Hiba Van Dyk – General Virtual Assistant

Hi, my name is Hiba Van Dyk. I graduated with a degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Human Resources Management from the American University of Beirut. Since graduating, I have taken on various roles in sales, customer service, executive assistance with most recently having been a VA and Freelance Recruiter. You can say I’m a bit of a jack of all trades and I certainly don’t shy away from a challenge.

I am a wife and a mother of a lovely 7-year-old boy. We were living in the United Arab Emirates for 10 years before my husband was offered an opportunity to come to Sydney at the end of 2019 and we have been living here ever since. When we arrived, I felt the best way to help my son settle in and still hit the ground running was to apply for a few ‘work from home’ opportunities. I was very fortunate to land a job as a Virtual Assistant to a small business owner who then referred me to a few of her friends. After working for three small businesses as a VA, I knew I finally found my calling.

Working as a VA is not just a job for me, it’s my passion. I am able to utilise all of my past working experience in one role and also learn so much more in the process. The versatility of being a VA is right in my wheelhouse. I have built my experience in proofreading, database management, customer service, basic design, and website management and taught myself how to use platforms such as Canva, Simplero, Kajabi, Monday.com and Asana.

Through my years of experience, I have come to understand that the keys to succeeding in work are not only by having the qualifications but by also being reliable, accountable, flexible and by keeping lines of communication open. Ask questions to ensure tasks are adequately completed and encourage feedback. Communication is an even more important key to achieving success when working from home given the dynamics of the work environment.

Before moving to Australia, I was a small business owner myself in Dubai. I was stretched very thin and could have used the support of a reliable VA. Through that experience, I have come to better understand the hardships of businesses and I go above and beyond to ensure my role helps other business owners reach their success.

My future goals are to continue helping small business owners, add to my repertoire of skills and maintain a good work-life balance for my family.

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