All in my day’s work as a Virtual Assistant

All in a day’s work being the chosen topic of the month got me wondering and checking on Google for the actual meaning of the phrase and what I found it meant was, doing a task that is difficult or unpleasant, but you do it because it is part of the job.  Think of the job of a nurse, we all know that there is a lot of unpleasant tasks that a nurse has to do, but a nurse understands and accepts that it comes with the job.

How this applies to my particular job as a Virtual Assistant

I work on a full day retainer for a client that offers training to staff in large organisations and a big part of my job is to give student support which I must admit, can be very challenging and frustrating at times, but when successfully done can be very rewarding too.

Problem solving

Problem solving can be quite fun when I can solve it myself, but the challenge comes in when there is a third party involved and I then become the middle man which can make problem solving a lot more difficult.  This is where communication comes in.  It’s in knowing how to communicate the problem across so that it is understood properly and can be resolved quickly.

Deciphering and matching

Now this can be fun too, not so much though when I have a deadline which is getting close and I’m squinting and frowning but just can’t make head or tail out of an image of a hand written register that has to match a spreadsheet.  When I’ve finally “cracked the code” though, it really is a great feeling of accomplishment.

Following up on the phone

This is very challenging at times when I don’t know how to pronounce the person’s name and actually hope that they won’t answer so that I can avoid the embarrassment but then they do answer.  I really take my hat off to telesales people it’s not an easy job.

At the end of the day, it all boils down to choice.  How do you tackle it, as a big chore or a challenge that will make you stronger and better?

When I weigh up the pros and cons of being a Virtual Assistant, the pros definitely outweigh the cons.  When I feel that I’m getting nowhere I know it’s time to stop and step away for a few minutes.  I get myself a cup of coffee and take a stroll around the garden with my cats and then come back to whatever the challenge is with a clear head.  It really does work wonders.  It is a huge advantage as far as I’m concerned to be able to simply step out into my garden whenever I want to instead of being stuck in an office in a high rise building in the middle of the city with no escape when you need to just take a breather.