Maybe you’re tired of working an 8-hour corporate job and just want to stay home. Or you want an additional income to pay the bills. Maybe you want to try something new Or maybe you want to improve your skills. Guess what, you’ve found the right path! Becoming a virtual assistant, especially if you have no prior experience as one, is not an easy task. But do not fret, we are here to help. We will outline all the steps and everything you will need to start as a virtual assistant.
What Is A Virtual Assistant?
A virtual assistant is a person who provides administrative, technical, or creative assistance to clients while working from a remote location. With the rise of online businesses, virtual assistant jobs are even more in demand by entrepreneurs who need help but do not want to spend the money on an office space for a staff. Numerous small and medium-sized businesses use virtual support, especially for specific tasks such as social media management to promote their products.
A virtual assistant is a self-employed worker who specializes in offering administrative services to clients from a remote location, usually a home office. Virtual assistants provide support with creative marketing agency, web design, bookkeeping and many other services. Some virtual assistant jobs specialize in a specific skill set and they only perform duties related to those skills. Other virtual assistants have a broader scope of skills and specialize in an industry.
Why do businesses need a virtual assistant? The first reason is to reduce the cost of service they will have to pay for someone to do a specific task. Outsourcing the service of a virtual assistant costs less than hiring an office employee. Clients also hire virtual assistants so that they can have more time to focus on their business. Clients can also offer 24/7 customer service through their virtual assistant jobs. With this offer, they can stand out from their competitors.
How Do I Get Started And What Will I Need To Find Virtual Assistant Jobs?
One of the most important tools for becoming a virtual assistant is to have the equipment you will be used to provide your virtual assistant services.
You must have a laptop or a personal computer. An advantage of having a laptop is that is portable and lightweight. You can work anywhere with it. A disadvantage is those good laptops you can use for virtual assistance are mostly costly due to the specifications needed.
A personal computer on the other hand is cheaper, lasts longer, and has a wider screen. The disadvantage is that it is heavyweight and you can only work at home. It also has no built-in cameras and speakers. You must purchase these accessories separately.
Choosing which equipment to buy will mostly depend on your available budget.
If you have a high budget, you may opt for a laptop with good specifications but if you are tight on budget, choose to purchase a personal computer.
Headsets are also a must if you will provide virtual assistant services. Recommended headsets are those with noise-cancelling features. Most headsets are also built with microphones so you must also consider this. Find the right equipment for you under your available budget but make sure that the features that you will need in your tasks are present in the headset.
Another important tool is a stable internet connection at home. Data signals are insufficient when you have heavy tasks. Choose a good internet provider which has a good signal based on your location. Most internet providers have monthly plans with offered data speed (MBPS). Choose a plan depending on your task and budget.
You should also open a Paypal account. Paypal is an online financial service that allows you to pay for items using a secure internet connection. This is where clients and freelancing websites will pay you. When creating a Paypal account, make sure that your real name is indicated in the e-mail address that you will be using to avoid any conflict in the future.
You must also have a local bank account. This is where you will be saving your earnings. Any bank will do as long as you have a bank account but if you will choose, you should consider a bank with a low maintaining balance.
How Do I Find Clients?
After you have purchased the necessary equipment and created the tools you will need, the next step is to create an online profile. To do this, you must have an e-mail address. In creating an e-mail address, ensure that the first name and last name you list in your details is your real complete name. If you have an e-mail address you used in creating your Paypal account, you may use this to create your online profile.
Prepare your resume. Creating your resume is now very simple and easy since there are a lot of digital marketing templates you can find on the internet. Some sites also offer editable resume templates (i.e., Canva). Choose a template or a sample resume and then type in your details. In selecting a profile picture to include in your resume, make sure that your face is the focus of the photo and that you have a friendly facial expression. The picture’s background must be neat and pleasant to the eyes. Personalize the resume template so that it shows all your important and relevant details, your work experiences, your accomplishments and your skills. This will help employers decide if you have the necessary skills and experience for the job they are looking for. Include your details which you feel will have an impact on the employer.
Personalize the resume template so that it shows all your important and relevant details, your work experiences, your accomplishments, and your skills.
This will help employers decide if you have the necessary skills and experience for the job they are looking for. Include the details that you feel will have an impact on the employer.
Create an online account on freelancing websites. Navigate the website (i.e., Upwork, Freeup) and type in all your details. Write an appealing profile description. This should include a short description of you, your work experiences, your set of skills, and what you can offer as a virtual assistant.
Search for job posting on these websites and scrutinize each task that needs to be done and the criteria/qualities that the job post looks for. If you think you can do it, then you can send an application.
Prepare your cover letter. A cover letter must be specific to the job you are applying for. The content of your cover letter must be tailor-fitted to what the employer is looking for. For example, if you are applying for data entry tasks, you must include the skills and experience you possess which are related to data entry. Make sure to be confident, yet respectful in your cover letter.
Virtual Assistant Services
If you’re thinking about becoming a virtual assistant, you should know that the market is saturated. There are many virtual assistant services out there and it is hard to stand out. To stand out, you need to be niche and focus on a specific service.
Before you begin looking for a job as a virtual assistant, you should think about what type of job you would like to do. Try to come up with a list of services that you would be interested in and figure out what you have to offer that is unique. Then start applying for jobs that fit your niche.
Since virtual assistant is a very broad field, choosing your virtual assistant niche will allow you to focus on one area only, thus creating expertise, and increasing the chance to find high-paying clients.
Below is a list of virtual assistant niches that you can choose from. As much as possible, learn all the things that you must learn in your chosen niche. There are a lot of resources online ( Ebook, Youtube videos, online courses) that you can use. You do not have to master everything at once since you can do that while working, but having a background will truly help you gain more clients.
- Personal/ Executive Virtual Assistant
- Administrative Virtual Assistant
- Digital Marketing Virtual Assistant
- Lead Generation Virtual Assistant
- Social Media Marketing Virtual Assistant
- Social Media Management Virtual Assistant
- Email Marketing and Management
- Content Marketing Virtual Assistant
- Real Estate Virtual Assistant
- Shopping/ E-Commerce Virtual Assistant
- Accounting and Bookkeeping Virtual Assistant
How to Become A Virtual Assistant with no Experience
Actually, experience is never been an issue when it comes to becoming a virtual assistant. Let me tell you a story
When I was starting as a virtual assistant, I too do not have any experience with it. I was an engineering graduate but due to an abusive corporate environment, I decided to stop working and pursue a master’s degree. In my second year of graduate school, I only have 6 units, allowing me to have more time which I could use.
I decided to use this extra time to find a job online since I couldn’t do a corporate job while studying (part of scholarship constraints). The first job that I found was to become an English teacher for Chinese students. I did enjoy it but it only eats up 4 hours of my time and I got plenty more to spend so I searched for another one.
Luckily I got hired as a virtual assistant for an online academy. My first task was to manually change their pricelist. So they got around 700 courses to offer and for each course, I need to mark down by 10 euros. I did it within 2 days which made my client happy.
So he did give me another project which is handling their email accounts.
Sending welcoming emails to new students together with their log-in details. When they decided to make the process automated, he then move me to another project. Up until now, I am still part of their company as a virtual assistant even though I am building a company on my own.
When China decided to change its policy for foreign educators, it affects my income as an online English teacher. So I decided that it was time to expand my knowledge in the virtual assistant field. I have already given up my online teaching job, find an online course on virtual assistants, and decided to choose digital marketing as my niche. In a short time, after I graduate from that course, I gathered 2 new clients within a month.
Even though I already work as a digital marketer, I didn’t stop learning more and expanding my knowledge in my chosen niche. Every now and then I am looking for tutorials and resources to be a more effective.
Why did I tell my story?
To show that you can be a virtual assistant even if you do not experience being one. All you need to have is a few computer skills and guts to apply. You also need to continue educating yourself before and after getting a client.
Do you need to enroll in online courses?
If you have the budget for it why not, but if your finances are tight, youtube creators offer great content to teach aspiring virtual assistants. One of them is our youtube channel.
So, continue learning, never stop, and that is how you will become a virtual assistant even without experience.
Conclusion
A virtual assistant is someone who helps business owners or individuals in managing their daily routine. They provide administrative, technical, or creative assistance to clients while working from a remote location.
To become a virtual assistant you must have a computer or laptop which you will use to execute different tasks.
You also need to have an online profile on different freelancing websites. Choose a niche on which you will focus.
After creating your online profile, you need to search for a job posting and apply.
Can someone become a virtual assistant with no experience? Definitely YES! As long as you know how to operate a computer, you can become a virtual assistant.
Now that you have everything that you need, it is time to search for virtual assistant jobs online. Know what you want to focus on and hone your skills related to it. With our digital marketing tips, now you’re all set!
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