Becoming a Virtual Assistant at SOVA

Photo: Mikey Harris

I can’t believe I’m already on my final week of this month-long training to become a Virtual Assistant! Time flew by so fast, and looking back, I’ve learned so much. When I first started, I had an idea of what a VA does, but now I truly understand how crucial assistants are to business owners. We’re not just there to complete tasks—we help keep things organized, efficient, and running smoothly.

Photo: SOVA.PH

One of the biggest things I learned was email management. Our trainer, Ms. Katherine Padilla of the multi-awarded School of Virtual Assistant (SOVA), in Cebu city Philippines, really gave her all in every session, making sure we grasped the concepts and best practices. We worked a lot with Google productivity apps, like Google Calendar for scheduling events and managing appointments, Gmail for handling emails efficiently, and Google Drive for organizing and storing documents.

I also got hands-on experience with Trello for project management and Slack for communication. While Trello helped with organizing tasks visually and tracking progress, Slack made team communication more seamless and instant. Although Monday.com and Asana were mentioned, they offer more advanced automation and integrations compared to Trello, which is simpler and more beginner-friendly. I had tried Trello before, but this time, I really understood how to maximize it for organizing tasks, tracking progress, and keeping things in order. Slack was a game-changer too—it makes team communication so much smoother. Although other tools like Monday.com and Asana were mentioned, we mainly focused on Trello and Slack.

My Key Takeaways:

1. Being a VA requires more than just knowing the tools. It’s about being proactive, organized, and a good communicator;

2. Email management is more than just replying to emails. It’s about prioritizing, labeling, and keeping an inbox clutter-free;

3. Project management tools make life easier. Trello was a great introduction, and I can see myself using it a lot in the future;

4. Communication is key. Whether through email or Slack, clear and professional communication makes a huge difference in working with clients and teams.

Photo: Constantin Wenning

This journey has been eye-opening, and I’m excited to apply these skills in real-world VA tasks. For example, I can now confidently manage a client’s inbox, ensuring important emails are prioritized and responded to efficiently. I also plan to use Trello to organize tasks and deadlines, making workflow management smoother. Of course, clients may have preferred project and communication tools, but I'm ready to adapt and learn. Having used Slack and Trello, I understand that the principle remains the same: organizing tasks, responding to queries, and ensuring deadlines are met to deliver results. These skills will help me support business owners effectively and keep operations running seamlessly. I know this is just the beginning, but I feel more confident stepping into this field. Now, onto the final week—let’s finish strong!

P.S. For inquiries, please visit my Facebook Page- EA Virtual Support. Thank you very much.

Link to my Page https://www.facebook.com/eaxvirtualsupport/