I have always trusted Excel spreadsheets for record-keeping, budgetting, etc., which if set up correctly can be used to integrate with most accounting and CRM packages.  Setting up your first database correctly, will save you heaps of time and money. Entering accurate data is even more imperative to your business.  If you need help with your database, contact me at any time, as I have worked with Access, ACT, Filemaker Pro, Excel, Quickbooks, MYOB, etc. Contact me at manager@xpress-secretary.com