In the 21st century, so much changes very quickly. The state of the business world ten years ago was vastly different than it is today. The Internet and the increasingly globalized economy mean that corporations have to operate differently than they used to. However, the increasing complexity of the 21st-century corporate world can be quite confusing. If you or your employees were trained or certified more than five or so years ago, your knowledge might be outdated. That’s the benefit and the drawback of the proliferation of technology. With technology, something new and innovative comes along roughly every six months. That means, if you attended a business school ten years ago, your education has been rendered obsolete twenty times over. The skills necessary for each area of the corporate world are unique and specialized. You and your employees should take steps to ensure that you all are well trained in your fields.
Secretarial Skills
In many instances, the secretary is the first point of contact between potential clients or customers and your business. Potential clients will visit your office or call your office on the phone and they will encounter the secretary first. As the old adage goes, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. Because of this, it is important that your secretary be well trained in his or her field.
Phone answering is one of the most important skills of a secretary. Talking on the phone might seem like a skill that we all have, but in truth, it is not. Conversations, especially those involving unhappy customers, are very nuanced and subtle in ways that you might not pick up on. With face to face conversations, you can judge a lot based on body language and facial expressions. Obviously, this is not possible with a phone call. Therefore, you need someone trained and experienced in the particulars of phone interactions.
In addition to phone answering, a secretary must take accurate, detailed messages. Taking messages and delivering them to the appropriate parties involves knowing how to take a message that incorporates all of the necessary information. Also, the secretary needs to be well versed in the business so that he or she knows who to send the message to. Also, the secretary needs to know the contact information for all of the different departments and employees at the business.
A secretary needs to be very knowledgeable about the ins and outs of the business. In many circumstances, the secretary is as knowledgeable about the business as the person in charge. This means that the secretary can function as the office manager. In some businesses, secretaries are office managers all the time. In other businesses, the office manager is a separate position. However, when the manager is out of the office, the secretary has to take control of the office. UK training courses are available online and in-person and can train your employees in the skills necessary for a successful 21st-century business.
Project Manager Skills
Project management is a set of skills that are unique to the position. While many might think of project management as the same as office management, it is definitely not. Because a project has a definite beginning and end, as well as a set budget, the manager has to operate within much stricter parameters.
Project Management happens in a set of stages.
The first step in project management is initiation. The process of initiation involves determining the scope and the nature of the project at hand. This is a very important stage as it sets the parameters of the project. The manager will assess the needs of the business and set measurable goals for achieving them. Also, the manager will analyse the finances to create a cost and benefits analysis as well as a budget.
The next step is planning. The main goal of the planning stage is to schedule time, allot resources, assess costs and manage. This is the last stage before execution. This is a very important step because proper planning ensures a much greater chance of success. While the initiation stage set the parameters, this stage normally sets the definable milestones. The manager will identify benchmarks for success and list deliverables. The time and cost should be estimated at this stage as well.
The execution stage is the process of completing the work that was planned in the earlier stages. This is the most straightforward of the stages in the process.
The monitoring and controlling stage is the stage in which the manager observes the execution of the project and assesses the ongoing success. When necessary, the manager will execute corrective action to keep the project on task. When the project progress is constantly being monitored, it is easier to stay on task and make sure the project comes in on budget and on time.
The closing stage is the final stage of the process. This is the part of the project in which the contract is closed. The success or failure of the project is assessed. The project is then closed.
Human Resources Officer Skills
Human resources is the branch of business that involves the management of the people who comprise the business. HR is probably best known as the branch of the corporation that does the hiring and firing. This is true, but it is somewhat simplistic. HR officers are often in charge of employee evaluations. These evaluations are often the way that HR officers decide who should be promoted or demoted, who should receive a raise, and who needs increased responsibilities.
Also, the hiring process is very difficult. HR officers are in charge of reading resumes and conducting interviews. Based on those short interactions, those officers have to accurately determine who will make a good fit at a business and who will not. Obviously, this is a very difficult task. Being well trained in the skills necessary to make those determinations is the only way to do it reliably. As the industry changes, constantly learning the new processes is integral.
