Last updated on February 22nd, 2022 at 10:51 am
Now more than ever, working remotely is a rapidly growing trend. People are leaving traditional nine-to-five office jobs and turning to remote work to find flexibility and work-life balance. Trying to start out working from home can be daunting, but becoming a virtual assistant is one way that many people have been able to start living the life they have dreamed of.
What is a Virtual Assistant?
A virtual assistant is someone hired by a person or business to perform a wide range of administrative and technical services. Virtual assistant jobs may be full-time, part-time, or contract. Many virtual assistants freelance and work for several clients simultaneously.
The duties of a virtual assistant will vary widely by client and role, but some tasks a virtual assistant may be responsible for include:
- Answering emails
- Answering and making phone calls
- Coordinating calendars
- Scheduling appointments
- Arranging travel
- Editing and proofreading documents
- Email marketing
- Bookkeeping and billing
- Data entry
- Customer service
Businesses save money by outsourcing instead of hiring a full-time in-office employee. Potential clients could be small businesses, bloggers, and real estate agents, to name a few.
What Skills Are Needed to Become a Virtual Assistant?
Although someone who has experience as an administrative assistant in an office setting would likely be a very qualified candidate to become a virtual assistant, people with many other backgrounds have the necessary skills. Anyone with these traits could make a great virtual assistant, even with no prior experience:
- Computer proficiency
- Editorial skills
- Written and verbal communication skills
- Organization and time management
How Does Someone Become a Virtual Assistant?
When pursuing a career as a virtual assistant, one will first need to decide the services they will provide and pricing. Virtual assistants can charge by the hour, by day, by week, or for each task completed.
The next, and perhaps most daunting, step is finding clients. However, those who possess the communication skills and outgoing personality that many virtual assistants have should be fairly comfortable with selling themselves to potential clients.
Most job boards have an option to search for remote work and will have many virtual assistant jobs available. These, however, are often more catered to those with prior virtual assistant experience. When just beginning, looking for smaller, lower-paying gigs might be an easier way to secure clients. Several websites let freelancers post a profile with the services they provide with pricing so that instead of scouring job boards for clients, clients seek them out.
How Does a Freelance Virtual Assistant Build Their Business?
If choosing to become a freelance virtual assistant, it will be beneficial to ask clients for feedback. This way, they can build a portfolio of positive reviews to market themselves to future clients.
Building an online presence may be the best way to attract clients as a virtual assistant. Freelancers can use social media and even build a website to market their services and bring awareness to their business.
Specializing in one area can help secure more higher-paying clients. Virtual assistants who choose a specialty and become an expert in that one area are sought out by clients searching for expertise in a certain niche. Some areas that virtual assistants may choose to focus on include:
- Social media assistant
- Blogger’s assistant
- Ecommerce assistant
- Real estate assistant
Ready to Become a Virtual Assistant?
Those who seek variety and flexibility in their day may love the lifestyle that being a virtual assistant can offer. For the right type of person who has the right set of skills, virtual assisting can be an easy field to jump into. Those who are professional, personable, and reliable may find a career as a virtual assistant extremely lucrative and fulfilling.
