The Qualities That Make an Excellent Virtual Assistant

The trend today even in terms of employment is geared towards the online world. A lot of professionals have made drastic career change from office-based positions to home-based jobs. This is driven primarily by the increasing demand for online workers. And considering the convenience of working at home as opposed to working in an office, many prefer home-based jobs.

Virtual assistants are just one of the many home-based job positions that are increasingly in demand these days. The job scope of a virtual assistant is similar to the functions of an office secretary or an administrative assistant. And because of the high demand, a lot of workers are honing their skills to adapt and qualify for that position.

Virtual Assistants are usually the lifeline of an employer just as a personal assistant is to an executive officer. The Virtual Assistant should be able to make life a lot easier for the employer – organizing everything so that a smooth flow of work is achieved. It is therefore very important that a virtual assistant possess special qualities apart from the skills required by the job, in order to be classified as an excellent VA.

This video may help you to be a excellent VA


Employers would be looking for the following qualities of an excellent VA:

 

  • Professional. This refers to overall performance of functions. A professional VA has a more mature and educated way of handling situations. A non-professional may just do things as he pleases without informing the employer or seeking approval of the employer, as opposed to a professional one who gives importance to proper ethics and professional attitude in all aspects of work.

 

 

  • Good or Pleasing Personality. A person with a positive attitude and outlook in life is a better working partner than one who exudes negative energy or vibes. Employers are able to gauge this through casual conversations or through psychological tests or exercises, the results of which are accordingly evaluated. A positive VA will have no problem handling criticisms related to work while a negative-thinking VA may take criticisms as personal attacks.

 

 

  • Confident. Claiming to be skillful in a certain task is a lot different from being confident about it. The VA’s air of confidence will be evident in his/her work output. Employers may throw in tasks which require different treatment. If a VA is confident about his ability, he will be able to accomplish it much to the satisfaction of his employer.

 

 

  • Motivated and Self-Driven. Employers don’t need VAs they will have to monitor and check by the hour. Excellent VAs are those who have the initiative to start work as soon as instructions have been given and understood. Self-driven VAs know what they are doing and will get things done for sure.

 

 

  • Open to New Ideas. Work trends and practices change with time. There are new techniques or skills which employers may want their VAs to learn and use. With an open mind, more skills will be learned in the process and such new learnings will be their gain.

 

 

  • Honest and Trustworthy. Employers always run the risk of employing the wrong candidate. In whatever field of work, these two traits – honesty and being trustworthy, are key to having a long-lasting working relationship with the employer. These two traits can see a VA working for a very long time with the same employer.

 

 

  • Creative and Resourceful. Part of being an excellent VA is being creative and resourceful. A VA will not be stopped by simple obstacles in accomplishing an assigned task. A VA should be resourceful enough to find ways to get things done.

 

If you have these qualities, you will be on top of the employer’s list.

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