Anyone who says that Virtual Assistance is a women's job is missing the truth. The link is due to the fact that the profession is usually related to secretarial services that, in general, predominate in the female world. But the reality is that it is expanding into more specialized areas, where men also have a lot to offer.
A proof is found in the massive social network Twitter. There, all male Virtual Assistants are invited to join the Men of the Virtual Assistant Industry group, a group that was created at www.virtualassistantforums.com, so that they can share their knowledge and experiences of the field.
Men in virtual assistance.
The pioneer of the movement is Winston Stewart, a man from Ohio, owner of SM Office Solutions. With previous experiences in management positions in large companies, combined with a formal education in business, he became a Virtual Assistant in 2000 and was able to successfully build his own company. Through the Internet, it provides its clients with general support, administrative and concierge services.
Winston has become an active voice for men who work as Virtual Assistants. Their goal is for them to join forces, through social forums, to eliminate the stereotypical image that the industry is dominated by women. "When I decided to be a Virtual Assistant about nine years ago, I couldn't believe so few men were in the industry," he says in a press release. "My goal now is to encourage them to join in and also that the men who are already Virtual Assistants stop hiding…", he concludes. It refers to the modesty that many of his colleagues feel for the work they do, when they have no reason to do so.
In reality, the trend indicates that every year more men are joining this profession, because Virtual Assistance is no longer linked only to administrative tasks. Today a series of services is provided that are more related to the internal management of an online business, such as, for example, business owners (virtual or not) who need customer service via e-mail, to update the blog, that they manage the website, that they update the sales pages with the products or the customer service programs, among many other possibilities.
An example of the changes in the field, and the incorporation of men into it, can be found at www.delphianva.com. Its owner is Robert Neilly, from Canada, who has more than fifteen years of experience fulfilling these functions. Currently, Robert offers graphic design, promotional material design and corporate identity services.
A similar case, but even more specialized, is that of Ken Pezanowski, who runs Colorful Concepts, from the portal www.colorful-concepts.com. Your company combines Virtual Assistance with graphic design work, to offer your clients a comprehensive service. The undertaking is, therefore, more linked to the image: it includes assembling PDFs, scanning photographs and layout of brochures, among other tasks.
Another original proposal is that of Robertt Neilly. At Delphian Virtual Assistance he offers "the connection of education and more than two decades of experience in the corporate world." What do you mean by the "education connection"? For much of his professional life, Robertt has had one foot in the corporate world and the other in the education system. He has commissioned business software courses at Seneca College and Humber College. “I understand the group dynamics and the needs of the people. My classes have always been multicultural, so I also understand very diverse audiences ”, he assures on his website.
More related to the graphic industry, we find Type-Right, directed by Van Morrow. It is a support service for companies, dedicated to those who need regular help to develop texts and content. For example, a lawyer who needs only 10 letters a week does not have to hire a part-time typist. Neither does a company that requires publishing a quarterly newsletter or annual directory. Both can to Virtual Assistance through www.type-right.com.
These examples, and many others that we can find, show us that Virtual Assistance is, more and more, a man's thing. You just have to discover what one is capable of offering… and be encouraged.
