Versatility is the hallmark of being a virtual assistant. At least, that\’s what many professionals in the field believe in. However, it is known that there are virtual assistants who specialize in certain skills, and we have tackled just how advantageous and disadvantageous being a specialized VA is in our past two blogs.
Whether or not it is better for a VA to be versatile or specialized is thus up for debate. Both have their own merits, and in the case of versatility, these are as follows:
- A versatile VA is useful all around. It is always handy to have someone who can do just about any task that you can give them. Having a versatile assistant will also reduce the need for additional manpower, thereby saving the client a lot of money.
- Versatility comes with flexibility. An all-around VA can easily switch from one different task to another. They can also go from all-rounders to more specialized online assistants doing skill-specific tasks. This flexibility also allows for resiliency which lets versatile VAs easily survive major changes in the skills market.
- Being good all around increases your chances to get a contract. Many clients understand that versatile VAs are really useful assets, and thus take the risks of investing on them. Who wouldn\’t take chances on hiring someone who can not only save them time and allow them to focus on actually running their businesses, but can also potentially save them the need to hire more people? VAs skilled in a variety of fields have thus a better chance at getting a contract than more specialized VAs.
- You get to experience doing a variety of tasks. The fun part of possessing versatility is that you get the opportunity to do a variety of tasks, thereby allowing you to experience different types of jobs in various fields. As different clients give you different tasks on different days, your work does not end up monotonous and boring. Furthermore, this allows for the opportunity to learn new things. For instance, working on a doctor\’s presentation lets you get a peek of how things work in the medical business; or you can work with an online marketer and learn some marketing tricks along the way.
- You can grow in a variety of skills. Specialization allows for rapid growth, for certain, but in only a single skill or a small skill set. Versatility, on the other hand, allows a VA to grow in many different fields, albeit at a far slower rate than specialized VAs. The downside, however, is that versatile VAs may not have the focus to master one particular skill, and end up becoming a master-of-none jack-of-all-trades.
