Top 3 Things to Do to Stay Healthy While Working on Your Desk

Staying healthy can be difficult in the best circumstances and it can be especially challenging if you work on a desk job for six or more hours a day.

Studies have reported that sitting too much is the new smoking – hence, increasing the probability of diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

In today’s fast paced- technology driven culture, the internet has become more and more part of the daily routine, it becomes quite easy to forget time and not knowing that the hours have passed. So, whether you are an outdoor person or a couch potato, it is highly probable that a sedentary desk job will bind you to your chair for the majority of the eight hours of the day.

Thankfully, there are only 3 major things you need to do to stay healthy and still keep working on your desk.

Set a Schedule to Get Up and Move

The most important thing to do is to remember to take a good 5-10 minute break every hour. It can be 5 minutes every 30 minutes or 10 minutes every hour. This isn’t about working out – but it’s about creating increments of moderate activity throughout the day.

You can set up an alarm to remind you every 30 minutes to stand up and you can spread your activity to walking around the office, using the restroom, doing stretches, mini exercises for your eyes and neck, or wrist exercises if you do a lot of keyboard typing. Taking short breaks maintain focus and help you from feeling mentally and physically drained after work.

Eating Your Meals on Time

Your schedule can very much be hectic, so make sure that you have allocated lunch time on your calendar and block it off. It is not new that schedule dictates unhealthy eating habits – so make sure to schedule those meals and maintain a healthy diet. Lunch breaks can help boost concentration and energy levels.

Maintain Proper Posture

The right posture is probably the most important way in staying healthy with a desk job. Good posture is important to overall health in general and a poor posture is something that every office-based employee should consider throughout their day.

Working with a computer especially puts a strain on your neck and spine as you get drawn to the screen. Make sure to always keep your back straight and feet on the ground, and keep spine and neck lined up. Practice chin retractions, or making a double chin – it is the best exercise for your upper back and neck.

The moral here is to make sure you get up every hour, eat your meals on time and maintain proper posture. Unless you are overweight – you do not need to exercise 30 minutes a day to counter the negative effects of sitting. But it is still beneficial if you incorporate a 30 minute workout 3 or 4 times a week to maintain a healthy lifestyle and counteract the negative effects of prolong sitting.

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Tips on How to Prepare for Job Fairs

The popularity of Job Fair’s have increased over the past decade, with job fairs held almost every month in different localities and even malls across the country. These days – more and more job seekers are turning into job fairs hoping to land their dream jobs.

Many companies also take advantage of these events as one of their means to reach out to untapped talents. Most Job Fairs being held in the Philippines are in cooperation with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). The schedule of job fairs for the first half of the year has already been published in their website – however, according to the department, they are still expecting the number of job fairs to rise in the coming months as more and more companies are looking forward to hiring new employees to beef up their 2015 operations.

This type of career event is a great opportunity for you to meet a large number of employers in one place. They are occasions you can’t afford to miss and if you want to get the most out of the event, preparation is the key to your success. Let’s cover a few tips to increase your chances of landing your first job by following these tips on how to stand out amongst the hundreds of applicants during this event.

Practice Your Introduction

Meeting and interacting with recruiters face to face is a critical part of the job search process. It is a unique opportunity to make a personal connection that is not present when you just submit your resume online. Make sure that you make the right impression on first contact.

Practice your handshake and rehearse a brief introduction or practice a quick pitch summarizing your skills and experience.

Do your research and plan ahead

Know which companies you want to connect ahead of time and prioritize. Many job fairs have information of participating companies listed in their program. Make time to check out the company’s web site, mission, open positions, and general information before you go. Doing your research will help you create a very good resume and cover letter enabling you to highlight your skills and experience to match the job you are applying for.

Prepare your resume and cover letter

It is essential to have multiple versions of your resume and cover letter to highlight the relevant skills and experiences for the position you are applying. Make sure to bring extra hard copies and if you can, save a soft copy of your documents in a portable storage device.

Dress for success

Present a professional appearance. Dress smart! Wear business-like clothing and pay close attention to personal hygiene and grooming. Wear minimal make up and jewelry and always wear comfortable shoes as you are most likely be standing in line in job fairs.

Arrive early and be prepared to answer questions about yourself

Lines can be long during job fairs so arrive early. This will also allow you time to collect your thoughts or practice your introduction prior to initial contact with company representatives.

Be prepared to answer questions about yourself. Many employers open the conversation with: “Tell me about yourself.”

Make sure you speak clearly. You can start by stating your name, and a brief statement about yourself, and why you’re interested in applying for the position. The better you are at answering interview questions, the higher your chances of getting a job offer.

Ask questions

Job fairs is an opportunity to network. Create an opportunity to ask a question or two from the hiring manager. Make sure your questions are not available online or can be Googled. Instead, ask recruiters to elaborate on information you’ve learned from your research – or questions like “What is the key characteristic of your top employee?” or ‘Who succeeds in the position you’re hiring for?”. The more you engage with the interviewer, the better impression you’ll make. This extra effort is what will get you noticed.

Take notes and Follow – up after the interview

Jot down notes to keep track of the employers and the interviews you’ve had so you will have a reminder of who you spoke.

Follow-up within a week with a letter to each employer that you’ve met. Include the date and time you met, a review of one or two of your primary qualifications with a reference to your knowledge of the company. Hiring managers are reviewing hundreds of resumes, – a follow up letter may help your get reviewed ahead of the others.

Job fairs are all about the personal touch. Coming in prepared is one of the best ways for you to leave a good impression on potential employers present during this event.

 

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A Virtual Assistant Tip: Tools You Need to Know

If you have made the decision to pursue a career as a remote executive assistant, you may feel that your skill set is not enough to carry out daily tasks that will be set by your client / boss.

As a remote executive assistant, it is very important to keep yourself updated with the various tools available online to help up skill you and to keep you effective and productive.

There are many blogs out there that talks about different tools – and frankly there are hundreds of tools out there, that it’s important to understand what the ‘BEST’ tools are for you to be the most effective virtual assistant.

So, where do you start?

Firstly, you have to keep in mind what your role may entail and your daily tasks. Understanding your role and your job will help narrow down the list of tools.

Also, understanding your clients objectives would also be the best way to select which tools to learn. Besides – the single most important goal of every remote executive assistant is to help their boss achieve his/her strategic objectives.

To help you get started, here are some of top tools recommended by virtual assistants across the web. Each tool serves a different purpose, from communication to online marketing tools.

Enjoy 🙂

Communication Tools.

These are essential tools for communicating online.

Project Management Tools.

These are productivity systems that ensure everything is on track. It helps organisations to manage projects from start to finish, and allow employees at different levels to quickly understand and complete their work on time.

File Sharing Tools.

These are essential tools used mainly to share files and documents with teammates or clients.

Photo and Video Editing Tools.

Use to edit and create beautiful photos.

Productivity Tools.

Tools that can help you work effectively and manage your task and time wisely.

Training Tools.

These are interactive tools to help prepare and equip employees to better do their jobs.

Online Marketing Tools.

These are automated tools for online marketing campaign management.

In order to ensure an efficient day-to-day operation at the office, and to support the work of your clients and other team members, choosing from these list of tools will immensely improve the performance of your daily tasks.

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How to Increase Your Chances of Getting Hired as a VA

Alas! You have qualified, your name has been added to the roster of applicants for an interview – and you want this job so badly you want to play your cards right.

You have passed the initial screening and aced the required exam to qualify for the position you and your friends have been talking about it for weeks! – Being a remote executive assistant.

No matter how confident you are as an applicant, it’s helpful to have an insight of what you will expect when it’s your turn to enter the screening room.

The fact that you are being called in for an interview means that you have a very good chance of being hired – but it is not always the case. Anything can happen – especially as you may not know what they are looking for.

Truly – applying for a job can be stressful, unless you have an insight into the basics an employer is looking for in a VA and an idea of how to ace your interview. This is really above and beyond the skills you poses and focuses more on the qualities a company is looking for when employing their new team member.

So let’s take a few minutes to share the top 5 qualities companies look for in a VA and how to stand out as the right person for the position.

Reliability

Reliability goes hand in hand with a good work ethic. Employers are consistently looking for employees who they can count on – no matter what.

Nothing aggravates an employer more than a worker who does not carry out instructions. Show that you are reliable by being on time and performing tasks as per instruction.

Communication

Good communication is an essential skill many employers look for in their staff. Whether writing, speaking or using computers, communication skills are vital in virtually any job. Companies want to know that their new hires are able to communicate important information, ideas or challenges effectively.

Speak clearly and look into the eyes of the evaluator when speaking. Also, expand on your responses as the evaluator really wants to understand your ideas and your ability to problem solve.

Dedication

A remote executive assistant can show dedication by consistently exceeding the employer’s expectations and willingly taking on any task. Show that you are an employee that delivers work more than is expected, and not just the bare minimum by mentioning a situation in the past that displays such quality.

Adaptability

Companies look for team members that are flexible and work well with multiple projects – both independently and as a member of the team. Show adaptability by being able to express your enthusiasm to learn and take on diverse job functions.

Your flexibility may be put to test, so be ready to be asked about how you would handle or react to a situation that has a set of rules – but when a variable is being introduce that asks one of the rules to be broken, what will you do?

Attitude

Even reliable and responsible team members may not have the most cheerful dispositions.

A smile alone won’t get the job done, but a positive outlook and a pleasant disposition — combined with the basics such as work ethic and discipline — make for a well-rounded team member.

Some employers often measure this by noting how passionate you are of the job you are applying for. Employees who are passionate exhibits genuine enthusiasm, not only about the position but also on what the company will bring to the table.

Imagine if there are 2 people that poses the exact same skill level and experience how they will make the decision.

Being interviewed is an exhilarating time. You are excited to have made it this far and if you really want to stand out from the crowd then you should think about more than your qualifications and focus on these other qualities that will help you to land that role.

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Steps to Becoming a Virtual Assistant

A virtual assistant or remote executive assistant is a professional that offers endless opportunities to individuals, small businesses, organizations or companies as a result of the internet.

Many people hear about ‘virtual assistance’ and associate it to administrative assistance for example a secretary.

But today, while a virtual assistant can continue tasks as a secretary, there are many other facets that make up the scope of a VA. Other tasks as an example can include content writing, graphic design, audio/ video/photo editing, bookkeeping, social media management, project management, transcription and more. These are just a brief example of tasks VA’s are performing for their clients online, virtually as one might say.

Becoming a Virtual Assistant

Easy as it may sound, becoming a VA still requires hard work, it’s not an easy job that anyone can just do. So before ditching your old job and jumping into the world of remote assisting, do your homework and learn as much as you can about the job.

Steps to Becoming a Virtual Assistant

If you’re looking to work from home or a dedicated office space as a virtual assistant, here’s a quick guide to becoming a Virtual Assistant to get you on the right track.

Familiarize yourself with what a VA does and what online working is all about

To start, you can ask around, read some great articles, attend free webinars, find people who are already VAs and ask about their job. Connect with them. There are forums for VAs, and many VAs are more than willing to share their work experience.

Find out the PROs and CONs to becoming a virtual assistant. You must understand them in order to keep moving forward.

Equip yourself with the right tools

Once you’ve decided to work in this industry, it is important to equip yourself with a reliable internet connection and a good computer. It is also recommended to have a good microphone and sound devices to help keep communication between you and your client open and clear.

An email account, a file storage account (like Box.com), Skype and Office tools are must haves.

If you work for a virtual assistant company office, like Pathcutters, Phils. there is no need for you to have your own equipment as they already provide the necessary equipment for you to start your work.

Create a Plan

Once you’ve decided to work as a VA, map out a plan that will help you organize your thoughts and guide you to the right direction. Your plan might include:

  • Target Client. Based on your self-assessed skills, what segment of the business are your services best suited? Admin, writing, web design, editing, transcribing etc. This will help you get the work that you will enjoy doing because you are experienced and good at it.
  • Work hours. What working hours do you prefer? Many VAs work non-traditional hours including weekends and holidays. Do you want to work full-time or part-time? Are you comfortable working outside your time zone?
  • Your services. What services can you offer? Make a list of your skill-set. Are there areas you want to improve? Identify skills you want to learn to help you become more attractive to clients. Continue to learn new things.
  • Your Pay rate. Your pay rate will depend on training and the skills that you can offer to your clients. Virtual assistant rates vary.

Get your first job

Concentrate on getting your first jobs as a virtual assistant. There are a lot of businesses in need of remote assistants – and a lot of established sites that offer online jobs like Odesk and Elance. However, these are not the only players in the market – so you need to do your homework.

Be also mindful of scams and too-good-to-be-true offers. Ask for help from experienced online workers to point you to the right direction. Request for recommendations and do your research.

Being a Virtual Assistant is a great work opportunity and it is something many people want to do. If you have skills that can turn into Virtual Assistant services, and you think you have the passion to help clients grow their business online using today’s technology to deliver your services globally, then join the BPO revolution.

 

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How To Offer That Little Bit Extra To Become An Extra-ordinary Virtual Assistant

The role of a virtual assistant is rapidly evolving as the Internet helps individuals connect easily on a global scale.

This evolution translates to more rapidly changing business practices moving away from ‘how’ they did business 10 or so more years ago, and as a result is creating new opportunities for remote executive assistants.

As many entrepreneurs and business owners work with virtual assistants to grow their businesses, VAs work as an active behind-the-scenes partner to the CEO and Senior Level Management, contributing on the administrative side, Day-to-Day Business Operations, right through to other critical support roles.

A few of the emerging Roles for Virtual Assistants include:

1. General Virtual assistant (performing a range of general support duties)

2. Audio / Video Editor

3. Content Writer

4. SEO / Web Marketer

5. Graphic / Web Designer

6. Web Developer

7. Social Media Manager

It’s important to acknowledge and appreciate that each of these tasks are different and separate unique roles designed to be performed by different people. Irrespective of the role or tasks within that role, every task should be approached with a consistent and extraordinary mindset if you are going to stand out from the crowd.

How Does One Pursue work excellence as a Virtual Assistant?

We often have a sense of bettering ourselves to become excellent at something, maybe even impress others with what we do or simply try to see how good we are at a given task. But, what does it really mean to be excellent?

Love What You Do

Loving your work and loving your role is one of the primary basis of being able to deliver excellent work 99% of the time. When you understand your role and you know that what you do matters to the success of the business, you will see that no task is ordinary.

Continue To Grow As A Person

As we contribute to the growth of the company, we also grow as a person and as a professional, which makes this job even more interesting and enjoyable. The world we are involved in is constantly changing – the internet is always updating, new things are always emerging and businesses are busy keeping up with these changes. These ordinary tasks become extraordinary as we continue to up-skill ourselves by learning new ways to become better and more efficient at these roles.

Be Technologically Savvy

Keeping up with the latest trends in technology is a critical factor for VAs as the internet is where you’ll spend most of your time.

Be a better VA and work to deliver an excellent outcome by learning and becoming more technologically savvy. This means you must continue to advance your Internet skills, which include file sharing and synchronization (Google docs and Dropbox), updating applications, using online calendars, email auto-responders and other internet services.

Understand Social Media and Other Media

Be social media savvy by using social media monitoring and benchmarking software. Understand how to use and get the most out of that software – For example using tools like Google Alerts to monitor new content ideas or keeping an eye out for trending ideas within a specific industry.

Be multi–media savvy by having basic photo, video and audio editing skills.

Most Importantly, Be Productivity Savvy

Be office productivity savvy which means become a master of Office tools used for word processing, spreadsheets and creating presentations.

Striving for excellence is an important part of professionalism in any job. Put quality into everything you do no matter how ordinary you think they are, and continue to up-skill yourself. This attitude will separate the achievers, who make rapid strides in their career from others.

 

 

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What exactly is a Virtual Assistant that you keep hearing so much about?

We hear about it – and often times wonder what a Virtual Assistant (VA) is, how do they work, and what they do.

While more people are becoming familiar with the term ‘VA’, in reality there is still a lot of confusion as to what a VA really is.

Before you dive in – it is best to first do your homework, and find out what a Virtual Assistant is and what a Virtual Assistant does.

What is a Virtual Assistant?

With the introduction of the Internet, the gap is bridged for businesses, entrepreneurs and business managers to manage people ‘Online’.

A Virtual Assistant helps a business run, and is very similar to an ‘Executive Assistant’ where the employee works remotely from a different location from where the physical business is located. Virtual Assistants can provide a massive range of tasks for their clients from professional support services through web design and administration.

Dependant on the type of client you work with, you may either work from home office, in a cafe or as is becoming more common, working for clients from a physical ‘office space’, structured in a similar way to a BPO. Whilst BPOs are nearly ALWAYS linked to call centres, in this case Virtual Assistants are off-site professionals who focus on administrative tasks that are similar to those of an executive assistant or secretary.

The Philippines is a major hub of growth for Virtual Assistants and people that work within well structured Offices find they are able to expand their skills within a relaxed and fun environment, at the same time experience the job stability of a BPO.

What does a Virtual Assistant do?

With the aid of today’s advancing technology, VAs are hired to carry out a variety of tasks. Listed below is ‘just a sample’ of the type of tasks Virtual Assistants perform remotely for their clients.

1. Email Management

2. Setting up Autoresponders (Aweber, Mailchimp)

3. Booking appointments with clients

4. Following up with clients/customers (sending thank you and other reminder emails)

5. Receptionist duties (answering occasional calls)

6. Scheduling / Calendar Management

7. File Management (organizing files using Dropbox etc)

8. Database building (eg. updating email or contact lists on CRMs)

9. Research on certain topics for blogposts, newsletters or others

10. Personal errands (purchasing gifts for loved ones / family members online)

11. Hotel and Flight Bookings

12. Transcription (transcribing voicemail, video or audio, podcasts etc.)

13. Taking down minutes of meetings

14. Creating basic reports (reports on weekly tasks, deliverables, sales)

15. Preparing Slideshows (Powerpoint Presentations)

16. Liaison between the client and other team members

17. Recruitment (source for other team members like writers or graphic artists)

18. Socials tasks:

  • Set-up Social Media Accounts (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube)
  • Manage and update Social Media Accounts
  • Participating in discussion forums or message boards (more promotion)

19. Blog tasks:

  • Manage Blogs (Basic WordPress Skills)
  • Publish posts on Blogs
  • Filter and reply to comments on blogs
  • Answering support tickets (with the use of Zendesk)
  • Blog commenting (to increase links to your site)

There is a lot of scope for growth within the Philippines as the overseas demand continues to soar. If you have ever considered a career as a Virtual Assistant, note that it is more exciting than ever before, especially if you find the right business to join.

Before you do join, make sure you fully investigate how they work, what they offer and the how legitimate the potential client really is. Like with any new venture, ensure you are protected before you decide to take the plunge!

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