Fiona Nicole Danao – Executive Assistance

Hi! I am Fiona Nicole Danao; I’d appreciate it if you called me Nicole. I am a fresh graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology degree from Bicol University, Legazpi City, Albay, Philippines. Right after finishing my undergraduate journey, the pinned goal I had was to proceed with my master’s degree; however, unplanned circumstances are inevitable, which led me to become a wanderer, seeking opportunities in the online world, pushing myself to my limits, and doing all the best that I can to secure a remote job to earn money and be an independent eldest daughter.

During my sophomore year, I was able to work as an online tutor. I stayed with that part-time job while at the same time doing my academic requirements and finishing my degree. It was my first time remote work experience, which I find convenient because I can do it with no fixed-hour duty. Although I found it convenient as time went by, it wasn’t easy at first since I was a full-time student and was still adjusting to the new responsibility I had. Following my graduation, I figured that being in a remote job gave me comfort. I find it manageable, and I get to do it even in my room without having to deal with the busy streets and heavy traffic in our city.

Despite not having any formal experience as a virtual assistant, it is something that I have been dreaming of doing. So when we were to be deployed for our internship during my senior year in college, I made sure that the experiences I would be gaining would be aligned to the qualifications of being a virtual assistant even in the least way possible.

When I chose the industrial field as my internship workplace, I was lucky enough to be deployed in three different offices from our institution. The first office I worked for was the Human Resource Management and Development Office, followed by the Administrative Office from an annexe building and the last one, which was the Main Administrative Office. During the internship, I was able to adapt quickly to the environment and the tasks. My experience in the office role was then built when I started working with different types of documents, like personal portfolios of employees, financial papers, and even attendance records from many years ago. Moreover, it was also fulfilling to interact and communicate with different kinds of people going in and out of the office. I was catering to their needs, their concerns, and their follow-ups, and it made me happy that I got to help many people during my internship by providing them the quality service they deserved.

Overall, one key takeaway from that experience is the importance of knowing the goal of every agency or office that we get to work with. More like knowing the objectives because that’s what drives every individual in the team to work to their full potential. Having a great attitude that guarantees consideration, open-mindedness, and reliability is another important factor. Another key takeaway is understanding the group dynamics. The teamwork, the structure, the culture, and how everyone relates to each individual in terms of working and teaming up in reaching the goals. Most importantly, having space and vacancy for improvement in every opportunity that comes is something that must always be present. No stoplight nor endpoint; the only endpoint is the goal.

Working in the office is way too different than working at home. In the office, I have my colleagues in the flesh; they can sit besides me, in front of me, or anywhere near that we can feel each other’s warmth. However, working at home is me in front of my laptop, with my comforter wrapped around me or my hoodie to keep me warm, and the only way to interact with colleagues is through online. It is different, however; I’d choose to work remotely as it gives me more freedom. I can tend to my household chores easily; I can cook for myself without feeling tired because of commuting from my office to my home; and remote work compensation would help me provide for my family and personal financial needs better.

I aim to improve, to gain more experience in this field, and I am very much willing to be trained. I seek to develop my skills and abilities and acquire more knowledge that applies to my personal life and professional role.

To provide and help, always, for the people.

For a copy of Fiona’s resume, please click here.