Had an interesting chat recently with Rosemary Parr who runs Scottish PA Network – we were chatting about the different skillsets VAs and PAs have…and that’s why the transition can sometimes be difficult.
I thought it might be useful to run a poll:
[poll id=”16″]
Certainly on the SVA Forum there’s some debate about what is unique to VAs in terms of skillset:
https://forum.societyofvirtualassistants.co.uk/t/specific-va-skills/674985
Off the top of my head I’d say that in addition to excellent PA skills, the VAs also need:
- Business skills
- Know how to work remotely
- Marketing skills
- Be able to juggle priorities (because even if you are used to having several bosses, there is usually one overarching aim for the company which always takes precedence – that doesn’t exist for VAs with numerous clients)
- Being prepared to take what is essentially a “commission only” job
- Being able to set personal boundaries around work (VAs don’t have an HR dept looking after them)
- To be really self-motivated
Anything else you think we need? Personal skills? Technical knowledge? Add in the comments below…