Why You Must Not Joke With Foundational VA Skills

This Job Post Explains Why You Must Not Joke With Foundational VA Skills

Good morning, Hubstars.

Yesterday, I mentioned that I would share a lesson from this job post, especially for those who are not yet qualified to apply.

The company is looking for an Operations Assistant, but look closely at the different things the person will be expected to handle:

Administrative support

Customer service and responding to customer emails

Project coordination

Keeping tasks organised in Asana

Gmail and Google Workspace

Updating landing pages

Setting up simple automations from an existing SOP

Communicating proactively

Following instructions and implementing processes

Supporting the technical and operational sides of the business

Can you see that this is not just one narrow skill?

The business is not only looking for an automation person, a customer support person or an administrative assistant. It wants one versatile person who can support different parts of the business.

Even if you have chosen operations or administrative support as your niche, you may still struggle to apply if you cannot use project management tools, communicate with customers, work with Google Workspace, follow SOPs or handle simple technical tasks.

The same applies if you have chosen Medical VA, customer support or another niche. You may see an opportunity you would love to apply for, but because you ignored your foundational VA skills, you may not be able to meet the wider requirements.

This is the lesson:

Do not joke with foundational VA skills.

While learning them, it may feel as though you are touching different areas without specialising in anything. You may even wonder:

“Why am I learning Google Docs?”

“Why do I need project management tools?”

“Why is the foundational VA skills checklist so long?”

This job post is your answer.

The freelance world is a jungle. Many clients are growing businesses that cannot afford to employ separate people for administration, customer support, project coordination, automation and basic website updates.

They may know they need all these forms of support, but they do not have the budget to build a complete team. So, they look for a versatile Virtual Assistant who can touch this area today and support another area tomorrow.

That is exactly what foundational VA skills prepare you to do.

They help you understand how online businesses work, use common tools, communicate professionally, organise information, follow systems and adapt when a client introduces you to something new.

Even when you later choose a niche, you will learn faster because you already understand the foundation.

So, if it takes you three months to learn and practise your foundational VA skills properly, let it take you three months. Do not rush past the foundation simply because you want to choose a niche quickly.

The stronger your foundation is, the easier it becomes to adapt, learn niche skills and qualify for more opportunities.

I hope this helps.