Training is incredibly valuable for both individuals and employers. Continue reading to learn more about office manager training, virtual assistant training, and office administration training opportunities, as well as how to pick the training that’s right for you.
Why Individuals Should Invest in Training
Investing in continued learning for individuals shows initiative and boosts your resume to employers. If the hiring process comes down to you and someone else with almost the exact same qualifications, having extra training makes you the ideal candidate. It gives you an edge over the competition.
It also boosts your confidence by quelling the anxiety that can pop up at random moments, asking you if you really know what you’re doing. Thanks to your specialized training, you do know exactly what you’re doing, so you can tell that voice in the back of your head to keep quiet.
Why Business Owners Should Invest in Training
With the way technology continues to evolve, it’s important to ensure your employees and your business isn’t left behind. Training is needed to make sure your team is up to date with current technologies. Investing in your team demonstrates how much you value their personal progress and continued commitment to your company. Providing regular training to your employees also means your business has the most skilled professionals working for it.
How to Choose the Training That’s Right for You
Value
Consider the value any given training course will provide you. Will you learn anything new? Can you add the training to your resume? Would potential employers see value in the training?
Think practically—how will you be able to apply any newly-gained knowledge to your work? Do you have a blindspot in your experience or training—something that you know will help advance your career? Do you feel increasingly out of touch with the responsibilities of your job? If so, training is well worth the investment.
Time Since Last Training
How long has it been since you or your employees received their training? Technology evolves fast, and just because you were an ace with organizational technology three years ago doesn’t mean you still are today. Rapidly evolving tech is a blessing and a curse; maintaining your expertise takes constant vigilance.
Availability
When is the training available? Some courses are only available at certain times of the year.
For example, one office administration training course, the Certified Administrative Professional Certification (CAP), is only available during two three week periods in the spring and fall of any given year.
Is the training available online, or will you need to physically attend the training? Do you need to attend office manager training seminars in-person, or can you take office manager classes online?
Traveling to a training center is vastly more time-consuming than taking a course online, so this will likely be a major factor in your decision making.
Cost
Cost is also a significant factor when deciding to undergo extra training. It’s important to compare the cost of the training with the value it will provide. Extra training can be expensive for both individuals and businesses alike, so it’s important to do plenty of research and make sure the investment will be worthwhile.
Find out if your company covers training costs and what specifically is included. If there’s a program that you think would help you do better work for your company, make a pitch to your supervisor to find out if the company would cover the cost or split the costs with you. Will the training allow you to perform your duties more efficiently? How specifically? It’s best to have a few details in your back pocket to demonstrate you’ve put careful thought into your request.
Don’t forget about taxes. Training that directly impacts your career may be tax deductible. Talk to your accountant or financial advisor to see which tax deductions may apply.
Company Support
Do you have the backing of your company? Learning something new is going to take time away from your everyday tasks. Even if there’s great value to the training you are completing, it’s still a lot to take on. Do your managers or supervisors support your training financially and in practice? The best businesses to work for understand the value of maintaining a skilled workforce.
Training for Office Managers
Managing people and projects isn’t easy, especially if you feel you’re doing it all on your own. The Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) is designed to enhance your credibility and effectiveness working on or with project teams. It’s useful training for office managers and prospective office managers as it provides you with the skills and insight you need to successfully manage both projects and people.
Managing employee payroll is a major responsibility for some office managers. The American Payroll Association offers a training course called Implementing Payroll Best Practices. It’s designed to help you develop a best practices payroll plan that you can take back to the office. It covers a wide range of subjects, from compliance issues to organizational structure to processes to methods of service delivery and more. Payroll is complicated, and there are serious penalties to businesses that file their payroll incorrectly.
Do your office managing duties include dealing with business contracts on a regular basis? The course Contract Law: From Trust to Promise to Contract from Harvard University covers a range of contract-related topics like how to form contracts, the limits of enforcing contracts, and how to deal with contractual breaches.
Free Office Manager Training
When individuals work side by side day in and day out, there’s bound to be conflict. An Introduction to Conflict Management and Negotiation is an extremely valuable tool to an office manager, as any internal office disputes will be brought to you first. This course will teach you how to effectively moderate and resolve disagreements in the workplace and how to create and maintain a positive work environment for every employee. Plus, it’s free!
The Manager's Toolkit: A Practical Guide to Managing People at Work on Coursera is free to enroll. The course provides office manager classes that teach how to effectively manage people at work, whether you’re a first time manager in a grocery store or a middle manager in an office. The course itself is free, but if you wish, it’s also possible to purchase the certificate upon completion.
Virtual Assistant Training
Having a deep understanding of the tools businesses are already using can give you an advantage in the hiring process. Working entirely online means you need to have the most up to date knowledge of digital and online business tools. A Microsoft Office Specialist certification (MOS) demonstrates your knowledge and experience with today’s technical roles and requirements—something crucial to the success of a virtual assistant. There are a few different certificates for specific Microsoft Office programs, so take the time to evaluate which would be most useful to you.
ExpertRating is a leader in Online Skill Certification. Their Online Virtual Assistant Certification covers everything from what a virtual assistant is, the services they provide, the necessary skills you need to become a virtual assistant, as well as the benefits of making it your career.
The Virtual Assistant Course offered by the International Association of Professions Career College (IAP) provides step-by-step techniques for providing virtual assistant services as well as how to get started as a virtual assistant. Learn what the specific responsibilities of the job are and how to go about finding clients and starting your own business.
Office Administration Training
The most well-known office administration training comes from the top two administration associations. These certifications do not last forever. You must recertify after a specified period of time to ensure even those already certified keep up with changes in the industry and technological advancements.
The PACE Certification, developed and authorized by the American Society of Administrative Professionals (ASAP), helps people master their core skills in communications, project management, people management, and digital technology. The course and exam are available to take online, and you get to make your own schedule. Everyone is eligible to complete a PACE Certification, regardless of their educational background.
The Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) Certification, developed by the International Association of Administrative Professionals, is based on a blueprint called the Body of Knowledge (BOK). It covers six domains and 47 Performance Outcomes (PO). The training is only available twice a year—once in the spring and once in the fall.
We covered admin certifications in more detail in our article: Administrative Certifications That Can Boost Your Admin Career.
Free Online Administrative Assistant Courses
G Suite Administration Specialization helps administrators master the foundations of managing and establishing G Suite for their organization.
Canva Design School provides a number of free training courses surrounding digital literacy, graphic design, social media, and more. The training is ideal for admin workers looking to enhance their digital skills. Design principles can be carried over into document creation, marketing, and event planning.
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