Tag Archive for ‘the other side of the aisle’ at save the assistants

Tag Archive for 'the other side of the aisle'

advice from the person interviewing you

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on December 29, 2009

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In the semi-regular feature here at STA, “The Other Side of the Aisle,” bosses get a chance to talk about work from their perspective. Here, one boss (we’ll call her “Cheryl”) talks about her experiences interviewing potential assistants and gives helpful pointers about what bosses want people to say or do in interviews.

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As someone who interviews 15-20 people a year, mostly for part time admin positions, I see a variety of folks come through my office: some who think they have found the perfect job, others who are just simply in need of anything that will keep them busy or pay the bills. The following are a variety of patterns I have seen over and over again - they are truly meant to help people like you who are on the search. It may sound strict, but when you get over 200 applicants for one position, it’s the little things that stick out. Here are some simple tips that anyone can use to set themselves apart.

If you read this and these things sounds super crazy obvious, all the power to you- you’re probably already getting to the top of the resume piles!

DO: Follow the instructions on the job posting.

AND: If it says no calls, please don’t call. Even if you are super-qualified and experienced, it will likely get your name on a list of people who won’t get interviews because why bother interviewing someone who can’t follow directions?

DO: Show up on time for the interview.

AND: If you get to the area early, grab a coffee nearby or take some time for yourself to transition into “interview mode.” More than 15 minutes early is overdoing it - it’s tacky and if you’re interviewing at a small office, your presence can actually be awkward for those who are about to meet with you. If the folks interviewing you don’t jump to take you early, especially if they are just finishing with someone else, don’t act disappointed. I suggest waiting patiently with a magazine in the lobby or simply reviewing your resume. Yes, excessive text messaging will give the impression that this is what you will do with all of your in between time, or when the boss isn’t looking.

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your boss’ guide to firing you

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on August 18, 2009

in Buzzwords

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Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be on the other side of a firing or layoff? One of the downsides to being a boss is having to let people go, especially when it’s not because they deserve it. Well, now The Washington Post introduces you to “The Five O’Clock Club” - an “outplacement” firm. What, you may ask, is outplacement? It’s a corporate buzzword for laying people off. And companies like The Five O’Clock Club (which I’ll call T5OCC) come in to help companies figure out which people to lay off and how.

While the point of this article is probably to help people - especially ones who lost their jobs recently and are pissed about it - sympathize with what it’s like to be the layer-offer, it doesn’t do much to humanize the characters. Having employees of T5OCC spout off lists of names and numbers - six here, 20 there - doesn’t make me feel sorry for them. If anything, it makes them look like vultures, who are surviving by feeding off of the dying. Take paragraphs like this, for example:

The Five O’Clock Club has nearly doubled in size during the past two years, and Hall has guided more than 200 companies and 1,500 laid-off workers through downsizings in the past six months. The Club, as it is sometimes called, charges each company about $2,000 per fired employee in exchange for providing layoff victims with a year of career coaching. The more businesses that suffer, the better for business at the Club. When Hall joined the company in 2007, she read in the employee handbook that “from time to time, employees will receive small bonuses when the company is doing exceptionally well.” Now those bonuses come almost every month.

Maybe I should reward these people for their business acumen, but all I feel like doing is being mad that they exist in the first place.

how hiring choices are made

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on March 10, 2009

in Survival Guide

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Though we as assistants know a lot about how jobs work and how to play office politics games, but one thing we’re not always privy to is how hiring decisions are made. After all, we don’t know all the reasons that went into the company picking us, right?

The excellent blog Fired For Now examines the mind of one hirer, Barry, as he has to choose from a whopping 835 candidates applying for a single position. (Ah, the joys of applying for a job in a terrible economy.) How does Barry decide who to hire? Once people who are obviously not qualified for the job get weeded out, what happens next?

Things that are taken into consideration include:

Does the person have a family to support?
How long has the person been out of work?
How old are they? (If the person is older, they will have fewer work years ahead of them before filing for retirement, which could be really good or really bad for the employer, depending on the economy).
Is the person overqualified? (While this could seem like a reason to count someone out, during a bad economy it might be advantageous to hire someone with way more qualifications and get them at a bargain. Sad, but true.)

a manual for evil bosses

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on March 5, 2009

in Survival Guide

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As assistants, it’s sometimes useful to try and get inside the mind of a boss. After all, if you’re fighting a war you need to anticipate the enemy’s next move. This article from Guidespot is hilarious - it’s a manual for bosses who want to treat their assistants like shit. Here are some of the “helpful” “tips”:

Expect your assistant to do the impossible
Forget about Administrative Professionals’ Day
Call your assistant in the middle of the night
Address your assistant by names other than their own
Make your assistant book your meal reservations but never take them out to lunch
When all else fails, act like Michael Scott

A very entertaining - and, if you take it seriously, depressing - read. Plus STA gets a little shoutout at the end.

stupid reasons you’re not getting hired

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on October 9, 2008

in Junk Drawer

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I recently came across the blog Assistant Atlas, a blog run by a Hollywood assistant. And one recent post definitely caught my attention. It’s nice to get a glimpse from behind the scenes sometimes, and Assistant Atlas clues you in on some of the reasons you might have been passed over for a job. Note: a lot of them are insignificant and have nothing to do with you. (Try not to be shocked.)

“Toss this in the circular file–this girl’s from Florida.”
“So?”
“Sorry, maybe you didn’t hear me– she’s from Florida. You know, America’s stanky armpit? The only thing out of Florida I would touch with a ten-foot pole is an orange.”

“Ha! Look at this–a Fox News intern!” [general merriment as the resume is set on fire and the ashes scattered]

“That guy I just talked to is rejected– he’s obviously a stoner.”
“Yeah, that would not be good.”
“Whatever, I just don’t want someone who’s obvious.”

“Reject!”
“Why?”
“I just Googled him, he’s totally fat.”
“You can’t not interview someone because they’re fat–that’s discriminatory.”
“Whatever, he’s obviously been discriminating against exercise and vegetables for years.”

Continue being horrified/bemused here.

the other side of the aisle: why your boss hates you

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on September 12, 2008

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You probably hate your boss. If not, why would you be on a website about saving assistants? Well, it may happen that your boss also hates you. You might hate your boss because she’s always on a power trip, or because she made you cancel your vacation, or something like that, but one Australian columnist came up with some reasons why your boss might despise you back. Are you guilty of one of these sins?

Being late (hey, how were you supposed to know “be in at 10″ meant “be in at 9:59″? You don’t speak corporate!)
Gossiping too much (well, if your boss doesn’t want you to tell everyone how he hit on you at the company holiday party, maybe he should have had less to drink)
Taking care of personal stuff at work (If you have to spend 10 hours a day sitting at a desk, you shouldn’t be penalized for using some of it for yourself)

More reasons (minus sassy retorts) are here.

the other side of the aisle: when interns attack

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on August 19, 2008

in Interns

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Vogue interns seem to be…well, in vogue these days. Maybe it’s because the post-Devil Wears Prada era has made Vogue assistants less cool, or just that Sean Avery keeps showing up at fashion-related events, but these days it’s all about the interns. Now, even Gawker’s getting into the game. They printed a painfully funny intern horror story from the fashion Bible:

One of my old [Conde Nast publication redacted] interns had a nightmare herself - she moved up to Vogue and was passing Anna in the hall on her first day. Knew she wasn’t supposed to look at her. As they passed, Anna tripped and fell, just bit it. Intern freaked out. she didn’t know what to do. So she ran.

Didn’t help AW. got back to her desk, told her new boss what had happened, and the boss told her she did the right thing and that if she’d actually attempted to help AW, her first day would def have been her last.

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three 6 mafia goes to celebrity assistant school

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on August 18, 2008

in Celebrity Assistant Soapbox and Video

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So, Three 6 Mafia were nobodies, then they had a song in Hustle and Flow, then they won an Oscar, then they got a short-lived reality show, and now they’re back to semi-obscurity. It’s too bad I never caught their show while it was on, though, because it wasn’t until now that I saw this clip of the rappers attending a course for aspiring celebrity assistants. It’s pretty entertaining to see famous people have to find out what their lackeys deal with on a daily basis, and it’s extra funny as the guys get dinged for bad phone manners and other PA blunders. Maybe their next single will be “It’s Hard Out There for an Assistant.”

a guide to coworkers you hate

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on June 23, 2008

in Junk Drawer

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Most of the time, STA’s scorn is directed at evil bosses. However, sometimes it’s not your boss who makes you crazy all day–it’s your coworkers. Here are four types of coworkers who aren’t as well documented as, say, The Sidler from Seinfeld, but manage to annoy the hell out of you regardless.

The Popcorn Burner: Every office has this person. He or she has not mastered the simple art of making popcorn in a microwave. At least once this person has caused the fire alarm to go off and the fire department to show up. This person is a moron.

The Loud Talker: When you work in a cube farm, it’s a given that everyone can hear each others’ phone calls. More discreet employees take personal calls in private offices or take their cell phones into a secluded part of the office. Not the Loud Talker, though. That followup call with the specialist? The fight with their mom? The rehashing of last night’s drunken hilarity? All there for your listening (dis)pleasure.

The Prom Committee Co-Chair: Is it someone’s birthday? Did somebody have get engaged? You can bet that this perky, permasmiling coworker has taken it upon him or herself to pick out an expensive flower arrangement and go around the office making everyone chip in and sign a card. My friend Peter needs a special mention in this category: when a male coworker’s wife had a baby, Peter signed the card “Good job knocking up your wife.” This is why we are friends.

The Aspiring Ebert: In the immortal words of Salt-N-Pepa, “opinions are like assholes, and everybody’s got one.” Yes, people are entitled to their opinions, and you are entitled to not give a fuck about them. If someone’s weighing in on a work-related matter, that’s one thing. But when the super chatty coworker the next cube over thinks you really want to know their opinion of that movie that just came out, or how kids today totally don’t appreciate Zeppelin, or what they would do if they were running for president, just put your headphones on.

the other side of the aisle: tips for interviewers

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on May 30, 2008

in Tip of the Week

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You definitely know what it’s like to go on interviews. But odds aren’t as high you’ve ever had to interview someone. This blog post gives insight into what it’s like to sit on the other side of the desk. It may be aimed at bosses instead of assistants, but the highly practical tips should make both parties happy. (Note: I hate when people don’t let you know one way or the other if you got the job. Not knowing is the worst!)

Don’t forget: you represent your company. Once, I got an interview with a “marketing boutique.” I was kind of excited about it. It sounded trendy, fast-paced, and down right fun. Upping the cool quotient was the fact that the office was based out of the owner’s studio loft apartment in a trendy par of town. I arrived at the apartment at the agreed upon time and knocked. I was greeted by the owner, a woman in cotton shorts and a t-shirt, no makeup, and flip flops. Her apartment was a mess, including the unmade bed in plain sight. Meanwhile, I was in a suit with light makeup and jewelery. The woman was abrasive, blunt, and down right annoying. I suffered through the interview and went home. I never contacted her again. I understand the perks of working out of your house. But seriously? A previously scheduled interview with a potential co-worker and you don’t even change clothes or make your bed?

If you end up not hiring someone, have the decency to tell them. Not that long ago I interviewed for an office position with a real estate group. The first interview went well and I came back for a second interview. The agent seemed excited and said many times how much she would like to hire me. At the end of the second interview, she even said “I’ll be in touch. I think we’re getting close.” I waited the alloted amount of time and when I hadn’t heard from her, I called and left a message. A few days later I emailed her. Two days after that, I saw the job re-posted on craigslist with the phrase, “We are looking for the RIGHT candidate.” Ouch. My respect for this woman went way down. I can handle not being right for the job. But after two interviews and hints that I WAS right for the job, are you really so cowardly that you can’t tell me you won’t be hiring me?

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