IAAP Offers Resources to Administrative Professionals

By Hacienda Network Staff Writer

Joining a professional association can be a great way to meet others in your field, swap stories, gain advice from those with more experience, and learn about industry trends. You often even make a few friends along the way who face the same day-to-day challenges and rewards. If your field is administration and you're looking for such a resource, you may want to investigate the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP).

The IAAP is the world's largest association for administrative support staff, with over 600 chapters and 40,000 members and affiliates worldwide. For more than 60 years, IAAP has provided up-to-date research on office trends, publications, seminars and conferences, and other resources to help administrative professionals enhance their skills and become more effective contributors to their employers. Its members include administrative assistants, executive secretaries, office coordinators, information specialists, and related administrative professionals. Many corporations, educational institutions, students, and international affiliate organizations also belong to IAAP.

"The IAAP provides an arena for administrative professionals to gain knowledge and become more efficient," says Kim Ehlers, president of the Las Positas chapter of the IAAP (which covers the Tri-Valley) and a staffing manager for Robert Half International's OfficeTeam division in Hacienda. "The IAAP also provides certification tests that allow those in the field to become certified administrative professionals."

The Las Positas chapter of the IAAP is currently small, but primed for growth. For approximately the past year, Ehlers has been responsible for running meetings, making sure that current members are on track in bringing in new initiates, and motivating the chapter to make it as interesting and exciting as possible. The chapter has a long history in the region, having been founded in 1979. In fact, two of the chapter's current members are also founding members.

"The IAAP is a great educational forum," Ehlers says. "It's a great place to come to find out how other people do their administrative jobs and glean tips and tricks you might not have thought of. We have a lot of meetings that focus on communicating with bosses and other people in your work group, as well as meetings focusing on resumes and on skills that are really going to propel your career in the next five years. We provide a wide variety of presentations for administrative professionals."

The Las Positas chapter of the IAAP meets the second Wednesday of every month from September through June at the Radisson Hotel in Dublin at 6680 Regional Street. For information on membership, contact Dionne Rosales, the chapter's membership chairperson, at (925) 460-0888.

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