Virtual Assistance is becoming the rave and quite a lot of people are making a successful career/business out of it. It is interesting to know that virtual assistants have been around for a very long time but became popular after the Covid Pandemic and it is still growing in demand. Online entrepreneurs and business owners everywhere need help with managing their businesses without having to take on a full staff and so they employ the help of a virtual assistant.
What is Virtual Assistance About?
As defined by Wikipedia, a Virtual assistant is generally self-employed and provides professional administrative, technical or creative assistance to clients remotely from a home office. This means that as a virtual assistant, you make life easier for your clients, you take care of their responsibilities that they can’t handle because of time and their busy schedules but in a professional manner. This could be daily as a contractor or self-employed
Virtual assistant covers so many fields as there is no limitation to the areas where clients need help with their tasks. A laptop and fast internet connection are the basic things you need to get started and if you live in my part of the world then you’ll need an alternative power supply.
Being a VA comes with a lot of perks like managing your schedules, choosing your client to work for, and getting your tasks done from the comfort of your home or anywhere else provided you’re connected to the internet and you have your laptop. If you get to work with business executives or top business leaders then you’ll automatically get the opportunity to develop top management skills and have an insight into how to run a business which further deepens your knowledge and builds your character. It can be tough in the beginning but if you persevere long enough and pass the hurdles, you’ll be well off in no time.
How Do I Get Started?
To get started you need to be equipped with employable skills and this is where learning comes in with tons of practice. There are a lot of resources on the internet like Youtube videos to help you get the basic knowledge and keep improving with constant practice. These skills are important that you master them because this is what you’ll be selling to your clients. And you will be required to learn how to use some tech tools as well but there is no rocket science here all it requires is for you to learn how to use them effectively and efficiently, thank God for Youtube videos.
Most VAs are tasked with the following but are not limited to the following responsibilities: calendar and time management, social media management, research, data entry, presentations, trip reservations, writing and editing, project management, content production, etc. And to be able to perform these tasks you’ll need tools like Google suite, Trello, software applications, etc.
Apart from technical know-how, soft skills are also paramount to help you succeed on this career path. You will need to communicate, multitask, be proactive and resourceful, you must be reliable and trustworthy, have discretion, and be able to stay calm under pressure just to mention but a few.
The next step you will need to take is to put yourself out there where your skills are needed. You will need to showcase yourself and tell people about what you do. You need to do this strategically and effectively too. You can utilize online platforms like social media to create an online presence and go to websites like Fiverr, Upwork, Flexjobs, etc to apply for virtual assistant jobs.
Stop Before You Start
This part is crucial to help you succeed, you will need to take time to find out what you like and the tasks you enjoy doing and focus on them as a beginner. You don’t need to spread yourself thin. Pick a niche that appeals to you and run with it.
Know yourself and what you can do and build on those strengths. Make sure you produce quality work at all times to keep the clients coming.
Virtual assistant jobs are here to stay and it is a good career path that can be taken by anyone no matter the age or area of specialization.
All you need is determination and the right strategy plus it's pretty easy to get started, taking on as many tasks as you can handle you don't need a degree to find a job, just the right skills, a laptop with a fast internet connection.
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