The Life of a Remote Assistant Investigator, with Julie Delvalle

When listening to Julie recount her career highlights, she lists off an impressive list of some of the world’s leading corporations, and that includes the likes of UPS, Concentrix, IBM, and Unilever. Born in the Philippines, Julie originally planned on becoming an elementary school teacher so she actually pursued a B.Ed degree. But she soon realized that it wasn’t quite the path for her and made a tough decision to start studying computer science.
It was only relatively recently, in June 2020, that she opted to join the remote workforce, arguably along with the rest of the world at the time. Having worked for such large companies, in large corporate offices, moving away from the traditional work structure was definitely a whole new world for her. A welcomed one, though.

And even though she now happily forgoes the 50-mile daily commute, she’s still finding her footing as a full-time, work-from-home mom. And as the mom of a 4 year old, plus being in a high-pressure role means she finds that her brain is switched on all the time. We all need a release for that pent up energy that we build up after a stressful day, and Julie has taken up design and is learning how to use Photoshop as her creative outlet.

And in an almost ironic twist of fate, although she never became an elementary school teacher, she now taps into her natural aptitude for teaching by educating GroovePay™ customers on various aspects of understanding merchant accounts and payment processing.

Although, there was a moment in which she might have turned down the job – had she listened to the advice of some of those around her. As well-intentioned as people can be, there is still a perception of instability and risk when it comes to careers in the tech and start-up industries. Having a family to consider can often make it harder to pursue your dreams or follow your instincts.

But when it came to Groove, Julie knew that she had to listen to her gut-feeling. There was a government job on the horizon, a position which she had her eyes set on prior to Groove. It offered stability and benefits, all the things that you can check off a list. Yet, she was struck by the generous freemium GrooveFunnels account. During a time in the world when people needed help most, Groove was there to help those who were willing to pivot and put in the work to reinvent themselves after mass layoffs.

In fact, she was one of those who found herself without employment. After working for a non-profit for four years, she stumbled upon the Blog (this very blog that you’re reading right now!) and immediately knew she wanted to work with the Groove team. She suspected that she would fit right in with the company culture and was confident that she would be alongside people that she enjoyed working with on a daily basis.

And where there’s a will, there’s a way!

Fortunately, she had gotten into affiliate marketing during her spare time – on and off for two years prior to the pandemic. Once it was time for her to pivot, she reached out to two of the partners and shortly thereafter landed herself an interview for an administrative assistant role.

However, she was soon scooped up by the GroovePay™ team, who were eager to have her onboard because of her impressive background in finance. The rest is history!

***

Julie, do you have any kind of morning ritual?

I wake up at 6 a.m. most days, then I pray, do some stretches, and exercise for about 30 minutes. Depending on the weather, I love to get outdoors for a run.

How did you get your work day started today?

I started working at 9 a.m. and just caught up on all my emails.

You have a family to take care of, how do you balance that with WFH?

I spend the first two hours of my morning preparing food for my family and taking care of my son. On Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, my aunt also helps us with babysitting and cooking.

Can you describe your job and work duties?

On a typical day, I attend our meetings in the morning to discuss any updates and priorities for the day. Then after that, I catch up with emails, helping customers with their questions or any updates on their applications.

I have to make sure that all of the information in our system is accurate and all the required fields are filled out, as well as verify all documents for legitimacy and check for any discrepancies. So, a large part of my tasks are making sure that the customers are not fraudulent, that the websites are compliant with Visa/Mastercard requirements and other important things.

Which part of your job is the most appealing to you?

I get the most satisfaction when I am able to help customers find a solution to their problems, especially the ones that are having difficulties getting a merchant account because they were shut down before.

What is the one skill that’s important to be able to succeed in your role?

The one skill that’s really important to be able to succeed in my role is adaptability.

Change is inevitable; We are dealing with technologies that are continuously updating, different banks that keep changing their policy, and customers with different experiences and expectations. The ability to adapt and learn fast is key.

Thanks for time today, Julie. What would you say to women who are aspiring to get into tech or merchant processing?

Learn as much as you can, from every perspective.

Don’t be scared to ask if you are unsure. Communication skills are a necessity; You will be asking people questions and truly listening to the response will make you better understand.

Also, it’s really important to be computer literate and understand how to use a computer to conduct research online and search for information – so make sure you know how to do that.

(If you haven’t heard, we’ve launched a groovy magazine – aptly named Groove Magazine – that brings you original, informative content much like these interviews, right to your mailbox each month. Subscribe here.)