Romel Macaraeg Saringan – CSR and Administrative Assistant

Hi, I am Romel Saringan, your friendly VA at your service. You can call me Mel, as my friends and family are accustomed to addressing me.

I describe myself as patient, honest, and resilient. I learn from my mistakes, am able to adapt well to different types of situations, and I am a hard worker who is always happy to help.

As a family man, I have been happily married for 26 blissful years and am blessed with a lovely daughter. My ultimate dream in life is to be constantly living life to the fullest and to secure my family’s future. I know that to realise these goals and dreams, it takes a lot of patience, effort, determination – and most of all, a lot of setbacks to reach them.

I love to do trekking and road tripping for fun. Free time is fun time for me to play sports such as basketball, table tennis and swimming. I am also an audiophile, video gamer and an avid photographer.

Prior to working in the BPO industry, I worked as a Senior Analyst in a state insurance firm – a government office where I developed my customer service and administrative skills. As an Senior Analyst, I worked on a team that focused on maintaining compliance with the Law. In our assigned area of jurisdiction, we conducted payroll audits and record inspections to ensure clients were upholding the provisions of the Law. I acted as their team leader for six months handling three Accounts Officers engaged to intensify collection efforts and map out areas for increased coverage.

We monitored and reviewed client transactions and promptly delivered world-class service to members. I used my basic accounting skills during various on site inspections as Account Officer for various employers monitoring their accounts, like payroll audit and records compliance, as well as account management.

I have very good English conversational and writing skills because it is my second language. I have also completed a Bachelor of Arts in Communications in which the widely used medium of instruction is English.

During my tenure at the government office, I acted as Information Officer where one of my functions was handling the marketing and promotion side of our services, attending and conducting public forums and on-site seminars, as well as inviting qualified private individuals for membership as mandated by Law.

I performed editing and proofreading in a newspaper project during my college years – particularly in film editing, journalism and script writing. I have utilised social media, particularly in marketing personal and home care items as well as selling real estate properties.

I have a lot of experience with email reporting, writing correspondence, video editing and researching using digital tools and social media. My present career focus is to work as a Virtual Assistant Researcher because I find the work interesting and satisfying. The opportunity to learn new skills and to work with team-loving people of diverse race is particularly attractive and challenging to me. I am skilled in planning and organising, with the ability to complete tasks on a deadline. I am an independent worker who successfully meets the challenges of a fast-paced environment providing data entry and administrative support to a large department. I have ample knowledge of database management tools and data entry technologies. I have performed all levels of editing, fact-checking, and proof-reading of sales correspondence and marketing materials.

My most recent job assignment was a General Virtual Assistant in the Real Estate Industry (AirBnb and Airtable). I was able to effectively and efficiently receive and answer all customer inquiries on behalf of the company through the AirBnB messaging app.

It was my responsibility to provide quality instructions or responses and be able to resolve the customer’s issue. I would consider customer concerns and respond with straight to the point and concise emails which were mostly tailored, depending on the issues. I escalated property issues and handled multiple inquiries providing correct answers or appropriate resolutions, carefully working on preparing emails while assessing the situation of the customer. I had to take into consideration their level of understanding, technical capabilities, and urgency of the matter.

I was responsible for scheduling cleaning tasks for cleaners to inform / remind them of their scheduled task upon check-out of guests or schedule in-stay clean requests. I also answered and responded to reviews or feedback from guests about their stay and experience at the place using various messaging tools. I was tasked on processing guest’s booking queries and tending to their needs regarding bed arrangements and other amenities to make every visitor’s stay enjoyable and memorable enough to entice them to return.

Although I work best on my own, I can also be productive when collaborating with a team. I believe that sharing innovative ideas within a group is beneficial for the company and the employees. Being an independent thinker who at times does not require or rely on someone else, I’m also one who’s still bound to share what he knows to contribute to the company’s success.

I have always handled pressure with ease. I used to focus on one project at a time from start to finish but I’ve learned to enjoy working on many projects at the same time which allows me to be creative, productive, as well as effective in each one.

I believe in my abilities, striving to evolve in being the best professional version of myself. I am ready and eager to learn the ropes, aim to be the best in the industry, and to work hard with a “can do” and “whatever it takes” attitude. My focus is to work in an industry where I can be part of its success, and grow in an environment of excellence working with team-loving people. I don’t mind being micro-managed by superiors when learning a new skill or procedure as long as it’s necessary for the employee learning the correct procedures. I also agree with it if it’s purpose is to encourage or motivate employees and not to “push him / her to the limit” or get the job done the hard way – it can contribute to efficiency and a stable working environment.

Success on the job is having attained or achieved a certain goal, being able to reach or surpass the target, and receiving very good reviews and feedback from satisfied clients. It is the product of hard work, discipline and determination which every employee must strive to achieve. I always “go the extra mile” when dealing with customers, promptly attending to their needs and queries. I always make it a point to address their issues thoroughly and answer all queries ensuring customer satisfaction. I always try to treat every customer as humanely as possible by listening and showing empathy when resolving their issues.

I believe in the saying, “the more I learn, the more I earn”. Learning is a continuous process no matter what age you are, because when you have more knowledge, you have more power.

Happy to serve you!

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