The Importance of Continual Study and Improving Yourself

I feel that it is very important to keep studying and learning not only more skills but also more apps and programs as you continue your career as a Virtual Assistant. If you do not do so you will get left behind and never progress any further with your career as a Virtual Assistant.

New Apps and other Tools

Constantly your client finds new techniques and ways to do things or implement new programs and even cell phone apps into their day to day workings and it is up to you as the Virtual Assistant to learn, not only how to install but also how they work, how to implement them in the way that your client expects and even to maintain this programs and sometimes in the worst case scenario to even do some basic fault finding regarding these programs.

For the lucky few of us this might become a little bit easier if you know a friend or someone in the business that is currently working on these programs and is able to assist you in doing so, but for the rest of us it takes a lot of research and skill development to be able to implement these processes. This may include skill advancement courses, YouTube videos and even some self-taught “tinkering” and seeing what happens. Often times your client himself will be a huge resource and help whilst implementing this new “technology” into your day to day activities. Showing and teaching you how he/she wants the newly added programs and/or apps to work and how he wants you to implement it. On the job training is an excellent way of learning but can also be hard being thrown into the deep end, so be very cautious so that you do not find yourself under too much pressure or feel too overwhelmed.

Skills advancement

On the other hand, by doing skills advancement in terms of doing online courses and training in new software and techniques can also boost you’re “CV” and thereby you can make yourself a lot more attractive with potential new expertise and the more you stand out to new potential clients. So it is better to rather do more online courses. Continually increase in skill development can at the end of the day ensure that you have a bigger earning potential with additional clients.

Having the right attitude

However often times doing the course and actually working with this new programs, skills and techniques mean little by having it on paper if you do not have actual hands-on experience in working with this skill set. For example, it is one thing for a dental assistant to know how to mix different materials work together,  but to actually be the most effective you need hands-on training and experience to know what consistency and relations make for a better mixture. Nothing beats good old hands-on experience. And often times that counts more than a whole wall full of certificates showing that you have the theory but you have never put this theory into practice. So rather try, even if it is just for a short time to actually use and try to implement that theory that you have learned into practice so that you can with confidence add it onto your CV and know that when someone calls, you are ready, willing and able to do the job required by the potential client.