Week 3 - Post 1

Hello All!

Happy Administrative Professional Day! Did any of your firms do anything special? We got cake and a bottle of wine. How nice is that??? Anyways, it is the final week of placement and I couldn't be more excited....because next week I can start getting paid $$$$$$$$$$$$. Yesterday I received a visit from a familiar face, Mrs. Bradley! It was nice to see her and catch up, made me sad because I do miss school and my friends :(

So, for oral and written communication that I use in my workplace is mostly emails, phone, and direct communication with lawyers and other staff. I have to send out emails daily to other solicitors and real estate brokers. In outlook I use features such as the calendar, the flagging option, and I have sub folders for each client. I will flag emails when they need my attention until I have the time to attend to that email. Once I have completed what it is I need to complete, I then will un-flag my email and drag it into one of my sub client folders.

I have been using a to-do list (the one we created in school), but I find that I feel like I don't have the time to write things into it. I seem to use a lot of sticky notes that I attach to files, or my computer to remind me of certain things that need to be done. One of my weaknesses was having to answer the phone. You never know what someone is going to ask you. I had to answer phones right from the get-go, so I had to become more comfortable. Now that I have been at SmithValeriote for just over 2 weeks, I am more confident in answering the phone and I am able to answer questions and if I don't know the answer I am able to find out or forward the call to the appropriate person.

I think the curriculum is pretty good. I think it covers everything it needs to cover given the short time-frame. I would say what I think would need to be improved upon would to have more time learning certain areas of law like Real Estate and Family Law. I think those two courses are very heavy with a lot of things that need to be taught. It does look however that the new program has 2 real estate classes. I think future students will find that helpful.