There have been times throughout my career when my employer was willing to reimburse me for professional development training. But more often than not, I personally funded my training investments. This experience alone was a driving factor in launching All Things Admin nine years ago. If you’re fortunate enough to work for an employer that allocates money for training their administrative staff, I hope you take full advantage of it. I also hope you take what you learn back to the office and share it with all of your admin colleagues so everyone benefits from the educational experience. This is also a great way to show your employer why it’s important to invest in your training. It doesn’t just stop with you; it gets shared for the benefit of the team. If you don’t work for an employer that has a budget for training, there are still numerous ways you can satisfy your training needs, and even find low fee or free training events to participate in. If you don’t know where to begin looking, start with the internet. Include specific keywords for the type of training you are looking for and the words “free” and “training” in your search (e.g., free office productivity training, free Photoshop training). YouTube is also loaded with free training options. Include specific keywords for the type of training you are looking for and make sure to add the keyword “training” in your search. (You do not need to include the word “free” because YouTube content is free.) A great place to start is the free weekly AdminChat videos provided by Executive Secretary Magazine! Don’t forget to tap into Microsoft! Microsoft Office provides extensive free training, tutorials, template downloads, and other resources on office.microsoft.com. Getting training support from your employer – whether that means paying for a conference, giving you time off, or both – can be a sticky subject. And oftentimes it’s one admins would prefer to avoid – even if it means losing out on an important professional opportunity. This week, we’re giving you tips on how to make a case for your 2019 training requests on our Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn pages. And our feature article shows you exactly what you need to do in order to get your executive to say “yes!” to your training request. Your professional development doesn’t end when you get your degree, your dream job, or even a promotion. It’s an ongoing endeavor, and those who make an effort to constantly pursue it are leaps and bounds above their more complacent colleagues! Supporting your administrative success, Julie Perrine P.S. For many of us, performance review season is at hand. Are you ready? If the answer is “definitely not” or even “I’m not sure”, we can help! This session has plenty of samples, tools, and resources, as well as the knowledge you need to impress your executive at your next review. Check it out here!
