Phony virtual assistant certifications?
This post is more of a request for clarity or information than it is an accusation.
Please note that I am trying to be as sensitive as humanly possible while at the same time being poignant and true to my thoughts.
I’m aware that some of you may not like this post but I encourage you to speak up, then, and support your opinions boldly.
I’m just wondering, have you ever run into cases of phony virtual assistant certification? Do you disagree with my entirely that there is such a thing as phony certification?
Or, rather, who is doling out certifications and is it right that just about anybody can put up a “certification” program with a neat web graphic and sell it for money? Should there be one set of criteria to certify a VA and if there is, can someone point me to it because I’ve been all over the web and it doesn’t appear to exist.
What does this do to the rest of us who are really good at what we do but don’t want to pay to get such a “seal of approval?”
And what of the organizations that require brick-and-mortar admin assistance experience just to be certified as virtual assistant? Frankly, people looking for VAs want someone who can do what they ask quickly, cheaply and precisely. I’ve never been asked if I was a brick-and-mortar admin. NOT ONCE.
Is the web designer/SEO expert who decides to put his skills to use as a VA any less qualified to do web-related virtual assistant tasks? And who decides this? Can I, as someone who periodically hires virtual assistants, be considered qualified to put out a seal called “Certified All American Admin Virtual Assistant?” Is that right?
There are definitely some certifications that I believe are real and are really worth it, but some are just questionable, in my opinion…
What makes a tried and true certification, especially in a field that has no governing body?
Again, I believe such certifications exist; they provide relevant training that is not archaic or outdated, and they bring credibility and value to a field that is massively unstructured.
I could easily throw up a “certification” seal or two on my website with something like “Certified eMarketing Virtual Assistant” or “Certified Member - Western Pennsylvania Virtual Assistant Association” or worse - link them both to websites that I or a bunch of friends put together for ourselves.
That’s obviously the extreme - the case of actual phony certifications. But even certifications from real, existing programs could still qualify as phony.
I know this is very, very cynical and I ask you bear with me! I’m just trying to sort this all out because I feel that displaying certifications from “programs” that aren’t real or aren’t recognized by the entire field give some VAs an advantage and can bring disservice to the field in general, particularly because those who are best at what they do may, down the line, be affected by the poor quality or workmanship of a so-called “certified” VA…
Tags: certified virtual assistant, virtual assistant certification
June 25th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Hello Tia,
I strongly agree with you on this topic. A lot of people now have virtual assistant certification programs. I believe this has been used to rip people off, which is not fair. When you look at the course outline, you will know that it is not worth it at all. If you have some years of administrative assistant experience, definitely you know what you are doing. I have 7 years of office manager experience; why will I go for a virtual assistant certification? Take a look at administrative assistant certification and compare it with virtual assistant certification; you will know better.
June 26th, 2008 at 7:36 am
Hey Tia,
Way to dive into the murky, ambiguous waters of Virtual Assistant Certifications.
I think it is almost an impossible task to create standard certifications across the Virtual Assistant industry, mainly because of the diversity of niches and specializations VA are working in.
As you well know, many VAs wear different hats. You have positioned yourself as a Internet Marketing VA, where as others are Real Estate VAs or Travel Coordinators or bookkeepers, or editors… The list goes on.
So how do you standardize an industry that in constant flux - Well, with great difficulty!
As you know, we run a VA Training Center called VAClassroom.com and do offer an “Internet Marketing VA Certification”. While we openly acknowledge that this certification is not accredited by a Post Secondary Institution, the certification is quickly becoming recognized by Internet Businesses based on the relevant skill-based training included in the certification. To be candid, we would much rather receive the endorsement of the businesses that actually hire the VAs, then a governing educational body!
The true value of any certification is based on whether it leads to new work opportunities and better income. “The Proof is in the Pudding”. For example; graduates of our Internet Marketing VA course are winning new clients and expanding the scope of services with their existing clients, which is great to hear. This is the true measure for us that we are providing the right kind of skills training that leads to tangible work opportunities.
I would agree that many VAs have a strong background in office administration, so it is impractical to think that they would need to enroll in a $3500 course in order to get a designation of which is not really recognized by the entire industry. However, I do think that there is a place for specialized certifications that actually teach “in-demand” skills that business are presently seeking.
Thanks for your insights - great topic!
June 26th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
Excellent post! I provide training and coaching programs for prospective virtual assistants and established ones that are struggling, but I am completely anti-VA Certification.
My training programs are used to educate people on the back-end of running a VA business from your home and have nothing to do with representation of my program to the VA’s client(s). I will never offer a certification for anything that doesn’t involve improving or gaining marketable skills to a VA’s clients.
Anyone can slap a certification up (and more are doing it every day), and it means absolutely nothing. Not to mention most of the certification programs, like my own training programs, only train you to run your VA business. They (and I) don’t offer a VA’s clients or prospective clients any real clue whether or not the VA in the program has the skills to do what they need the VA to do.
The skills sell, the certification is fluff for the VA. I personally can do without fluff, as I just seek knowledge.
I do agree that you should have some type of experience in SOMETHING (maybe not necessarily admin only), because you do need to have the skills to market. Having no skills is akin to having no products for sale in your B&M shop…pretty pointless.
June 26th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
As a former personal trainer, there were a wide variety of certifications for personal trainers as well. I don’t think there are any “phony” certifications - when it comes down to it, a certification is a piece of paper. What ultimately drives the value of a certification are the employers and the consumers. They set the value. To answer your question, yes, you could develop an All-American Admin Certification. It would then be up to you to market your certification - you would have to convince employers and consumers that holders of your Certificate uphold a certain standard of excellence. If you don’t convince them, your certification holds no value.
In the personal training field, there are 2-3 certifications that hold any weight. The rest are not taken seriously.
June 26th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
Xan,
that’s a great point. I’ll really have to chew on that one a little bit because part of me knows that you’re right and the other part of me still wants to say “but, but, but…”
The truth is that you are 100% correct and I just need to suck it up and admit it.
Craig,
thanks for the response. You know that I have the utmost respect for VAClassroom and I look forward to seeing what comes of your new training & certification programs!
Heather and Blessing,
thanks so much for your comments! It’s really great to get lots of feedback, particularly from VAs, on this subject.
*Tia*
June 27th, 2008 at 4:56 am
Hear. Hear. I was just pondering the whole VA Certification thing yesterday. Not whether or not it was real, but whether or not I should pursue it. Of course, as you probably know, there are some certifications out there that do hold some weight in our industry…but I don’t know that it means that I have to have one in order to be considered legitimate.
And I was glad to hear that you’ve never been asked about have the “requisite” prior admin experience in order to be good at what you do.
Thanks for bringing this up. I think it is perhaps just the tip of the iceberg about an industry that is exploding exponentially.
July 14th, 2008 at 5:24 am
Tia,
I totally agree and I’m glad you addressed this topic. I have thought about seeking certification but I’m just not sure its worth the money when all it really does is give you a little graphic to put on your website showing that you have satisfied a certain organizations criteria.
Having said that, I am in the process of setting up a certification program through NAVLA.org - National Association of Virtual Legal Assistants.
I plan on presenting the qualifications for the certification on the website itself so that potential VLA clients will know exactly what skills a VLA has and what they’ve done to earn that certification. Hopefully that will give clients a better idea of the VLAs qualifications.
In designing the program, I’ll be working with experienced VLAs as well as attorneys to set a standard for what it means to be a certified VLA.
For anyone considering certification, I’d suggest doing your research and weighing the value of it against the cost. Until there is some kind of regulation of the VA industry, it will be up to us to set those standards.