As a virtual assistant, it’s important that you are getting the job done accurately and efficiently. But aside from that, there are also other important things that ia Blueprint wants every virtual assistant to learn and practice. And that is making sure that you are building a strong work relationship with your coworkers and superiors. At the same time, you also know how to make yourself valuable.

But first, what do we mean by building a strong relationship and making yourself valuable as a virtual assistant?

Building strong work relationship – means you maintain trust, respect and have that open and honest communication with your teammates and/or superiors.

Valuable virtual assistant – means you are a virtual assistant who can be beneficial to the team. You are driven to achieve goals, and constantly looking for new ways to improve and contribute more to the team. Someone who also shows dedication and willingness to take responsibility.

These two actually correlate with each other and will be explained in detail as we dive further into this topic.

Before we discuss this further, why do we need to talk about it? What’s in it for you as a virtual assistant if you are valuable with a strong work relationship?

First, it helps you be more in touch, more connected with your teammates and superiors so they would feel your presence even if you are working with them remotely.

Second, it also helps you earn their trust. It will make them feel that they could trust you and that you are doing things correctly with minimal supervision.

And third, it helps you get bonuses, earn a high score in annual evaluation reviews and have your well-deserved pay raise.

Remember, when you are a valuable employee that has a strong work relationship with your coworkers and superiors, that makes you harder to let go which enables you to stay long-term.

There are a couple of ways to build a strong work relationship and make yourself valuable. Do note that these ways have been continuously practiced by most of the virtual assistants of ia Blueprint.

First is engaging in conversations. Being a virtual assistant, it is important that you have conversational skills. Whether that’s through meetings, chat or email, it is important that you are attentive and you try to interact with your teammates whether it’s related to work or not. This not only helps you know or understand your teammates better, but it also greatly helps how they view you. It also helps you find some common ground and have that genuine connection, that you are not just a virtual assistant whom they work with at the other side of the world, but as someone, they can interact or get connected with.

Let me give you a couple of common scenarios where you can display your conversational skills as a Virtual Assistant:

• Whenever you are in a meeting, you might be asked about your opinion on one topic. Often at times, it will not be related to work. Do not be afraid to share your

opinion, a story or your own experience related to the topic. Also, do not be afraid to ask for their views. Try to achieve a balance between talking and listening

in meetings. This will likely happen at the start, in the middle or before the meeting ends, so make sure to practice active listening and relay your thoughts clearly

as possible when needed.

• When you start the day at work, greet people in your chat group or say good night before you end your shift. This can help start a conversation and make them

feel that you are present.

• You might also receive an email asking about your thoughts about one topic. Make sure to respond or acknowledge that email and relay your thoughts clearly

and precisely.

Another way of building a strong work relationship and making yourself valuable is by being proactive. It’s always a good thing when you’re taking an initiative and you’re showing a willingness to help. A simple way of expressing proactiveness is adding “Please let me know if there’s anything else I can help you with.” in almost every email that you send. You might also find yourself some free time especially when you are done with all of the tasks that were assigned to you. Most of the time, your superiors appreciate it when you are open to help more than what you are asked to do rather than waiting to be told what to do. Being proactive is also another way of you saying to your team that you’re the type of coworker who’s ready to willing to go above and beyond. If there are any ways you could think of to make the process easier or smoother, do not be afraid to bring it up or suggest it to the team. What’s important in being proactive is you’re always trying to find ways or always open to help the team.

Reaching out for help when needed is another way of building strong work relationship and helps you be valuable. It also helps you avoid mistakes while ensuring you understand the work assigned to you. You might think that you are disturbing your teammates by asking questions or clarifying things that you’re unsure of, but most of the time the people you’re closely working with actually appreciate it when you’re reaching out for help. Just make sure you know who and when to ask for help. You don’t have to reach out for help all the time, but when you do, it gives them an idea that you know what you are doing, have an idea about it or at least you are trying to know if you’re doing things correctly. So, don’t hesitate to ask questions, clarify things or get their feedback.

Reporting your progress also helps build strong work relationships and makes you valuable. There are a lot of ways how you can report your progress, you can just send another email to the person as an update on the complicated task that you are doing or bring it up in one of the meetings with your colleagues and/or superiors. It is important that you provide updates, especially to the people involved in the task that you are doing, whether you have already completed it or not.

So, in summary, building a strong work relationship and making yourself valuable are two of the most important things you need to learn and practice as a virtual assistant.

This helps you be more connected with your coworkers and superiors, helps earn their trust and at the same time, helps you get bonuses and pay raises.

And how you will be able to do this? By engaging in conversations, being proactive, knowing when and whom to reach out to for help and by reporting your progress.