5 transferable skills you can use right now as a VA
One of the things I hear a lot from people who want to become VAs is that they’re not skilled enough with XYZ, so they put off starting altogether. Usually it’s related to a certain tool or system, because tech you don’t yet know can feel a bit scary.
The thing is, there will ALWAYS be new things to learn and ALWAYS new tools to try out, but that shouldn’t ever be the reason why you don’t start in the first place. In fact, you’re probably armed with a bunch of skills that are readily transferable and will make a big impact on your client’s lives from day 1!
Here are 5 transferable skills that you probably already have but might have forgotten about:
Communication
I can’t emphasise enough how important good communication is as a Virtual Assistant. You won’t bump into your clients in the office so making the effort to communicate well with them will have an enormous impact on what you can get done and how well you work with your clients. I’ve always prioritised good communication with my clients - and that DOESN’T mean being available to chat 24/7!
Good communication will help you:
Build great relationships
Understand your role and where it can grow
Take on more work
Problem solving
If you’re a fixer, you can solve problems. People do this in different ways but ultimately if you like to make things work (whether that’s a tech tool, a process or an annoying Word document that just won‘t bloody work) then you can bring those skills into your VA role. I honestly think that Google can be a VA’s best friend, so even if you don’t have a solution straight away, I’m pretty sure you can find one (or several) to present to your client.
Some of the problems I’ve helped solve as a VA include:
Finding an alternative venue when one was cancelled
An alternative salary sacrifice car scheme
An invoice logging system
Dubsado workflows (multiple times!)
Organisation
If you want to be a VA, chances are that you’re a pretty organised person. And even if your client is super organised themselves, you’ll bring heaps to their business using your own skills. One of the many reasons business owners want to work with VAs is so they can let go of the work they don’t have time to do, and how you manage that work gives your clients more and more confidence in working with you.
Some of the ways VAs can use their organising skills include:
Inbox management (I’ve culled thousands of emails for clients)
Organising events
Creating employee handbooks
A million other things!
Initiative
Are you generally proactive or reactive? There are positives to both, but if you have a proactive streak then using that initiative will have an enormous impact. Yes, VAs can save clients heaps of time by taking on work they’re given, but a proactive VA is worth their weight in gold. A simple ‘I thought this might be useful so I did XYZ’ email can be very happily received!
Some of the many ways you can use your initiative as a VA include:
Calendar management: Looking ahead and resolving conflicts
Researching events and podcasts your clients can guest speak at/on
Batch creating relevant content
Repurposing content
Positive thinking
Ok, this one’s not so much a skill as a practice, but thinking positively allows you to approach any situation with a ‘let’s sort this out’ kind of attitude. It’s also contagious, so when you’re positive about a situation or piece of work, your client’s will pick up on that too. Let’s face it - no-one wants to work with someone who is negative at work, and the same goes for your clients.
Remember that your learning journey never ends. I’m still learning new things and exploring new tech and I’ve been in the VA game for almost 6 years now! And as amazing as it is to learn what you want to learn, hopefully this blog post has shown you that you probably already have a skillset you can put to use straight away.
