Without a doubt, this is not a job for everyone. People need to have certain skills to work as a virtual assistant. First of all, you need to be well-organized and you need moderate computer skills. In addition to this, you need to be a social person to land more jobs for yourself. Unlike what most people believe, being a virtual assistant is a real career and it can be quite profitable for many people who spend their time on this job. You will not have to worry about earning much as well.
What Do You Do as a Virtual Assistant?
A virtual assistant is one of the popular positions that is look demanded by many companies and businesses. As a virtual assistant, you have to complete a large variety of tasks depending on the managers or companies you are going to work with. The best part of this job is you can work from home.
Below, you are going to find some of the important features and abilities that a virtual assistant needs to have. Here they are:
- You need to respond to messages and emails, track the orders, contact the clients about the services and products.
- You will also manage the data, store certain information, take notes on the calendar, organize meetings, and book travels.
- Some virtual assistants also have to manage social media accounts, interact with the clients on social platforms, create or edit content.
- Depending on the industry of your employer, you may also design templates, create and send bulletins or organize mail lists.
We would like to note that you may not have to engage in all the above-mentioned duties at once. They totally depend on the requests of your customers and the industry of the business you are working for. It will be worth to recommend you work in industries that you are familiar with. Of course, you can also apply for fields that you have no experience at all to explore new opportunities.
What Kind of Abilities and Skills Do You Need as a Virtual Assistant?
As you can guess, you need certain skills and abilities to complete the above-mentioned tasks. In case you wonder what are these qualifications, here they are:
- Advanced verbal & written communication
- Well-organized
- Reliable
- Being familiar with video and phone conferencing
- Great time management skills
- Being familiar with cloud-based systems
- Always available to your customers
How to Find Customers as a Virtual Assistant?
Just like in all positions, you need a good network to find new opportunities. People who are planning to be a virtual assistant can contact small businesses to reach their potential customers. Even you will not be able to land the deal, you will stay in touch with them for possible collaboration in the future. You can also prefer online platforms such as Monster, UpWork, Indeed, or Fiverr to meet your possible customers. In addition to this, you can also visit websites such as Belay, Time or Fancy Hands to follow the industry. You can also start building your own website and brand on the internet to attract the attention of your potential customers.
Do Virtual Assistants Earn Enough Money?
On average, a virtual assistant can make around 25,000 dollars annually. You can easily find hourly jobs in which you are going to earn something between 9 and 25 dollars. On the other hand, if you start working with a corporate company, you may receive monthly or weekly paychecks depending on your tasks. It will be a good idea to check the market prices before you agree on terms.
As you can guess, you will earn more money in line with your experience in this field. You will start to improve your income and negotiate for better prices as you keep earning experience. Moreover, you can also ask for more when you need to use your specialized skills.
How Can You Grow Your Business as a Virtual Assistant?
One of the best ways to grow your business is by requesting reviews and feedbacks from the people you worked for. If they leave positive feedback on platforms where you receive your projects, your chances to land better projects are going to increase. It will be better to request these as soon as the project is done so that they will definitely leave feedback. In addition to this, you will also build your own network as you keep working in the industry. This will also help you to find more projects in the future.