Kelsey Boehme

I attribute my success to being smart and versatile, and despite what those first two things say about me, I'm also humble. I have my faith, my personal faith, which helps me stay positive and trust in the future. It also gives me the ability to trust others and conduct myself in an appropriate way. I'm a hard worker, and I have years of experience that make me extremely versatile. Those are the strengths I bring to everything I do.

The best career advice I ever received came when I was very young and getting self-defensive on the job. I had a friend of mine who told me that's not the best way to come across. They advised me to smile and say, 'Okay, I'll receive that.' I started doing that, and the defensiveness went away, and I ended up learning more on the job because of that. I started getting along with my coworkers better. It helps with collaboration and team building, as well as making your own job better by asking for help and receiving that help, and asking for constructive feedback. For example, this newsletter that I publish every month for Store-to-Door is a team effort. When I post the rough draft, I receive comments from other people on how to make it better. By receiving those comments, I can make it better, because other team members see things or have suggestions that I haven't thought of to produce a better product.

I would tell young women entering my industry to be curious, to work hard, and to work smart - because you need to do both. Take advantage of gaining skills, both at work and outside of work. You have to be a go-getter for people to notice you. The biggest challenge in office administration is that we're kind of like a dime a dozen, so the biggest challenge is to really learn how to get your resume to shine. Take advantage of any volunteer opportunities that can really develop your talent, and also take advantage of any extracurricular activities that would develop your talent. Develop a good computer aptitude as well - go beyond just knowing Microsoft Word. Know the basic operating system, know how to troubleshoot your computer, and be aware about cybersecurity. In terms of office politics, I would say refrain from gossip and avoid office romances.

The biggest challenge in office administration right now is that we're kind of like a dime a dozen. It's very competitive, and there's always younger people that can do it better, faster. The biggest challenge is to really learn how to get your resume to shine. You have to take advantage of any volunteer opportunities that can really develop your talent, and also take advantage of any extracurricular activities that would develop your talent. You have to be a go-getter for people to notice you. Having years of experience and being extremely versatile are strengths, but you still need to stand out in a crowded field.

Integrity and honesty are way up there for me - they're very high on my list. You need to be able to trust your coworkers, and in a customer service industry, you also need to have integrity with your customers as well. You could lie to their faces, but if they don't trust you, you're not gonna gain any ground that way. Taking pride in my work is also important. Having a good sense of humor is another key value. I've noticed that having a good sense of humor breaks tension and provides social grease for being able to get along with your coworkers, as well as people over the phone. For example, the other day a little old lady calls me, and I hear in the background a cat meowing, and so we joked about that for the first few minutes, laughing about her cat who was hungry. The rest of the call went well. Just having that few moments of relatability, because I also own a cat, made a difference.