Kevin Niño V. Amistad – Lead Generation Specialist

Hello, I’m Kevin.

I was born on a cold winter night – when even time seemed to stand still – in my native Lapu-Lapu, Cebu City. I do not remember much of my early childhood, but my Mum said that I was a very active, curious, and communicative child. I would ask dozens of questions every minute, even without waiting for the answers. I suppose this is why my parents gave me books and educational movies as early as my third birthday. 😉

When I graduated high school, I wasn’t really sure what College Course I should take… there were a lot of things that interested me at that time. Eventually I decided upon the Associate Course of Information Technology (Web Application Development). And I was certain that this degree would become my ticket to a better tomorrow.

I am a very lucky person; I have a Mum who has always supported me in what I have wanted to do with my life. I want to be independent as my Mum is getting older and I want to also help my family in terms of our finances. During my time in college, I used the knowledge that I gained in my class to apply for a part time job… and was hired as an Internet Marketing Expert and SEO Optimisation Specialist (homebased). I worked in the mornings from 8:00am through to 12:30pm. Then I attended school from 1:30pm to 7:00pm. What I earned from my part-time job was used as my allowance and to assist my parents in covering my tuition fees.

I had completed 1 year of studies at college when suddenly one of the darkest moments in my life happened… my Mum was diagnosed with internal bleeding and needed to undergo an operation. 🙁 Of course, I understand that life is not a bed of roses, and challenges and hardships are an integral element of life. Since my parents could not help me cover my college expenses in full, paying off my student loan became an important challenge for me. My salary was not enough to pay my college tuition fees, so I made the hard decision to pause my studies, and help my parents with our financial problem.

When I turned 18 years old, I told my parents that I would apply for a job in the BPO Industry. I studied and researched Business Process Outsourcing and the application process. I’d heard great things about working in BPO so I was motivated and hoped that I’d do well in my interviews. Luck evaded me and I struggled to get hired – almost all of the BPO companies I applied to rejected me. I even asked God, “Lord, if this is not for me, please help me get a stable job – either in this chosen career path or as a Janitor in Fast Food like Jollibee or McDonalds”. While I was really eager and wanted to work in a BPO – I believed if I didn’t get a position, then the Lord had a different plan for me. I had already applied to almost all of the BPO companies (except one) when suddenly I received an invitation email to attend Communications Training in a BPO Setting! It took 2 weeks to attend the free training for free and I gratefully embraced the opportunity. I was thinking that this is God’s plan for me after all. During the graduation of our training I was awarded for being Salutatorian of Wave 11 of Human Factor’s Communication Training in BPO Setting. Part of that award was that they would endorse me to a BPO company. And they did! And you’ll never guess which company it was to… the only one I hadn’t yet applied to! 😀 Great news is that I was hired as a Customer Service Representative.

During the peak of my career in the BPO Industry, I was recognised by our client and received several awards. I worked hard as a Customer Service Rep even though my rigidness may not have been the most conducive personality trait for a CSR. Over time I was promoted to a Workforce Analyst. And behind the recognition and awards that I received is determination, hard work, and perseverance. My biggest learning from all of this is that we should never give up on our dreams – we should never waiver in our perseverance, and never let obstacles hinder our progress.

My work consumed a lot of energy and time. I traveled 2 hours to get to work and another 2 hours to return home every day. With overtime in the office on top of that, my health began to suffer due to lack of sleep. One day when I was talking with my cousin, who is a Virtual Assistant, I made the decision to try this path as well. I began looking for online job opportunities – and when I was hired I resigned from the BPO company.

With my VA work, I value my client’s trust and I commit myself to any job I accept. I take full responsibility for completing projects on time.

Lastly, I don’t regret any single moment of my experience because I now know that I am always grateful for what I have and I treasure that. I learned a lot from this simple way of acquiring a formal education. I will never blame my parents for what I have experienced, because I know that they have given me the best they could. I am grateful to them because they are the ones who have given me the chance to live in this beautiful world, and supported me along the way.

Thank you for reading my story.

What’s really important to me at this point in my life is to work remotely so I can balance a career while I stay at home so as to be within close reach of my family, if needed. I am a fast-learner and have an eye for detail. I am very eager to learn new skills and develop them to better support my employer.

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