It’s been roughly five months since classes were suspended and we’ve all spent our quarantine lives quite differently.
Some took it as their moment to realign themselves from the hustle of university. After all, you don’t have the opportunity every time to complete that eight hours of sleep. Some used their break to catch up on the latest Netflix binge or KDrama series.
But the allure of “self-care” soon became a mind-numbing routine for most. Being stuck at home with nothing else to do except scroll through your social media feeds for five months all led to a realization that we need to do something.
However, still under the process of gaining their degrees, most college students don’t really stand a chance when it comes to job hunting, do they?
Well, meet Ghelsy Ravago. And she’s about to prove to us that we’re all wrong.
Ghelsy is 20 years old and an upcoming 3rd-year Accountancy student from Dagupan, Pangasinan.
Like most college students, her goal is to finish her studies, graduate, and land a banking job. But when the pandemic started, she had to re-orient herself when it comes to how she spends her quarantine time.
“Sabi ko sa sarili ko, gusto ko maging productive din. Nagsasawa na ako manood ng KDrama, movies, ganun. Parang paulit-ulit na ‘yung routine ko na sabi ko, kailangan ko na maging productive.”
As the eldest among her two siblings, she felt the need to help her parents when it comes to expenses. She also saw the pressure to be the one to finance her siblings’ education someday.
She first tried applying to different companies for different jobs. Throughout her multiple application processes, Ghelsy had a hard time passing the requirements and tests needed. After one month, she failed to find herself work to keep her busy during the pandemic.
Having no experience in any kind of job (online or not), she decided to take a stint in applying as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher.
“Sinunod ko yung ESL. Mga one month ako na nag-apply so naisip ko na baka madali lang makapasok dito. Kasi magtuturo-turo ka lang, ganun. Basic English language naman.”
She gave herself one month to look and apply for different ESL companies. However, she failed to secure a position as an ESL teacher.
“After a month, failed pa rin. Walang kumukuha. Then napaisip ako na baka hindi para sa akin ang ESL. Then down na down ako nun.”
Two months in, she became greatly discouraged about not landing a job in any of the companies that she applied for.
Then everything changed when she took a leap of faith.
During her search for a job, Ghelsy stumbled on a video about Amazon Seller Virtual Assistant. It was her first time encountering this line of work. Along with it, is a Masterclass that provides courses and assistance for those who are aspiring to become an Amazon VA.
She was skeptical at first. After all, it’s a new thing for her and with all the rampant scams online that will cost you a lot of money, time, and effort, she had to be careful.
“Minessage ko yung page and nagre-reply naman sila so sabi ko, legit naman. Then, ‘yung sa pag-aapply ko ng ESL, sabi ko, need ko at ana mag-invest ng skill para makakuha ng job.”
Realizing her need to hone her skills for her to land a job, she took it upon herself to sign-up for an Amazon Seller VA Masterclass. Given that she’s still a college student with no means of income, she asked for her mother’s permission to apply.
Because of the pandemic, her mother doesn’t have enough to pay for the Amazon Seller VA Masterclass. Still persistent about it, she used up all her last savings from college.
Investing in this course was a huge risk for her. But after the months-long of job-hunting, she realized that this might be her only chance in improving herself. Thankfully, it all paid off.
Going through her Masterclass, Ghelsy found a new inspiration to lift her up amidst her previous failed attempts in finding work. As someone who just started hearing about being an Amazon seller virtual assistant, she found the course incredibly appropriate for someone with her experience.
“Noong una, it’s very beginner-friendly and at the same time, namo-motivate ka ng mga coaches and ‘yung mga videos na napapanood mo. Kasi nandoon ‘yung mga story ng coaches eh. Nakaka-inspire makinig sa kanila. Dahil dun, na-inspire ka rin mag-aral.”
She took aside some of her time to go through her Masterclass. At her own pace, she dedicated around four to six hours a day of lessons during the afternoon and evening.
While the course was very enlightening for her, Ghelsy hit a snag.
All the information on the Amazon Seller VA Masterclass reminded her of the many things that she has yet to learn. She became overwhelmed with her lack of knowledge and experience in her field. With the pressure of needing to find a job, she resorted to seeking advice from her mentor in Masterclass.
It was at this moment that Ghelsy realized the importance of having the right skills when it comes to job applications.
She found out, upon consulting another Amazon VA, that the reason why she’s feeling overwhelmed with everything is that her knowledge and skills are inadequate for her to be confident.
“Ang sabi ni Faye [her senior] ay mag-apply ka na kapag may alam ka na. Tama naman ‘yung advice na ‘yun.”
So she temporarily stopped her job-hunting to focus on getting through her Amazon Seller VA Masterclass.
Less than a month after starting the Masterclass, Ghelsy landed her very first Amazon seller client.
Incredibly happy for herself, she recalled how the Masterclass exceeded her expectations and goals that she set for herself.
“Ang layo ng goal ko sa naging result. Kasi ang goal ko ay after 2020, dapat may client na ako. Binigay ‘yun after a month. Actually, in less than a month pa.”
Despite this, she reminded everyone that it’s all about their own pacing. Each one has its own timeline and bravado when it comes to approaching the Masterclass. Their eagerness and need to apply is also another factor to put in. Above all, it all comes down to the skill you’ve learned and applied.
“The mindset is you have to make it work for yourself. Walang madali. There’s no easy basket, sabi nga nila.”
True to this, Ghelsy happily recalled one of her experiences with an incoming potential client.
“First time na nag-email sa akin. Tinanong niya ‘yung Skype ko. Binigay ko naman and hindi ko alam na ang inapplyan ko pala ay product listing. Wala pa ako sa module na iyon. Tinanong niya, ‘what are the steps in the Amazon Seller Central?’ Binuksan ko yung module about sa product listing. Kinopy ko ‘yung nandon and binigyan ko siya ng effort in one hour to summarize. Then sabi niya, ‘nice, copy and paste’.”
What was once an embarrassing moment for her, she lightheartedly classified this encounter as a teaching moment.
That time, she was incredibly worried that her one experience with that certain client will be normal across her job-hunting as a VA. However, her knowledge and skills that she learned from her Masterclass pushed her to continue.
“Sabi ko, sayang naman ‘yung natutunan ko. Malay natin, may better client na naghihintay na mag-handle ng Amazon account niya. ‘Yung disappointment na ‘yun, it will turn into an opportunity.”
Now, Ghelsy is a full-time Amazon Seller virtual assistant focusing on product research.
Working at a flexible time, she can take her time and schedule into her own hands. She sets her own working hours, usually at night until morning when she’s at most productive.
She gets paid with an hourly rate of $5, which is considerably more compared to other entry-level virtual assistant jobs.
With her 3 months of being an Amazon Seller VA, Ghelsy is now considering dedicating her whole time as a virtual assistant now that university classes are close to starting.
“I’m actually torn between work and enroll. Ma-aadjust naman ‘yung schedule ko since online classes na so feeling ko kaya naman between pag-aaral and working…Pero, ‘yung kita dito ay sobrang laki na hindi mo makikita sa physical job.”
Since her target job after graduating is banking, she admits that the pay is not lucrative. In fact, 12 to 13 thousand pesos as starting salary is already considered lucky in the banking industry.
She acknowledges this as enough for someone single and not worried about paying any bills. But if she wants to contribute to her family expenses, she needs something more.
After opening up to her parents about her potential decision, she’s happy to find out that they completely support her.
“Masaya sila. Tinanong ni Mama ‘yung rate ko, then sinagot ko and sabi niya, ‘malaki na!’ Kumpara sa one day sa province lang na nagwo-work na 300 to 400 lang per day. So sabi ni Mama, sa work na ito, malaki na ‘yung kinikita.”
Being an Amazon Seller VA, she can now earn a full day’s worth of physical work in just two hours of virtual work. Rate flexibility is also one thing that’s a plus for those who want to become a virtual assistant. With just as little as three months of VA experience, you can start to demand for more.
You’ll also get the liberty of choosing the client you’ll work with. Looking back at her experience, Amazon Seller virtual assistants should be as skeptical, if not more, with their client. Because at the end of the day, you can only be the best you can depending on the environment and the assets of the client.
As for Ghelsy’s Masterclass experience, after landing her very own client, she still expresses her need to now more. As a virtual assistant, you’ll need to constantly re-assess your skills to stay on top of your game.
Besides, her Masterclass experience became so much more than just an instructional guide to landing her own client. She found a community that she could turn to whenever she needed help in her work.
From her last savings, Ghelsy’s ROI became immeasurable.
With Ghelsy’s story, this goes to show that when it comes to job-hunting, it’s not about having previous related work experience but rather the skills to show your client that you are more than capable. Now more than ever, many Amazon sellers are continuously looking for their own virtual assistants that could help them expand their business.
With proven-and-tested strategies applied in the Amazon Seller VA Masterclass, you certainly can be the next Ghelsy and have an income that’s more than what entry-level jobs could offer.
For those who are just starting out or those who are planning to enter the virtual assistant business, Ghelsy has something to say:
“Lahat naman ng mga veteran, kahit mga expert, naging beginner. Lahat ng starting point natin ay pare-pareho. So malay mo, maging ganoon ka rin. Next is the need to invest in the skill that you want. Wag ma-overwhelm. Take the time to learn the skill. Who knows na this might be the greatest investment that they will have. Na-realize ko rin na ‘yung ito ay isa sa mga greatest investment na ginawa ko.”
If you want to learn the same skills that help Ghelsy land this opportunity, visit our website to learn more about the ASVA Masterclass!