John Paul Gonzaga – Executive Assistant

My name’s Poi and I’m 28 years old from Tarlac City, Philippines. I have been into music ever since I was a kid. At first, I started as a drummer for a school band and they noticed that I can do backup vocals too. So they decided to put me on drums and help with the backup vocals. It was all rock and roll until my classmates pushed me to join a singing contest in our school. I noticed that I can also sing, like singing several R&B songs which I was not aware of before and that was the start of my singing career.

I got the opportunity to produce and record songs together with my brother and 2 friends and was recognized as one of the best R&B/Rap groups here in Tarlac City. We got the chance to have gigs and guestings with our rap idols, like Ron Henley, Slapshock, Smugglaz, and many more. However, we suddenly became inactive in the music scene because my brother has kids now and the other members too.

In 2019, we planned on going back again because we think a lot of people are still waiting for our songs and there are still people who believe in us that we can still perform and do music. So we planned a Pool Party concert for us to check and gauge if we can still work our music and see if the people are still up for it. The event was successful and people are telling us to go back again like how it was before. We were hoping to have a flexible schedule at that time since the other member is a streamer, the other one manages a store and my brother manages my aunt’s construction supply hardware.

Whenever we have a schedule in the studio, we always see to it that we come as a group. If one is not available, we normally cancel the session and just reschedule it on a date where everybody is available. Actually, I committed myself again to music, however, I too, became a father around 2017. Not saying it was a hindrance for me to go back to music again, but what I feared was that having a kid is not that easy if you have other things to do. So when my son came out, I just told them that I can only join sessions during the weekends because I think that can be the best days I can use for our recording sessions.

It went that way and we were able to record new tracks but since it was a new album that needs to be recorded, produced and mastered by our producer, we needed to go overtime on some sessions. I started feeling that it was not an appropriate time for me to go back to music at that time because of my son who needs more time and attention. So what I did was tell them that I cannot commit anymore until I figure something out where I can be available on my rest days and the rest is history. I didn’t leave the group, it’s just that we were on hiatus since 2018. Anyways, music can only be your main source of income if you or your group is already established mainstream so what I did is to just focus on my work and try to attend to my kids and my wife during my days off.

Fast forward, even when I was still engaged with my music career, I worked in the contact centre for 5 years. I started out as an agent and I got promoted as a Team Lead Trainee and Product Support for the entire campaign. Everything was okay until I got this feeling of applying for a remote job. Virtual or Remote Jobs were in demand at that time and I would like to take advantage of it because I have two kids. I would really love to work from home and at the same time look after them since we did not have a nanny back then. It was 2019 and I resigned from one of the contact centres here in our place. My son, Blake who’s always in and out of the hospital really requires serious attention and both me and my wife are working office-based. I had a friend who worked remotely that time and he referred me and luckily I got hired on the spot. I was able to work from home and at the same time look after my 2 kids which is a wonderful opportunity for me as a parent.

Two years have passed and I’ve learned a lot working as a virtual assistant. I’ve handled different types of campaigns and experienced working hand in hand with several clients. Right now, I am seeking a job opportunity that will allow me to showcase my skills and at the same time help clients grow their businesses by providing great results.

I can say that it has been a fun and challenging experience working from home because it was different from my typical contact centre setup. Being a virtual assistant requires a lot of patience and attention because you represent your clients. You’re not only working for them but you are a part of their business. You must learn how the business works and you should share your ideas and concepts that you think might benefit the company. It was also great working with different teams because you can feel that the support you needed was there and you are a family at work. I think this enables me to strive more and perform to the best of my ability in providing services to clients.

I am hoping that VAT can also open a door of opportunity for me to apply my skills and best practices and I look forward to serving their clients.

For a copy of John’s resume please click here.