Who do you listen to? Pt II

I was busy chatting at a different forum this week – not a VA forum but a Work At Home forum which has a mixture of different industries represented there. But it seems that many industries all suffer the same problem – people who join an industry, spend a short time in it and then set themselves up as authorities to those newer than themselves.

Some may well have truly picked up what those industries are about and may have a training or teaching background but many don’t.

All I can say is that (as did others from this forum) when you are looking at receiving training or coaching of any type, for any industry, check carefully not only the course content but also the background of the person providing that training or coaching.  Have they been in the industry a long time – and I’m talking at least 5 years here.  What is their own experience and have they been running a business of their own or just working for someone else?

I believe that not only should that person have the ability to teach or coach (and this might mean they may need to do some courses in coaching or training separately) but they should also have a good command of the industry in which they are providing the teaching or coaching.

So, if you’re a new VA looking to get advice and teaching from someone in the VA industry, why not check in a few places first? How long has their site been up? How long have they been in the industry?  Does anyone at any of the VA forums know them or have they participated in their course?  Check for testimonials or anything else that can give you some confidence in what is being offered.

I wrote about this September last year but feel it’s important to raise the topic again as there are so many newbies entering the industry.   Check the credentials of those offering the training or course before signing up – it may save you some problems further down the track.