How to Become a Virtual Assistant
5 Essential Tips
Who doesn’t want to work from home and have a flexible schedule? If you want to make this dream come true, there are many ways that you can do it.
One of the most popular methods is becoming a virtual assistant. There’s no need for expensive training or degrees — all you need is an internet connection! In this post, we will talk about five tips that will help you become successful at being a VA and why it might be right for your situation.
But why do people want to become Virtual Assistants in the first place?
You can’t escape the internet and a lot of people these days are looking for ways to work from home. A Virtual Assistant is someone who does administrative tasks like answering emails or phone calls, scheduling meetings, taking notes during important discussions, doing research online etc. You’ll be able to set your own schedule with this job so you have more time to take care of family duties and other personal commitments too.
So it might be right for your situation if any of these apply:
- The cost of living in your city has risen significantly and now seems uneconomical on account that you’re unable to find a job
- You’ve been laid off or for some reason lost your previous employer, and you’re not sure if the company will take you back
- You want more time to spend with family members or other personal commitments.
Now let’s talk about five tips on how to become successful at being a VA:
1) Choose a niche
A Virtual Assistant can work with any industry so this is not a huge issue. However, it’s better to choose an area that you are skilled in and passionate about because then the job will be much more enjoyable for you.
You might want to explore what your skills or passions are online first before choosing, by looking at LinkedIn profiles of other professionals or going to their websites.
If you’re not sure what niche is right for you, talk with some friends who might have insight into your skills and passions.
This will help you decide on a direction that’s perfect for you!
2) Understand the scope of work
This really means understanding how much responsibility they want from the VA
It’s important to know what kind of virtual assistant job you’re looking for. Are they going to be giving you a lot of responsibility? Or would it just require someone who will answer emails or take notes at meetings, for example?
Knowing this before the interview is very helpful because then that employer knows right away how capable and qualified you are for the position.
If they want a lot of responsibility from you, then it’s important to be completely honest about your skills and qualifications before applying for the job as this will keep them fairly confident that you can handle everything without running into any difficulties.
While some companies might not mind if their VA doesn’t have experience with certain tasks, others will require that you have certain qualifications before accepting you on their team.
3) Build a solid portfolio
A lot of people are drawn to this type of work because they want more flexibility in their lives. But with that comes uncertainty — how will you be able to prove your abilities and make yourself stand out?
This is where your portfolio (or the content that you’re working on) becomes really important! Building an impressive website or blog can help show prospective employers what skills you have, by demonstrating both creativity and professionalism. In addition, it could include testimonials from previous clients which would give them confidence in hiring you for the job.
And if not having experience makes potential employers hesitant about accepting you into their company, building an online presence through your own personal site or social media sites like LinkedIn might be enough evidence to prove that you know what you’re doing.
By blogging or writing about your knowledge and expertise in the industry, employers are more likely to see that you have a lot of experience even if it’s not specifically on their company website!
And be sure to share these articles with them as well — they might want someone who is already an established expert!
This will also help you to build your own personal, professional network which can be very helpful when embarking on a new career.
4) Be available for your work
This is the most important thing!
If you want to be a successful Virtual Assistant, it’s vital that you are always accessible. This means making sure that your cell phone and email address always have reception or service so they can contact you when necessary. Keep in mind, this is just an industry norm — not everyone expects their VA to take calls at all hours of the day but some do because of emergencies like if they’re out-of-town on business trips or need something done immediately while they’re not even near a computer.
5) Get hired
One of the most important things to know when you’re looking for work is how much a company will pay.
It might be tempting to take on any job that comes your way, but it’s crucial to keep in mind exactly what they are expecting from this position and if you’ll get paid fairly for everything that needs to be done.
Some companies might only require an hourly wage while others offer monthly rates depending on their budget or preference. It’s also possible that some employers will give bonuses after working with them for awhile (like being invited to VIP events), which could make up mostly for low wages!
In Conclusion
- Know the skills you are capable of before the interview.
- Build a solid portfolio to make yourself stand out as an expert in your industry or field. Share it with employers!
- Be available for your work at all times so they can contact you when necessary, especially if emergencies arise while they’re not near their computer. They’ll appreciate that!
- Keep track of how much companies or the people hiring you will pay and what is expected from this position — some might only need an hourly wage where others offer monthly rates depending on budget preference and bonuses after working with them for awhile (which could make up mostly for low wages).
This article was originally posted on https://www.e-businessbreak.com/
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