Tag: virtual assistant traits

Ideal Changes to Aim in 2019

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New year is up ahead, and is simply waiting for you to make it a blast! You do not have to be intimidated at all, for you have the full power to make this year the best it can be; of course, according to how you want it to be. There may be tons of difficulties around, which may make you stumble and avoid you from spending the day gaily all the time, but this is simply normalcy.

Now, to make your 2019 better, why not aim for changes that will make you a better virtual assistant? If you want to succeed in the online freelancing industry, you got to perk up your profile, not only in terms of skills but also in personality.

To provide you ideas, given below are considerable changes to aim this year:

Better Communication Skills. Not all virtual assistants nowadays are good at communicating with their clients. Be reminded that if you want to keep up with the firm you are working for, you also have to convey yourself effectively and converse with people confidently. You got to show that despite the differences in your nationalities, there will be no barrier in terms of your communication.

How can you improve your communication skills? Try obtaining free English courses online, practicing it by taking advantage of conversations with your co-workers, and reading (regardless whether it is simply news or books).

More Positivity. There will always be conflicts when it comes to working, even online. However, this should not keep your visage sullen all the time. You should garner more positivity for yourself. In such way, you will be able to handle situations more effectively.

In actuality, it takes exercise to inhibit yourself from taking in negative energies whenever problems arise. Always remember that you should breathe first and think carefully before taking the next step, particularly when solutions are necessary.

Enforce yourself to believe that no matter what comes your way, everything will end up in your advantage.

Wider Set of Skills. A typical virtual assistant nowadays is not limited to two or more skills. In truth, one can be an administrative staff and a professional in web development at the same time. On the other hand, one can also be good at clerical work while having an exemplary background in graphic designing.

If you want to explore more opportunities online, you should try expanding your capabilities. You do not have to pay for paid training all the time. You can obtain informative materials online without a fee.

Boosted Independence. There are virtual assistants who are at times termed as “programmed” or “robotic.” Why? This is due to their extreme reliance on their clients in executing their tasks. Probably, it is time to change this for the better – by becoming independent through infusing proactive attitude in your personality.

Always remember that clients prefer someone they can depend on instead of the other way around. By showing them that you could do things your way, you can obtain their trust easily and effectively.

It is all about understanding the needs of your clients better. For instance, you can begin studying how their operations work on a day-to-day basis. This can be carried out slowly. A preemptive perspective will definitely be yours if you do this, especially now that aside from understanding what is needed, you can also predict possible issues going forward.

More Reliance on God (apparently, most relevant of all). Do you know that no matter how good you think you are, you will not be able to do whatever you want to do without God? God makes it possible for you to become a successful person or someone who is capable of becoming one.

Instead of always depending on your skills, rely on Him. Now is the time to pray first before acting out. It is also the year to show God that without Him, you are nothing.

Hopefully, the aforementioned ideal changes to aim this year could be in your resolution list as well. Becoming a better virtual assistant starts by making a decision to be one.

Professionalism: An Effective Key to Retaining Your Virtual Work

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When people tend to become comfortable with what they are doing, at times, they forget how important their traits are when dealing with their superiors or co-workers. There are cases wherein they would think that their long experience in the field would already secure their job forever, if not, for a long time. Due to this, they become too proud of what they can do, resulting in poor socialization with their peers at work.

You should know that this also happens in the virtual world. There is a tendency for virtual assistants, who have years-long experience in the field, to actually think that they are better than others. The worst part is, this is even reflected to how they deal with their clients or superiors. They have this “Oh, I can find another work.” thinking. This must be prevented at all costs. You may think that your attitude is not a big matter to discuss, but far from your expectation, it is actually damaging the entirety of your career, piece by piece.

Professionalism is the best term that you could use to describe the trait that will take you a long way in the virtual world. Be reminded that it is not simply about being committed to your job. No, it is never relative to that alone – it can be applied in many ways.

One good example is when you actually care about your clients instead of focusing on your own good. Let us say, we are talking about Mike and Johanne, with the former being the client and the latter as the VA.

Mike provided Johanne a series of tasks, which should be the done in a week. He was too busy to actually check each of the accomplished work in every platform used. Thus, he trusted that Johanne would actually carry out whatever should be done while considering the deadline, which is by the end of the week. He also asked for a daily report to get an insight of the progress.

Unfortunately, Johanne did not adhere to the simple request of providing a report. As a result, Mike is confused as to what he had accomplished within the week. While Johanne insisted that he had finished all the work, there is no proof at all, since there are no reports and there are no outputs.

Mike decided to put a halt on his work. The situation is made worse by Johanne by being unresponsive after this decision. Instead of complying with his client’s request of report and explanation, he decided to keep mum. Despite countless messages, Johanne decided to ignore for an unknown reason.

This situation is a big picture of lacking professionalism on the part of Johanne. In the first place, he did not follow the simple instruction of his client. Also, simply because he lost the job, he would already leave the client hanging. He had committed to finishing all the necessary work. Hence, even if it all turns out unlikely, you should close the book in a good way.

Be reminded that as a virtual assistant, the end of a client-employee relationship must be expected. No matter what the cause may be, you should initiate parting ways with a good impression. If you made a mistake, admit it. If not, then defend your side professionally. As for the aforementioned situation, Johanne only showed that he is not worthy to be considered a reputable virtual assistant, for he just ruined the trust of the client. You may also say that the respect has been absent throughout the scene.

If you have respect, you should consider being in the shoes of your client. What would you feel if your staff is treating you that way? It would be disappointing, as well.

As written in the Bible, in Luke 6:31 to be specific, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

If you want to become a reputable virtual assistant, attitude is a very important thing, which includes professionalism. Be reminded that at present, most clients include personality in their requirements for a VA. This is to sustain a harmonious relationship among their employees, which leads to better operations of a company.

 

Top Traits a Virtual Assistant Should Possess

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Being a virtual assistant is not something that you should take lightly. It is not also about just being your typical office-based self, but working at home. Take note that it takes a lot of things to consider yourself a reputable virtual assistant. Many do not consider how important professional traits are in the online industry, resulting in them losing a lot of opportunities or wasting jobs they could have sustained.

So, if you are looking into making yourself the best option for most clients or firm out there, you got to develop the traits that they are looking for in a virtual assistant. Given below are the top ones you should consider:

Proactive. Yes, this is indeed one of the most important traits a virtual assistant should possess. In the online world, your client will rely on you heavily, whether you like it or not. Thus, there are instances that he or she would not even be available always to train you with your work. You got to make ways to ensure you are doing things right for him or her.

As a virtual assistant, you should know how important devising your own solutions to issues is. You should practice yourself working on your own. There are VAs who only depend on what their client would instruct. This is totally wrong! Be reminded that they will expect you to know what is next based on the resources you have and training they gave.

You got to know the in and out of their operations. Study everything slowly and carefully, so that you could take a grasp of what they need from you. There is no rush in this, especially if you are new, but this is very important.

Responsive. Many virtual assistants lose their good reputation due to poor communication with their clients. There are even cases that they lose their job due to incompetence in using their messaging platform to follow up their clients regarding their work every now and then.

Be reminded that clients, who outsource people online, prefer someone who would always be there to respond to their inquiries. This does not mean that you have to be online beyond your shift. The critical period is during your reporting time. You have to be there whenever he or she is asking you something. This goes especially to those working as an executive assistant to C-level people.

At times, due to your unresponsiveness, you will end up delaying what has to be done. You would never want this to happen, for in the end, the blame will be on you.

Timely. This could refer to two things. First, it is about how timely you are in submitting your due work, which would always help your client big time, since you will not delay other functions on their end. If you can provide the complete tasks earlier than expected, it will certainly be a plus point for you.

Always plan out whenever you are about to engage in certain activities. Consider how you could actually expedite things without losing the quality of your work.

Secondly, timeliness could also pertain to your reporting habits. You should at least avoid being tardy, or making your client wait always a few minutes before you log in.

Do you know that even if you are late for a few minutes, it could already impact your image negatively? It only shows that you are actually disregarding the agreement between you and your client about your schedule. You also have to think that most likely, your client woke up early just to meet you on time. Be sensitive, too!

Respectful. There should be a great amount of respect given to your client. Be reminded that even if you are not working face-to-face, this already eliminates the need for you to give respect to your superior.

There are virtual assistants who often forget that despite Western clients prefer a laid-back type of employer-employee relationship, there is a limit to it.

As much as possible, show respect by abiding by the rules of your client. Ensure that whenever you are speaking to him or her, there are these hints in your word choices that you are is his or her employee.

Respect could also be applied when reaching out to your client in order to initiate a discussion. Never forget to consider their time zone. Always remember that it is most respectful to send a message during the working hours of your client only. Be reminded that they also leave their offices and deserve privacy in their homes.

Keen-Eyed. You should know that you are hired as a virtual assistant for your client needs someone who would pinpoint things he or she cannot see easily. For instance, in a certain project, it is not your client’s responsibility to determine the mistakes. It is now yours to identify and introduce to him or her.

Most clients do not have time focus on small things. They mostly need assistants for they want to concentrate on a bigger picture for their firm. Thus, as much as possible, you should be keen-eyed in knowing what should be corrected and done.

Always remember that your output should be perfect as much as possible. You never would want a client to repeat the work on your behalf or ask you to redo it. Take note that this will waste a lot of time and resources.

Although there are instances that you may also commit mistakes, being keen-eyed prevents this possibility in the most effective way.

The aforementioned traits can be attained as long as you commit to your job and understand the priorities of your client. Taking things seriously may mean difficulty at times, but it would take you a long way in the online industry.