Really? 

Actually, there are very few good excuses for being late to a job interview, and Mary’s just don’t cut it. If she is lucky, Mary’s potential employer will give her a chance and interviewer her despite her tardiness. However, even if the interview continues, most employers will view this negligence as an indicator of her time management skills – and this is not a good representation!

Here are some time management tips to help you make sure that you don’t make the same mistake Mary did.

Scout it Out

Make absolutely sure that you know exactly where the interview is to
take place. Online driving direction tools such as MapQuest are
helpful, but remember that sometimes they can be wrong. The best policy
is to do a “dry run” and drive to the building yourself ahead of time.
If it’s a crowded downtown area, scout the best parking opportunities.
If possible, make the trip around the scheduled time of your interview
so you can take into account how traffic might affect your drive time.

Allow Plenty of Time

I’m not talking about leaving 15 minutes earlier than you think you
should. I’m talking about at least an hour. Especially if you tend to
live by Murphy’s Law, bad things can and will happen, and time
management experts agree that the trick is to plan for them.

Get to the interview site at least 30 minutes early, and an hour is
better. Pay for parking as close to the building as possible, if
necessary, instead of circling around the area looking for a free or
cheaper space. Then find a coffee shop or someplace else to sit quietly
and relax. Spend some time reviewing your resume and your prepared
questions to get your mind ready for the interview. (Click here for
more information about preparing for an interview.)

Then, check in with the receptionist at the office at least ten
minutes prior to your scheduled time. This will give you a few minutes
to sit quietly, take a few deep breaths, and allow your heart rate to
slow down. You’ll also have a few minutes to get the “lay of the land”,
and maybe even scope out a few of your fellow applicants.

Communicate

Despite this preparation, if you do find yourself running late for
some reason, call the office as soon as you realize it and give an
accurate estimate of your time of arrival. It may be that your
interviewer’s schedule won’t allow enough time for a sufficient
interview, and to continue with the plan would be a waste of both of
your time. If this is the case, politely ask to reschedule the meeting.
If you’re lucky, this will work. If not, chalk it up to experience and
use better time management to be on time for your next interview!

Remember, your potential employer is a busy person, and to
disrespect his or her time is rude and will not bode well in your
chances of winning the job. Use these simple time management tips to
ensure that you arrive on time and put your best foot forward.

• Get an instant list of all tasks, projects or work
• Improve office efficiency by guarding against missed deadlines
• Balance personal and team workloads
• Get an “instant snapshot” of individual and overall task progress
• Improve customer satisfaction with automatic suggested deadline dates
• Improve office productivity through automatic task time budgeting
• Estimate external job fees where appropriate
• Reduce staff or team management time
• Boost management effectiveness

One of the simplest but very effective task management software, Outlook, is included in most Microsoft® bundle packages installed in new computers. This task management software program lets you email and coordinate meetings and events. You can also set up reminders that will “pop up” on your screen. These reminders can easily be programmed to appear at the time the chooser decides. For example, if you have a meeting scheduled you may want to program a reminder to appear on your screen an hour before the event.
The fact that it’s very hard to ignore these “pop up” reminders, make them great organizational tools. 

There are various types of task management software programs available in the market.
A popular choices is Orbisoft®. There are also task management software programs installed in Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and “smart” mobile phones. So wherever you go, you can stay on top of your projects. This is definitely needed as the business world becomes more global and workers are required to travel.

How does task management software work?

The task management software is programmed to keep track of project and job time budgeting of a one time or recurring tasks, jobs and projects. Task management software programs are designed to be very user friendly so they make planning events fun. 
The more sophisticated, yet easy to install and use task management software programs may also include:

• Built-in task functions and business date calculations
• Automatic task scheduling and data backup
• Minimal data entry and time-saving data maintenance tools
• Built-in contextual help, online tutorial and user manual
• Optional user and group security
• Optional task synchronization with Microsoft Outlook®
• Free online support options
• Easy and quick installation and use

Business professionals are not the only ones who use task management software

Task management software programs are also widely used by busy moms trying to keep track of their personal time while juggling their kids’ school schedules and doctor appointments. It also a great tool to organize family trips and holiday get-togethers.

As in the business world, task management software is also available on the go for those who have Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) such as the Palm® Pilot that has now evolved into the Palm® cell phone. Other popular devices available are Nokia’s Symbian-based smartphones, BlackBerry from RIM, iPhone from Apple Inc. and other cell phones running on Windows Mobile platform. 

Obviously, the need for task management software is present in business and personal timekeeping and organization to help you work smarter and faster.

A virtual secretary is not a computer or robot programmed to perform secretarial duties! A virtual secretary or assistant is an independently contracted business owner. They are not employees of a company in the traditional sense. They work out of their own offices, manage the work from their clients and how it is carried out, set their own rates and pay their own self-employment taxes.

Many virtual secretary candidates have extensive experience in their field (legal, executive, etc.) and are looking for an opportunity for extra income. Other reasons professional secretaries are becoming virtual secretaries include the opportunity to work from home, work for various employers and to be able to spend more time with their families.

One of the best benefits a virtual secretary can provide is to reduce your work burden. 

They are able to take on special projects or unexpected projects that
you may not have the staff or equipment for. They are usually ready at
a moment’s notice and can help you grow your clientele and business
without having to go over budget for administrative support. They also
charge much less than a staffing agency.

The financial benefits of a virtual secretary

Virtual secretaries help relieve executives of extra work without
raising their overhead expenses of extra office equipment and office
space.

Virtual secretaries are cost effective because you only pay them when
they work. The typical virtual secretary will be paid per hour or a
flat fee for special projects. Since they are independent contractors
they pay their own taxes. Check with your accountant for tax laws and
rules that may apply in the jurisdiction of your business.

How to recruit a virtual secretary

When a busy executives post an ad for a virtual secretary, they may be overwhelmed
by the response they receive. If available, the human resources
department can be of great assistance. Otherwise, using the following
tips can help. It’s best to organize the search for a virtual secretary
by writing a clear job posting. Being specific about the requirements
and duties will help narrow down the pool of qualified candidates.
Additionally, strong candidates will most likely to apply for a virtual
position if the ad is well written and sounds legitimate. A quick
search for sites will produce many available places to post an ad for a
virtual secretary. A good job posting will detail:

• Job requirements
• Job duties
• Range of salary

Once you have narrowed down a good group of candidates you may conduct
a quick phone interview or email dialogue. Always check references.
This is especially important because you want to make sure the virtual
secretary candidate you chose has a solid work history of being able to
work unsupervised for long periods of time and that they have good
follow up communication skills.

Depending on your workload it may be a good idea to hire a virtual
secretary through a business organization. A virtual secretary
organization is more likely to be able to find a backup to continue the
service to you even if your primary contact is on leave or engaged in
something else. Some good sources are guru.com and elance.com. There
are a lot of other online directories for this service. A search on the
Internet using keywords “virtual secretary” is all you need to find a
virtual secretary.

Communication with your virtual secretary

Because an employer will rely on technology to stay in touch with a
virtual secretary, it is essential that a virtual secretary have a home
office with a computer with a high-speed Internet connection, phone and
printer. Other helpful equipment includes a fax, scanner and mobile
phone.

There are two types of people who havetrouble keeping their work life and home life separate: those who are labeledas "workaholics" and those who have so much work that they just can’t get itall done during the day; this last group of people don’t necessarily want totake their work home with them, but they have to. For these people, betterplanning, organization, and time management may help them eliminate thisproblem.

Unfortunately, not keeping your work lifeand home life separate can have some very real mental and physicalconsequences, especially since it likely means that you are overworkingyourself; therefore, it is important to learn how to manage your time andorganize your projects, so that you can get more done during the eight hoursthat you are at work, thus leaving less that you have to bring home.

There are two things that you can do right now to help decrease the amount of work that you bring home each day.