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Learn Virtual Assistance with a Coach
- manuel lao III
- Oct 1, 2021
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 7, 2021
Here we are. Because of the pandemic, chances are you're either looking for a job or side income on a work-from-home set up. You searched google for recommendations and the word “Virtual Assistant” showed up. Two words that you might not have any idea or heard of. You search again the net and scatter through different websites for information such as the how’s, dos and don’ts, different services and requirements. In the end, you felt overwhelmed and found yourself staring at your laptop /PC asking how to do this.
Like you, this is what I felt when I started to venture into the freelancing world. I aimed to be a virtual assistant, however, I didn’t know how and where to start. My conclusion is that I need help and guidance if I am really serious in taking this virtual assistance path as a career.
Fortunately, I found out about Surge Filipino Virtual Assistance through Facebook. After some research to prove their legitness, I enrolled in their freelancing course and was coached by Coach Kathy which I think is a game changer. Let me share with you my experience why I recommend having a mentor or coach when starting your career as a virtual assistant.
For starters, what is Virtual Assistant? It’s a type of service offered by an individual that assists clients on different administrative tasks outside the client’s office - usually on a work from home setting. Some of the tasks may involve handling customer queries and orders, managing and marketing social media, organizing files and documents, and setting up appointments, etc. These tasks and responsibilities may vary depending on the product/service or what the client needs. Which is why, us starters find it overwhelming and lost to the amount of information we need to learn.
Below are the common problems when starting as a virtual assistant that I experienced as well. And how my coach helped me overcome these hurdles.
Being a corporate employee, while trying to learn as a virtual assistant is the same as being a parent with children. Managing my time between work and doing my assignments on the lessons I’ve learned is not an easy task.
A benefit of having a coach is the support to improve specific skills by sharing his or her experience that inspires you. I had a coach who juggled her time as a mom, a wife, a coach of three different online courses, an entrepreneur, a community outreach person, a part of the ministry and soon to be a book writer. Hearing this made my complaints of not having enough time seem like a childlike problem. We were advised to create a schedule, do necessary adjustments and make some sacrifices in order to manage our time wisely
Second problem that I encountered is choosing what services I should offer to clients. Working in the BPO industry as a customer service representative, I wasn’t much of an outstanding agent. I didn’t have any certificates or awards to prove that I’m the best at this field. Which is why, it was hard for me to choose a niche or it felt that I’m starting from scratch.
A benefit of a coach is to build personal awareness. Having this problem, we were advised to analyze our strengths and weaknesses. That way, we would become aware of who we are and what we are good at. This will serve as a basis when selecting our niche and the services to offer.
3. Branding
A brand is a freelancer’s way to present oneself to clients. Creating a brand is quite difficult especially if you aren’t aware of the strength, weakness, uniqueness and talent that you can offer. I find myself as a
commoner where I do have skills that I didn’t find outstanding as almost every agent in the BPO industry has it.
A benefit of having a coach is giving their insight or second opinion. When I told her about my problem, I was advised to stick to what I’m good at and use it as a base to get clients. It’s important to establish myself as a VA first. Then, as I continue to learn through the course, create my portfolio or even gain experience working as a virtual assistant, I can offer other services.
Coming from a corporate setting where almost everything is provided to moving to doing it on your own, the tagline “the future’s look bright” doesn’t seem to apply. It’s a problem for us starters as it goes way beyond our comfort zone. Unlike corporate, we do research to learn on our own, invest on devices, develop and enhance skills without guidance which is scary as we don’t know what to expect.
A benefit of having a coach is to establish and act toward achieving goals. My batchmates and I we’re mostly newbies in freelancing. With the guidance of our coach, we each define our goals as a virtual assistant and work on them. Though scared at first, having that goal set pushes us forward in building our skill set and changing our behavior positively.
Not having any experience in freelancing caused starters to have low confidence which is the most common problem. Low confidence is also associated with doubts. Whether you produce a great portfolio or have excellent communication skills, having low confidence and doubts makes you feel unsatisfied with your work and skills. In the end, you have a hard time finding a job as you feel less competitive or less appealing to the clients.
A benefit of coach is having a safe place to gain perspective. I got to the point where I had doubts that stopped me doing the course. I was not content with my output compared to my batchmates' work. During live coaching, I ask freely even the dumbest questions without having fear of being judged. It always puts me back on course to continue on what I’m doing and finish the lesson.
Weighing on the problems and benefits, I highly recommend getting a coach when learning on virtual assistants. Not only as a guide, but also a support system that helps you to achieve your goal. Doing it alone is a hard path to take, so, why not learn it with the best. And the better way to do that is to enroll on FVA’s freelancing course.
Hope this helps those aspiring freelancers like me.
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