A day in the life of a Growup Virtual Assistant
- How do you briefly describe your past work experience?
I was a banker for 13 years with my career starting as a junior officer in 2004 and ending as a Branch Head in 2017. It was what I had always wanted to do and was always good at.
2. What made you switch from that job to being VA at Growup. How did you cope with the transition?
After my second kid was born, I had decided to take a career break, since it was becoming too hectic to handle the branch head profile as well as manage the kids. During my career break, I was looking for options that could help me to work from home and also be available for my kids. The option of working as a VA at Growup came up and I took it up to experience a new field.
3. How has your journey as a VA been so far?
The journey has been quite exciting since I got to learn a lot of new skills through the training modules which helped me in upskilling myself. I also learned how to adjust to a virtual work environment which was something I had never experienced before. I was able to experience the digital working culture and how easily it is to get the work done digitally even with different teams working at different locations in the country.
4. What does your typical workday look like?
My workday begins at 9.30 am after I leave both my kids at their schools and log in for my work. The day usually includes going through the emails from clients on the arrangement of the meetings with the founders at the Client’s company. There are a lot of internal meetings that need to be scheduled and modified frequently depending on the availability of the teams across different locations. As a part of the external client’s and founders meeting, I experience how the outsiders view our client’s business model and understand the issues that need modification and strategic improvement.
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5. What are the new skill sets acquired as VA? How is the learning curve in virtual work?
I learned about a lot of applications that helped to make our work easier in a digital setup. I experienced a few interesting options like graphic designing, website designing, writing blogs, etc, which I had never done before. Few other interesting applications like making GIFs, video maker, and photo editor helped in discover the creative side of myself.
6. What is one thing about what you do that makes you excited to get up tomorrow and do it again?
My profile involves meetings with a lot of external clients who are mainly industry experts and top management officials. Their views and insights help to understand the different viewpoints and are very educational. The marketing pitches that the top management makes to different clients is also a very interesting experience. These experiences are the ones that excite me to get up and be a part of the vibrant team each day.
7. How has your family supported and adapted to your work?
My children were initially curious about my work and were having a lot of questions as to who am I speaking to and why do I sit a full day in front of the PC typing things. But then I explained to them and now they have accepted and are happy that their mom is available throughout the day at home unlike my previous job, where they got to see me only at night. During the lockdowns, it was a big bonus to be at home with my kids and stay away from the risk of going out every day. I get to have lunch with them and help them to adjust to their online classes along with managing my work.
8. What prospects are you looking forward to in your career?
Stability and long-term association are what I look for in my career. It would be really good to be a permanent part of an organization and contribute to its growth along with one’s own career growth.
9. What else do you want someone to know about working virtually?
Many people have a misunderstanding that working virtually is more like a temporary gig and cannot be looked into a full-time career. However, I would like to clarify that with the advancement in technology, many companies have accepted the trend of virtual working and one can contribute in the same way to the organization’s growth whether they work virtually or work from an office setup.
Answers provided by: VA Vinita B for The Growup Group
