14+ Soft Skills for Resume: Virtual Assistant Edition (+ How to Include Them)
Athika Rahma
SEO Specialist Virtual Assistant at SGBVA
Getting your dream virtual assistant job isn’t just about ticking off a checklist of technical qualifications. Sure, being great at organizing calendars, managing emails, or using task management tools is important, but what really sets you apart? It’s how you interact with clients, adapt to their needs, and handle challenges on the fly. That’s where soft skills come in.
These are the traits that show you’re more than just someone who can follow instructions—you’re a proactive problem solver, a dependable communicator, and someone who can make their client’s life easier. In this guide, I’ll walk you through 15 soft skills for resume plus how to show them off without sounding generic.
Why Soft Skills Are Important for Virtual Assistants
When it comes to landing a virtual assistant job, soft skills for resume often tip the scales in your favor. Here’s why:
- They Show You’re a Good Fit: Soft skills demonstrate how well you can integrate into a client’s workflow. Clients want someone who can communicate clearly, collaborate seamlessly, and adapt to their unique style and needs.
- They Highlight Your Adaptability: Every client is different, and their needs can evolve over time. Soft skills like adaptability show you can roll with the changes and keep delivering excellent service.
- They Complement Technical Skills: Think of technical skills as the tools in your toolbox and soft skills as how you use them. Together, they create a virtual assistant who can not only get the job done but also build a strong, trust-based relationship with the client.
- They Set You Apart: When many candidates have similar technical abilities, soft skills help you stand out. They show that you’re not just capable of doing the work but also a joy to work with.
- They Are Universally Valued: No matter what industry your clients are in, soft skills like communication, time management, and problem-solving are always in demand. They’re transferable and make you an asset in any role.
By emphasizing soft skills for resume, you’re not just telling clients what you can do—you’re showing them who you are and why you’ll make their lives easier.
Also Read: 11 Special Skills for Resume Every Virtual Assistant Needs to Stand Out
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Soft Skills vs Hard Skills: What’s the Difference?
When it comes to building a strong resume or advancing in your career, understanding the difference between soft skills and hard skills is essential. Both types of skills play a vital role in your professional growth, but they serve different purposes.
Hard skills are specific, teachable abilities that are easy to quantify. These are usually job-specific skills that can be learned through education, training, or practice. You demonstrate hard skills through certifications, degrees, or measurable achievements, such as increasing sales by 20% using advanced analytics tools.
On the other hand, soft skills are personal attributes and interpersonal abilities that influence how you interact with others. They are often harder to quantify but are equally critical to workplace success. These skills are demonstrated through your behavior, relationships, and the way you handle challenges, such as leading a remote team to complete a project within tight deadlines.
Both types of skills are important because they complement each other.
Also read: 7 Essential Virtual Assistant Hard Skills for Resume (+ Tools and Examples)
1. Communication
Let’s start with the obvious: communication. As a virtual assistant, you’ll be emailing, chatting, or video-calling clients regularly. This one of the soft skills for resume means delivering clear updates, asking the right questions, and making sure there’s no room for misunderstandings.
How to include it:
Think about times you’ve improved workflows just by keeping everyone in the loop. Did you clarify a confusing situation? Ensure consistent updates?
Example: “Provided daily email updates to clients, ensuring tasks were completed accurately and on schedule.”
2. Teamwork
Even though virtual assistants often work solo, teamwork still matters—especially when coordinating with your client’s team or collaborating with other VAs. Including this one of the soft skills for resume is about being cooperative, respectful, and easy to work with.
How to include it:
Highlight a project where you worked with others to achieve a goal. How did you contribute to group success?
Example: “Collaborated with marketing and sales teams to organize a product launch, ensuring all deliverables met deadlines.”
3. Problem-Solving
Clients love a VA who can think on their feet. Problem-solving is one of the soft skills for resume that shows you’re resourceful, proactive, and ready to tackle issues before they escalate.
How to include it:
Showcase a time when you turned a challenge into a win. Did you streamline a process or resolve a tricky situation?
Example: “Identified inefficiencies in the client’s scheduling system, reducing double-bookings by 40%.”
Also read: 11 Must Have Virtual Assistant Customer Service Skills Resume (+ Examples)
4. Adaptability
Every client is different, and so are their needs. Whether it’s learning a new tool or adjusting to a client’s preferences, this one of the must-included soft skills for resume for freshers keeps you ahead of the curve.
How to include it:
Share an example of how you handled a big shift or learned a new skill quickly.
Example: “Quickly adapted to using Asana for project management, ensuring a smooth transition for the client’s team.”
5. Time Management
As a virtual assistant, juggling multiple clients or tasks is part of the job. This one of the important soft skills for resume is about prioritizing effectively, meeting deadlines, and staying productive without burning out.
How to include it:
Talk about how you stayed organized and ensured tasks were completed on time.
Example: “Managed daily schedules for three executives, ensuring seamless coordination of meetings and deadlines.”
6. Leadership
Even if you’re not in a leadership role, you can show one of this soft skills for resume as your greatest capability. It’s about taking initiative, guiding projects, and inspiring confidence in your abilities.
How to include it:
Think of times you stepped up and took charge, even without being asked.
Example: “Led the implementation of a new client onboarding process, reducing setup time by 30%.”
7. Creativity
Creativity in a VA role can mean finding innovative solutions to problems or coming up with fresh ideas to improve workflows. You should include one of this soft skills for resume especially if you’re applying to creative jobs.
How to include it:
Share a story where your creativity made a measurable impact.
Example: “Designed an email template system that increased client response rates by 25%.”
Also read: List of Computer Skills for Resume Virtual Assistant (+ How to Include Them)
8. Emotional Intelligence
As a virtual assistant, you’ll often be the first line of communication for your client’s customers or team. Emotional intelligence helps you read the room, manage emotions, and build stronger relationships.
How to include it:
Highlight a moment where empathy or interpersonal skills helped you succeed.
Example: “Handled sensitive client feedback with professionalism, leading to an improved service agreement.”
9. Work Ethic
Clients want a VA who’s dependable and delivers high-quality work consistently. One of this important soft skills for resume shows you’re reliable, diligent, and committed to excellence.
How to include it:
Point to a time when your dedication made a big impact.
Example: “Took on additional administrative tasks during a client’s busy season, ensuring all deadlines were met.”
10. Critical Thinking
Critical thinking is about analyzing situations and making smart decisions. It’s a key skill for virtual assistants who often need to work independently.
How to include it:
Show where you used insights to solve a problem or improve a process.
Example: “Analyzed client workflows and recommended automation tools, saving 10 hours per week.”
11. Conflict Resolution
Conflicts happen, even in virtual settings. Being able to handle disagreements constructively is invaluable, and this one of the soft skills for resume will elevate your value in client’s eyes.
How to include it:
Describe a time you turned a tough situation into a win for everyone.
Example: “Mediated a misunderstanding between the client and a vendor, ensuring project deadlines were met.”
Also read: 15+ Resume Summary Examples to Land Your Remote Job
12. Networking
Networking is about building relationships that benefit you and your clients. As a VA, you might be connecting with vendors, other VAs, or potential collaborators.
How to include it:
Share examples of how your networking led to opportunities or results.
Example: “Organized a virtual networking event that resulted in new partnerships for the client.”
13. Attention to Detail
Whether proofreading a report or managing schedules, this one of the soft skills for resume shows you care about getting things right.
How to include it:
Highlight tasks where precision mattered and made an impact.
Example: “Maintained error-free records for client invoices, ensuring accurate financial reporting.”
14. Persuasion
Persuasion is about influencing decisions in a positive way. Whether you’re pitching a new idea or convincing a vendor to prioritize your client, this one of the unique soft skills for resume is a handy skill.
How to include it:
Talk about times you’ve successfully influenced an outcome.
Example: “Convinced a client to implement a digital filing system, reducing document retrieval time by 50%.”
Also read: 20+ Example of Objective in Resume for Virtual Assistant and How to Include Them
15. Stress Management
Deadlines, multiple clients, and unexpected changes can be stressful. Managing stress effectively shows you’re resilient and dependable.
How to include it:
Share moments when you stayed calm under pressure and delivered results.
Example: “Managed overlapping deadlines for multiple clients, ensuring all deliverables were completed on time.”
Make Your Resume the Real You
Your resume isn’t just a list of accomplishments—it’s a reflection of who you are. By weaving soft skills for resume into real examples, you create a story that demonstrates not just your qualifications but also why you’re the ideal fit for the virtual assistant role.
So, don’t hold back—highlight those skills! Tailor them to the client’s needs, and most importantly, keep it authentic.
Crafting the perfect resume is a critical step in building your VA career. If you’re starting from scratch and looking for ways to boost your career as a virtual assistant, check out the SGB VA free webinar. Our mentor, Tania Gromenko, will share valuable insights about becoming a VA and how she can help you land your very first client!
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