Being a General VA: Essential Skills and Where You Can Learn Them (FOR FREE)

  

Virtual assistants (VAs) have speedily gained demand and popularity over the recent years. If you don't know this yet, it's an outsourced job that mostly comes from companies abroad that involves general admin tasks that can easily be done using a computer - thus the virtual part. I have been a virtual assistant for nearly seven years now and I can really say I would not have it any other way (at least for now). Working for a foreign culture is so much better than the local work scene in my opionion - but that's a story for another post.

My job is strongly targeted towards online marketing (no, not the spam communication one) but on these starter pack series, we will talk about the general VA work which means the general admin tasks like setting up appointments, responding to emails, research, customer relationship and the likes. I will share as much as I have learned and hopefully this would be of help to those of you who are thinking of going down this road.

As a general VA, although the work seems to be very predictable, there still are skills you need to learn that you might have not learned from school or just being in front of the computer for long hours. These are skills that you will have to have a good grasp on in order to make a good impression at interviews and acually excel at the job.

Here are the essential skills that I think every aspiring VA should learn before hitting the road and some free online courses you can take:

Basic Business English

Why it's necessary. This job is virtual so your main lines of communication are obviously through writing and calls. You will find yourself sending more emails and attending business meetings more than the usual and if your employer uses English as their main language, you will need to be able to express intentions accurately. Business English is a tad bit different than the casual ones we are used to and there are specific writing styles that you need to adapt in order to communicate well. 

Course recommendation. This online course by the University of Washington teaches the basic uses of the Englihs language for business. After the course, your goal is to have learned and improved your ability to speak, write and understand English in the professional world. Check out the online course here.

Practice tips. Just like any other language and casual English itself, Business English will take practice in order to get better at it. You have to use what you have learned. Start a journal or even just a plain old notebook and practice writing business emails in different scenarios. 

Creating Impressive Presentations

Why it's necessary. Having to create presentations is not always part of a general VA's job but it is still a good skill to have in handy just in case your boss asks and you can definitely impress. Powerpoint presentations in business settings vary from school presentations in terms of neatness and ease. Ideal business presentations are naturally less cluttered but definitely should not be boring. It is important to know the balance. 

Course recommendation. It is an advantage that business presentations are a lot neater and your audience is more interested in your content and what you have to say. This course by the Coursera Project Network covers the basics that you need to know and you can add in your touch of creativity once you get the basics done. Check out the online course here.

Practice tips. If you have access to a computer with Microsoft Powerpoint where you can practice, you can practice creating pretend presentations for companies. Try looking for business articles and news and create presentations out of them and have your peers or mentors review them.

Customer Service Management

Why it's necessary. General VA is not exactly the same as a customer service representative, but there will still be times when you have to deal with and manage customers. You will, of course, have to answer phone calls and respond to queries depending on your job description. It really does not take too much to give good service if you're naturally a good human being and have been decently raised. However, it is still essential that you have a good grasp of the systematic way of managing and dealing with clients because they do come in various "forms" and boy will they come at you.

Course recommendation. I found this brief course on Customer Service Fundamentals that leans towards IT support but I believe could also be helpful as an added skill across all fields. If you don't happen to work for an IT company, it is good to extract the basics of customer service out of this course. Check out the online course here.

Practice tips. This skill is best practiced on the job but it still wouldn't hurt to come prepared.

Critical Thinking

Why it's necessary. Being a VA means having to think quick on your feet whenever the situation calls for it. At the same time, it is also important to be able to make sound decisions independently (without having to constantly consult unless necessary) but still being able to consider the business as a whole. Critical thinking is an important skill that once you know and have good comprehension of the basics, it will become sort of a reflex once you are on the job. It's a good level of smart, to be honest.

Course recommendation. Critical thinking skills are basis of good decision making and when in a general VA job, it will help you excel and be perceived as a dependable part of the company. This skill focuses on critical thinking in application to decision making. Check out the online course here.

Practice tips. The best part of this skill is it does not have to necessarily be on the job for one to practice. It can be applied on daily life as well. The next time you have to decide on something, it would be helpful and would be a good practice to apply the critical thinking skills.

Hope this helps! This series will definitely be back with more recommendations.