Working as a Virtual Assistant

Are you tired of your daily routine going to office from 9am-5pm? Do you dream of working at home as virtual assistant but don’t know where to start? The goal of this article is to help you start your career as virtual assistant.

First, you’ll have to understand what a virtual assistant is and its role. Virtual assistance is one of the fastest growing trends in the internet. It allows people with computer and technical skills to work in the comfort of their homes.  They communicate with their clients online via email, through fax, Skype, yahoo messenger, and even over the phone. Basically, they can perform just about any task of ordinary office staff members without even being in the office.

Formal training and certification is not required to get hired as Virtual Assistant, though it will be an advantage if you have one.

Some task of Virtual Assistant Includes:

Web design, web software and html

Database Creation and Management

Grammar skills and proofreading

Writing

Academic research/typing and editing

Event and meeting planning

Internet Marketing Specialist

Internet Researcher

Graphic design

Sales, customer service and excellent phone skills

Medical Transcription

Real Estate Services

Legal Administrative Services

Insurance Industry

Bookkeeping Services

These are just some of the services a Virtual Assistant can provide. The next step is to choose your specialty, evaluate your skills and come up with a set of services to offer clients.

Companies/Employers choose to hire Virtual Assistant because of cost efficiency. They don’t need to pay for taxes, SSS, health insurance, Christmas bonus, holiday pay, and other benefits they need to offer a regular employee.

You can also join the conversation here to check the perks & benefits of becoming a Virtual Assistant

Unlike regular office employees, VA’s set their hours, decide the services they want to provide, and choose their clients.

Where to look for clients:

• You may apply thru freelance websites. They allow you to make a profile and market your services. Odesk, Elance, and Freelancer are among the popular ones.  You may also create your profile here at Virtual Assistant Philippines
• Apply thru Virtual Assistant agencies where you need to undergo application process. These are created to  assist businesses to find the right virtual assistant for their needs and to assist virtual assistants to look for clients.
• If you have the guts, you can even start your own virtual assistant business. It’s possible to start up without investing money if you already have a phone, fast internet connection, an updated computer, a printer with scanner and fax. But if you are really serious about growing your business, you’ll need to spend on a well-designed website, business cards, brochures,  do professional networking etc.

Virtual Assistants are hired by contract, by project, or like a regular employee who works 8hours per day. If they hire you full time, you’ll have to give your 100% attention to your client and their task. If you choose to work part time, you can still look for other clients. You just have to manage your time well to be able to cater all the needs of your clients.

I’m sure you are also curious to know the salary of a regular Pinoy Virtual Assistant .The rate actually depends on the skills of a VA. For starters, full time VA can earn from $300-$750 a month. This is just an example, salary rates can either get higher or lower. Just keep in mind that in order for you to get a high rate, you have to prove your skills first as a Virtual Assistant.

Here’s a simple video from Selfservicecompany to give you a simple information about Virtual Assistant

So, are you eager to work as VA? Update your resume and present your assets and skills as best as you can because it’s going to be their first impression of you. GOODLUCK

Tags: becoming a virtual assistant, homebased work, how to be a VA, Virtual Assistant

Category: Articles, VA Life