Do you have what it takes to be a virtual assistant? The growing number of Virtual Assistants in the Philippines serves as a proof that working from home can definitely be a great career move – not only you save a lot of money in transportation and food allowance, spend time more with your family, but endless opportunities also await you in order to hone your skills and capabilities.
If you feel like you are living a monotonous life answering and making calls, then working from home might be a great break that you do not want to miss.
But working from home is not all about having fun and relaxing – it is also a commitment that you have to keep because with the tight competition in the market, working from home is something most people would do anything for just to become a virtual assistant. Before you continue on reading, ask yourself: Am I ready to work from home? If the answer is yes, ask yourself some more with the following:
1. Am I totally equipped to be working from home?
Remember: working from home means you provide for your own tools – a newer (3 years old at the most) working laptop or a computer, an internet service provider that offers at least 5 mbps or higher without data caps, a good quality webcam, and durable headset with microphone. These are the most basic tools that you should have if you want to entertain the idea of working from home – you provide for everything. This is not the typical BPO scenario wherein the company provides for your tools. If you have the equipment, proceed to #2.
2. Am I flexible to work on graveyard shift and okay with rest days even if they do not fall on weekends?
Most of the time, clients would be located either in the USA or Canada. Their time zone is different from the Philippines by at least 12 hours, which means that they require Virtual Assistants to work during the night and since different clients have different business needs, rest days do not always mean Saturday and Sunday – sometimes, they are on weekdays. If you are okay with this, ask yourself the next question.
3. Am I okay with no night differential?
Unlike in the common BPO setting, working from home does not offer night differential pay – this means that you are being paid only by the number of hours that you have worked for your client. If this is all good with you, proceed to the next one.
4. Am I ready to leave my office friends and be contented with virtual friends?
Having a handful of friends in the office might be one of the reasons why you go to work even if it means dragging yourself to the office. But, once you have decided or thought of working from home, remember that everything is done virtually and remotely – meaning that most of the time, you would be hanging out with no one but yourself as you are at home doing work. If leaving friends behind for a career advancement seems like a good enough reason for you, then go to the next question.
5. Do I have what it takes to be a Virtual Assistant?
After you have assessed yourself using the first 4 questions – here comes the most important question that you should ask yourself: Do you have what it takes to be a Virtual Assistant? We will break it down for you so you can further evaluate your skills and capabilities.
6. Am I confident?
Confidence is one of the keys in successfully landing a job in any industry. From the HR interview up until the final interview, you should always be confident in showcasing your skills and talents that you think would be beneficial to the company that you are applying for. This also gives your client an impression that you walk the walk and talk the talk – you know what you are saying and you know how to say it.
7. Do I have excellent English communication skills?
Remember, your clients will either be from the USA or Canada so it is very important that you have a good command of the English Language. If you think you need improvement in this area, try watching American TV shows aired on Cable channels so you can adapt to their way of thinking, the way they speak, and sometimes, their humor. This cannot be done overnight and would really take time so if you are really interested in working from home, practice speaking in English – not only this will improve your communication skills, this would also enhance your confidence in engaging on a conversation.
8. Am I proficient with the basic programs/software commonly used by Virtual Assistants?
This would include proficiency with Microsoft Office programs such as Word, Excel, and Power Point Presentation, as well as knowledge with PDF files and the use of internet browsers and their applications such as Google (Calendar, Drive, etc.). These are just the basic programs and your client might train you with other software or tools that are being used in their business. Most clients are looking for a General Virtual Assistant so this would serve as your backbone when you enter the world of being a Virtual Assistant.
If you answer YES to all of these, then you can start by getting a CERTIFICATION from us to work as a Real Estate Virtual Assistant where there are many opportunities! Just follow this link and we would definitely love to hear your thoughts about becoming a Virtual Assistant!
