How to become a successful virtual assistant

Are you hesitant about starting your career as a virtual assistant? You are in the right place. This article will explain the role of a virtual assistant in-depth and navigate through some critical measures that can increase your professional worth. ?

Who are Virtual Assistants??

A virtual assistant is a valued freelancer of an enterprise who operates outside the office from a remote location. Nevertheless, the job of a virtual assistant is just as significant as any other internal member of a company. Therefore, they are required to work closely with other office members. They are responsible for operating several office functions that often include non-core tasks. However, companies sometimes even outsource their strategic roles to virtual assistants to boost efficiency. Virtual assistants are not permanent employees and are hired on a project, hourly, or contract basis. The average pay scale of a virtual assistant amounts to approximately $20 per hour and $35K per annum, but it may vary as per the job demands and employee's skill set. ?

Why Should You Become a Virtual assistant??

Virtual assistants have become a staple to every modern business. Statistics have also demonstrated over 78% increase in revenue of enterprises that hire the services of virtual assistants. Moreover, the pandemic has even extended the limits of remote jobs, subsequently pushing 80% of industries to employ remote assistants. So arguably, it has become one of the most accelerating job searches. Also, virtual assistants have lower stress and a higher happiness index as they work remotely. Employees, in retrospect, have reported that working as virtual assistants, they can create a healthy balance between their personal and professional lives. In a nutshell, the job of a virtual assistant is unquestionably a good pick with a broader scope. ?

What is the role of a Virtual assistant??

Virtual assistants are primarily hired to maximize the company's efficiency by completing time-consuming tasks proficiently at phenomenal speed. They carry multiple business responsibilities that are usually administrative. However, it can even be a core function depending on the clients' choice. Listed below are some essential tasks that are assigned to virtual assistants:?

• Travel arrangements?
• Meeting appointments?
• Schedule management?
• Website optimization ?
• Social media management?
• Managing, sending, and receiving emails?
• Maintenance of company records?
• Finances management?
• Data entry?
• Phone call management and much more.?

Critical Qualities of a Virtual assistant??

Businesses hire virtual assistants to boost corporate efficiency. Therefore, seasoned, skilled, competent, innovative, and experienced candidates are preferred over a massive pool of candidates. Aspirants should possess the following qualities to stand out and grab a potential job opportunity. Even if an inexperienced candidate has these qualities, they are more likely to be selected than those who lack them. ?

• Excellent communication and presentation skills?
• Organization ?
• Time-management ?
• Adaptability ?
• Flexibility ?
• Reliability?
• Resourcefulness ?
• Innovation?
• Basic Accounting?
• IT and cloud technology skills?
• Love for learning new things?

Perhaps the last one is the most significant of all. If virtual assistants love learning new things, they are likely to progress by leaps and bounds by constantly improving their prior knowledge and adapting to trends in motion. You are welcome to learn about the top skills you may need to be a proficient virtual assistant in our "Top skills for Virtual assistant". Explore the core VA skills that can make you soar above all. ?

How to build your career as a virtual assistant??

Starting a virtual assistant career may seem easy, but it's pretty challenging though totally worthwhile. If you are also willing to build your career as a virtual assistant, here are some valuable measures you should take. ?

Deck up your Resume?

First of all, if you are starting from scratch with zero experience as a virtual assistant, you should have the required set of transferable skills to add to your resume. You may have all these skills already but need a little push and polish. A well-written resume along with a cover letter showcasing all the demanded skills effectively is likely to catch the sight of recruiters and get selected. Even if you are a promising candidate for the advertised post but did not display your skills appropriately on your resume, you will likely fall behind and miss out on your aspired career opportunities. Please read our article to learn about the common resume mistakes that candidates unknowingly make, only to get rejected during the screening process. Your resume is your first impression, so make it impeccable!?

Get Certified?

It is always better to complete some of the globally recognized certifications as per your job description to increase your competency and learn about emerging trends and challenges. Employers prefer hiring certified virtual assistants to avoid putting their company's performance at stake. Many people think that global certifications may cost them an arm and a leg, but that's not true. Several institutes offer world-class certificates for free, i.e., Google Certifications, Coursera, etc. These courses include illuminating curriculums designed by industry experts, hands-on projects, study materials, resources, and a completion certificate. All these factors contribute to getting a profound knowledge about your field. Certified virtual assistants stay ahead of time and always have the required skill set to cope with some hindering difficulties smartly. Brush up your talent, give a boost to your skills and build a successful career with reputable organizations. ?

Maintain Social Media Presence ?

Your Social media presence plays a vital role in your selection process. It's no myth that HR managers go through candidates’ social media profiles to have a general overview of their reliability. For this matter, special applications are used that bring forth all of the social media accounts and even social media mentions of a candidate for an in-depth analysis of the candidate's anticipated performance and retention rate. So, it's evident that maintaining social media presence and professional profile is imperative to prove your commitment and mettle. Commonly, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube accounts are scrutinized by recruiters, so the aspirants should mention them clearly in their resumes and keep them aligned with professional standards. A well-maintained profile displaying adept aesthetic designing skills can be a good display of your skills. Candidates who fail to do so will likely lose their desired career opportunity. LinkedIn is widely used as a professional portfolio, and many enterprises select candidates from this platform. Behance.com offers excellent ways to showcase graphic skills in an appealing manner. Last but not least, don't forget to add testimonials from your previous clients to leave a good impression on recruiters. ?

Track Reputed Employers ?

To perform a successful job search and grab a potential career opportunity, you should keep a robust track of advertised posts. Many vacant positions are advertised digitally, and some are never advertised at all. Therefore, you must keep yourself updated about vacant posts regularly. The number of companies hiring virtual assistants is almost innumerable and even reputed industry giants offer virtual assistant positions often. Outsourcing4work also offers excellent opportunities for virtual assistants with outstanding HRM practices to build a successful career.?

Set A Professional Work Environment ?

Although virtual assistance falls in the orbit of remote jobs, it requires a proper workplace setup for effective working. Just like any other job, virtual assistants are required to have a well-organized home-office setup that includes a sound computer system, preferably Corei5 or above, high speed and secure internet connection, electricity connection backup, and a printer. You may also need a smartphone to use company-specific applications or provide instant help whenever and wherever needed. ?

Stay Ahead of Time?

Virtual assistants, having said earlier, are employed to lessen the business workload. Therefore, they are required to stay organized and ahead of time. To boost corporate efficiency, they must not wait for tasks to be assigned but already offer their assistance when their client is struggling. Keeping resources at hand, handling eleventh-hour charges efficiently, being cooperative and punctual, quick understanding of the company's goals and vision, staying composed and calm in stressful situations, working with stringent deadlines, and extending help to other employees can increase your worth in the client's eyes. Virtual assistants should also keep improving their skills and adapt to on-move trends to align their performance with global demands. A cooperative, skilled, and resourceful assistant is valued and trusted by all employers.?

Ready to Start??

So, if you have made up your mind to start your career as a virtual assistant, there is no need to look any further. Outsourcing4work is a reputable organization that has been leading the outsourcing industry for a while now. Our remote jobs come with several employee benefits, including flexible working hours and more. Start a successful career with O4W. Visit our career page, or best of all, book a free initial consultation.

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