A day in the life of a Growup Virtual Assistant
- How do you briefly describe your past work experience?
I have worked for almost a decade in the customer service industry mostly on the front end side of the business. For an extrovert like me, it was perfect as I love to connect with people and get to know them. I began my journey as a sales associate and from there on grew with each brand I worked for. As a manager, my passion was to help my people grow and get customers what they need. I have been fortunate enough to have experience working for distinctive brands and even have 3 years of international market experience.
2. What made you switch from that job to being VA at Growup. How did you cope with the transition?
I have always been a person with a plan and then came the pandemic to ruin it all just like it did for millions of people out in the world. I was furloughed. Although I took the experience of moving to Canada with open arms, my heart was always in India. For the first time in my life, I took a professional decision with my heart and decided to move back. In the background, my research on the VA role was on as it sounded like the next up-and-coming profession. I came across Growup’s job posting and applied. The transition was neither easy nor hard, just unique as I have never worked virtually but I am excited to see where this opportunity takes me.
3. How has your journey as a VA been so far?
My journey so far has been fantastic! So many new experiences. Gosh, where do I begin? I am the type of person who constantly wants to learn and grow. And the role of a VA demands you to constantly upskill yourself to be able to help clients in every way possible. Lucky for us the extensive training and guidance we are provided at Growup prepares us for any type of challenge we would face. With my ongoing training, I cannot wait to learn more skills and enhance my knowledge bank.
4. What does your typical workday look like?
Before my login at 9.30 am, I make it a point to spend some time with my 3-month-old niece to start my day on a good note and have breakfast with the family. I am in the B2B Business Development role so my day begins by checking my email for any urgent tasks or follow-ups that have to be done. Post that I move on, by reaching out to prospects and fixing meetings for understanding their needs, and providing appropriate solutions thereby making sure a possible collaboration could take place. In the morning or evening, I have daily update calls with my superior to discuss the progress of the sales cycle of each key account, followed by filling in my daily reporting sheet before logging out.
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5. What are the new skill sets acquired as VA? How is the learning curve in virtual work?
I am going to answer the second part before the first here. The learning curve comes with every job but unlike any other role or organization, I feel my learning curve here increases twice at least with each passing day. So far I have learned about different tools and applications which can be used to make my job much simpler, efficient and increase my productivity. In some cases, my proficiency level has increased from 0 to 5.
6. What is one thing about what you do that makes you excited to get up tomorrow and do it again?
To be able to make a difference and provide value to people/organization is something that encourages me to work even harder and better every day.
7. How has your family supported and adapted to your work?
Initially, No one in my family has worked virtually before so it was weird for them at the beginning. The concept was very new to them but eventually, once I started sharing things about my work they understood how the virtual world works across the globe. Now they couldn’t be happier that I have found something I am passionate about and staying with them at home after 16 years of living away.
8. What prospects are you looking forward to in your career?
The possibilities are endless but down the line, I would one day like to have my own Company and Brand to run and inspire people to be a better version of themselves every single day both personally and professionally.
9. What else do you want someone to know about working virtually?
It is a change but a great one. You always have your family around when you need them and once you finish work, you can join the ongoing discussions in just a minute. With so much uncertainty what better blessing can you get than being close to your loved ones. This isn’t the only pandemic we will ever face. There will be others that may be small and may not be as horrifying but I would encourage people who are hesitant to take the plunge and hop on the virtual bandwagon, JUST DO IT! DO IT! And you can be in sync with this ever-changing world.
Answers provided by: VA Aafreen Dhamani for The Growup Group
