Researching Office Equipment

Today's Class Topic:

Today's topic was mainly on researching equipment for an office that will beneficial, but economical.  It takes time to research equipment to find the best quality and service for the money.

New Things I Learned Today:

• Research a product before buying.  There are many ways to research a product that will give you what you need without spending a lot of money.  Schedule in time to do the research to be beneficial for time management.
• Research, for example, a copier, whether or not the copier will be more beneficial to lease or purchase.  Set up appointments with different companies and have questions ready for them when they come so that you can have a summation available for the boss or supervisor.
• Check out certain Web sites for product opinions made by consumers.  This can also help to narrow down the products from which to choose.
• When setting up an office for the first time, there are many things to take into consideration.  Especially when you lose power.  What will happen when you have your office all set up and there is a major storm and you lose power.  The last thing on a person's mind, when they set up, will be a battery backup power supply for the office computers.  If you employ an IT person, then they will have thought of this for you, but if you don't, it is best to research a backup power supply for your office computers.

Office Management Tip of the Day:

Practice what you preach.  Don't expect everyone to follow what you say, if you do not.  You have to lead by example and then everyone will see that you do practice what you preach and will be better respected as a person.

Time Management Tip of the Day:

Be on time for ALL your appointments.  If you are late to any appointments, then people will start to lose respect for you.  Also, you will seem unreliable.  If you are going to be late, because of an emergency, or held up at the office, please call your appointment let them know that you are on your way.

Office Equipment--This Week's Lesson

This week we spoke about Section 2 in our Handbook and how it can be utilized in the office.  We talked about different equipment and the computer and copier machine being the main items.  But there are other office equipment that will keep your office running like a well oiled machine.  Telephones, Internet, shredding services, and so forth.  Also spoke about job skills and interviewing tips.

This Week's Class Topics:

• Job searching and skills.
• Cover letter and resume tips
• Office equipment and how to utilize it in the office.

New Things I Learned This Week:

• Learned that I can send and receive a fax with my smart-phone.  All depends on if the phone can handle it and the software needed to be installed.
• It is okay to bring notes on an interview.  Bring information on what you found on the company in case they ask "What do you know about our company and what we do?". 
• What ever you say in a cover letter and on your resume, back it up.  For example:  Do not say that you have extensive knowledge about Word when you do not know how to set the page margins.  If you are going to say that you have extensive knowledge, back it up with how you can utilize the software in creating documents and creating business letters, annual reports, flyers, and newsletters.
• Learned that when listing your skills on a resume--add a few words on what you can do beside it.  For example:  Word 2010:  Create a business letter with a table, insert table of contents in a document.  Proven communication skills:  Telephone etiquette, proper spelling and grammar when creating documents, always have on hand a dictionary and a thesaurus.  Cannot rely totally on the software to catch every misspelled word or grammar error.

Time Management Tip of the Week:

• Track activities for a week in a daily log.  This will help you get an idea where you spend the most time, i.e. email, telephone, filing; how to manage that time for that area, which is the first step in managing time in the day.

Office Management Tip of the Week:

• Be on time or a little bit early for work.  If you are on time, then you are late--If you are early, then you are on time. 

Today's Lessons

Good Afternoon.

In today's Office Equipment and Procedures class, we learned some useful ideas and thoughts from our classmates.

Topics Discussed Today Were:

• Discussed the first section of our "Administrative Assistant's and Secretaries Hand-book", which is useful now as it will be in the future. 

New Things I Learned Today:

• Learned that having a "To-Do" list while working or going to school will keep things organized.  Also learned how to keep things prioritized so that they will get finished when they need to be finished. 
• Learned that "Time Management" is a very useful way of organizing your day.  Ask questions of yourself like:  "What do I need to do today?  What needs to be done immediately?" and so forth; so that your time is utilized in a "productive" manner.   
• Also discussed the use of FaceBook.  Always be careful when posting on facebook, because it is a public place and it can be viewed by the public. 
• Discussed the importance of being the first person that the public comes in contact with when dealing with either a business or medical office.  Always smile and alway have-here it is again-positive attitude. 

Office Managment Tip of the Day:

"Don't kick the copier when there is a paper jam."

Time Management Tip of the Day:

"Keep an organizer handy so that you will have an organized day."

What I learned this week in my OEP class.

This is the first week of the OEP course and I learned quite a bit in the two days that I attended class, here is just a few:

• Learned about E-Fax, which is the process of faxing documents over the Internet instead of the traditional phone line.
• Learned that working in an office, everyone needs to be prepared for emergencies:  Example of an emergency would be when the lights go out, what are you going to do?
• Learned about blogging.   Blogging is public domain and everyone can read what is posted on your blog. 
• Learned that there are many types of equipment that can be found in an office.  Some offices still have land-line fax machines, typewriters, and scanners. 

All in all it was a very informative week and cannot wait to learn of new technology that is forever changing.

*Photo will be used in class assignments.

Office Equipment & Procedures: Introduction

Hello Everyone!

My name is Michele Keller.

• Attending South Florida Community College.
• Studying in the Administrative Assistant Program
• Began program in January 2012 and expected to be finished in November 2012.
• Taking the OEP (Office Equipment & Procedures) because it is required to graduate, but also to learn the new technology in today's business world.
• Eight years working in an office setting.