Anatomy Of A Virtual Assistant

Anatomy of a Virtual Assistant

I know that you probably have heard the word “virtual assistant” a million times already, and you might even be one of the persons who have been offered services by VAs. Or, you might have taken interest in that position but are not yet ready to leave your current job. Regardless of who you are among these types of people, I bet you already have an idea regarding who or what VAs are and what they do.?

So today, let me tell you everything about VAs. Presenting: the Anatomy of a Virtual Assistant.

What exactly is a virtual assistant??

Well, that’s what it is exactly. A virtual assistant is someone who assists other people virtually! They provide services ranging but are not limited to administrative, creative, technical, and other support services to businesses may they be online or brick and mortar. There are numerous services under these umbrellas such as content creation, graphics designing, social media management, invoicing, calendar management, or appointment setting. Virtual Assistants are their own bosses! Don’t get me wrong, their clients are their bosses, but they are their own contractors, setting their own time, rate, and how you will work.

But why do people hand over these types of jobs? Simply because they’re too tedious, time-consuming, or energy-draining for them. They see these tasks as what eats up their time, instead of allocating it into actually growing their business, and handling core business functions. Statistics said that Executives spend 16 hours per week on day-to-day admin work. Their biggest asset from virtual assistants is this amount of time back in their hands. Instead of adding these tasks to their plates, they prefer to outsource them and delegate them to VAs who are more experienced in those functions than they are.

What are virtual assistants’ qualifications?

Contrary to other high-paying jobs, a VA doesn’t need to have a 4-year degree just to be hired. Better if you have, as it will give you an edge for customers, but if you don’t you will never have a problem with that too. In fact, according to Prialto, only 60% of virtual assistants have a college education. This is because it is becoming increasingly popular especially for graduates to take this career because of its perks.

For you to become qualified as a virtual assistant, you may start by discovering the skill or specialization you’ll offer, and attend online courses, seminars, or training to improve and expand that skill and knowledge. You may receive certifications from online instructors as your credential.

What skills should VAs possess?

Most administrative position skills or competencies are commonly what virtual assistants should have, mainly:

• Organization Skills- Clients typically let their virtual assistants have their own time schedule as long as they accomplish the tasks that they have to. With this, virtual assistants absolutely need organization skills to organize their schedules, meet deadlines, and effectively multitask. They will also be in charge basically with the client’s administrative roles, so organization is a real must.
• Problem-Solver- Clients will bring on several unending problems that they need resolving, and you have to provide solutions for them. You have to come up with creative, resourceful, and efficient solutions which will work for the client and will resolve their problem?
• Tech Savvy- Almost everything virtual assistants do is related to technology. The most competent virtual assistants are technically minded and know the different dynamics of computers and technology.
• A high level of enthusiasm- For many, doing work or business using computers for the whole day is overwhelming, so virtual assistants must be enthusiastic every day to get their jobs done while having a positive attitude so that they will also produce positive outcomes.
• Early bird- ?No time to be late! Virtual assistants should always be punctual, not on time. Punctual to do the tasks they do, punctual to submitting the accomplished outputs, and punctual in presenting problems before they even occur.
• Goal-Driven- They should establish their own goals and be enthusiastic enough to achieve them. Their goals should drive them to give the best that they can and be an achiever.
• Strong Work Ethic- Clients want someone with whom they can easily delegate multiple tasks, and virtual assistants should uphold strong work ethics in order to work well, respectfully, with commitment, and with integrity to their clients.
• Communication Skills- Without this skill, it will be hard for them and their clients to understand each other, and misunderstanding may lead to additional jobs, instead of decreasing the workload.

What are the working hours of visual assistants?

Just as said earlier, virtual assistants have their own time schedule and can set their own time frames. Statistics say that 59% of virtual assistants work full-time, Others work part-time with multiple clients, others freelance and others are on temporary or alternative schedules. It just depends on the availability of the person.

Benefits of working as a virtual assistant

• Flexibility of schedule- You can work whenever and wherever you want, as long as you accomplish what the client asks you to.
• You can choose your niche- There are numerous fields of services that you can offer as a virtual assistant and you can choose based on your skill and expertise.
• Low-cost equipment- Having a laptop, a PC, or a smartphone, and an internet connection can already get you started as a virtual assistant and you can grow from there.

Now, you have a complete visualization and idea of what virtual assistants do and who they are. Are you ready to hire one?