Confessions of a Virtual Assistant
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It’s hard to find your first job. After all, your first job can make or break your career, but it will also provide a lot of new experiences that would steer your career into your preferred direction. For most people, it takes several jobs and several companies to find their destined place in the workforce. For some, deciding to stay and grow with a company could come as easy as after their first interview.
Take Christian Pueda – or Sam as what his colleagues would fondly call him–for example. He was looking for a job in the Business Process Outsourcing industry when he found out about OneVirtual Solutions (OVS) through his friend Mae Cortes. When Sam was told that OneVirtual Solutions was in need of virtual assistants (VA), he jumped right into the opportunity.
“I wasn’t exactly prepared to be a part of the company. I was like a blank paper and had no idea what OVS was or what a virtual assistant job would require,” Sam shared.
Although a bit disoriented at first, Sam eventually enjoyed his training days with OVS, as it was fun and interactive. He was able to learn the ins and outs of being a Real Estate Virtual Assistant quite easily.
“No job is ever easy. You must learn to focus and be attentive at all times. It takes a lot of determination but it will help you do your job better,“ Sam added.
For Karyl Casaquite, it’s all about connections. She heard about the job from her brother who happened to have already been working with OVS.
“It was a few months after I had my first baby and my skills weren’t that broad for the job but OVS gave me the opportunity to work and jump-start my career as a Virtual Assistant,” shares Karyl.
Like Sam, she also went through the usual application process. She was interviewed by Mae Cortes and although Karyl felt a little nervous during the interview, she landed the job and became a Real Estate Virtual Assistant.
Karyl and Sam were among OneVirtual Global Solution’s first batch of Real Estate Virtual Assistants. They underwent a series of training, building their skill set for the job and while they both describe the training as intensive, they also recalled all the fun memories they had. Both say it was very challenging at first but the self-fulfillment they earned after starting to perform their VA tasks proved that it was all worth it.
“I understood that clients have a different culture compared to ours. I always get nervous when my client would call to give me instructions, but in the long run, I got used to it. I was able to handle our conversations with more confidence as time went by,” shares Sam.
“There’s this one client who left a big mark on me as a VA. I have learned a lot from him and that’s what made me grateful for having him as a client. He made me realize that things should be taken seriously and should be done at your best. He taught me how to keep up with my work and to manage my time appropriately.”
As with any company or job, the pressure can make or break the employees. Karyl and Sam say that becoming a VA changed them. Asked why they chose to stay, they offered interesting insights.
“Yes, people come and go. I`d rather stay and challenge myself to do better every day than quit and let the pressure get to me. Leaving is a choice but so is becoming better at what you do. In the end we all have decisions to make,” Sam said.
While it was a matter of choice for Sam, Karyl’s reason tugs on an emotional note.
“I stayed because I could not find any other company that would choose to keep me and value my worth as an employee. I’ve had different jobs with different companies before but here in OneVirtual we are a family.”
