Promote Your Professional Brand as an Administrative Assistant

It doesn’t feel right to wish you a “happy” Administrative Assistants Day in this time of coronavirus lockdowns, but the truth is that you’re incredibly important to your organization … as much now more than ever. Furthermore, you need to make your boss and your company knows how much you matter.

Administrative assistants, like many employees, often undersell themselves when it comes to self-promotion. Unfortunately, if they don’t do it, no one else is going to do it either. On the bright side, if you’re an admin, it’s not that difficult to make sure your work is acknowledged and recognized. Furthermore, you can put your name in the minds of — and on the lips of — not just your boss, but all the movers and shakers in your company. How? By using a little bit of marketing magic to pump up your professional brand.

Many admins avoid self-promotion for several reasons. They don’t want to come off as bragging about themselves … they fear rejection … they’ll be laughed at … yelled at … suffer a backlash from coworkers — or from their own boss. Most of the time, admins just don’t think it’ll do any good and come up with a million excuses not to do it.

So … whether fear, inexperience, or lack of knowledge on the fundamentals of self-promotion is holding you back, here are the steps to ask for — and get — the recognition you deserve:

Step 1: Decide why you want recognition

Are you shooting for a raise in pay? Do you want to feel more appreciated? How about more responsibility? Or, do you just want your accomplishments chronicled somewhere? Whatever your reason, make sure everything you do revolves around your career goals.

Step 2: Get it written down somewhere

You may be the only person in your company who knows exactly what you do around the office. And if you assume that your boss knows just because you’re his admin, guess again! Establish — on paper — your duties and overall value to your company, by documenting all the work you do. Mark it down even if it’s something you consider trivial or menial.

The best place to start is by getting a copy of your job description from your boss or your HR department and going from there. Once you’ve taken care of documenting what’s on that job description, you can start filling in the blanks (and there are always blanks), which leads us to step 3.

Step 3: List your duties that aren’t on the job description

It’s amazing how few people have seen their official job description. And, if you’ve been in your position for any length of time, you probably wouldn’t recognize the job that’s described either. Add in the fact that an admin’s job can change on the boss’s whim, this is something you must keep track of constantly.

But that description is what the rest of your company uses to grade your performance, give pay raises, and brand your position. Identify everything you do around the office … everything!

Step 4: Put a price tag on your head and value on your potential

Whenever possible, put a dollar figure on what you do. Spell out your accomplishments with a dollar sign attached. If part of your job is to find lower-cost vendors, or if you come up with ideas that make department processes cheaper, tell your boss. Tie this into your future potential. What are you working on now and how do you anticipate this will affect the company’s bottom line? Emphasize your skills, abilities, and excellent work habits including your willingness to go the extra mile.

Step 5: Practice your self-promotion pitch before talking to your boss

Once you’ve got everything documented, make an appointment with your boss to talk. Make sure you let your boss know the reason you want to talk. There’s nothing that will blow your presentation more than a boss caught on the defensive. Tell your boss that you want to review your work and get feedback on how you’re doing.

Before your talk, practice your self-promotion pitch with a friend, relative, or a trusted coworker who knows the players involved. It’s common to be cool, calm, and collected until the boss’ door shuts and suddenly you become nervous and flustered.

Dear managers, supervisors, and bosses … want a great Administrative Assistant’s Day gift for your assistant that will really make a difference in her life? Give her a years’ worth of training with a STAR12 subscription. Members receive a full year of live and virtual instructor-led training, unlimited webinars, curriculum-based eLearning courses and more!