Becoming a Virtual Assistant
Things to Consider Before Making this Career Choice
Working from home is very desirable these days. If you are considering becoming a virtual assistant, read this article first.
With the Internet rising in popularity, it is creating a new outlet for jobs all over the world. You no longer need to go and work in an office for many jobs. This opens up a wealth of careers for anyone that wants to stay at home while making a salary. One of hottest work at home jobs these days is a virtual assistant. It sounds fancy, but a virtual assistant works closely with businesses or executives from all over to help them with secretarial-type work. You may find yourself responsible for everything from writing letters, to faxing paper work to planning meetings, all in the privacy of your home.
Advantages of this Career
This type of job probably sounds like a great idea when you are looking for career opportunities that will allow you to stay home. People choose to work at home for a variety of reasons, including having children at home, or not wanting to drive far for work. These jobs also work out well for the employer. Many times, businesses will hire a virtual assistant when they need help, but do not need a full time employee. So, you can work for one company and work part time, or assist several companies to work as much as you want. In fact, you can make great money as a virtual assistant—anywhere from $20 to $45 an hour depending on the job and your location (Deborah Crawford - Bellaonline).
Becoming a Virtual Assistant
Becoming a virtual assistant is not all that difficult if you already have good secretarial and computer skills. If you do not have these skills, or want to brush up on you existing skills, then there are many websites dedicated to VA training. These will fully prepare you for these types of jobs and will also help you find jobs. You will need good computer and Internet skills and probably need access to a fax machine. Some virtual assistant jobs may require that you have the ability to work with different types of computer files and programs. Most common are PDF files and Microsoft Publisher.
Where to Find Work
There are a few places on-line that advertise virtual assistant positions. Give them a try, or consider advertising your business to local business around you through newspaper ads and fliers.
- Elance - Requires a membership fee to bid on jobs
- Guru - Free service for limited bidding; membership required for most bidding
- Two Minute Commute - Puts you in touch with companies that post VA positions, as well as offers a host of information to the VA
In order to stay successful at this type of job, you need to make sure that you are willing to put forth the effort. These are real jobs and real people will depend on your work. If you cannot dedicate the time or if you do not have the right skills, then you should not apply for these jobs. Good virtual assistants will have the drive to find new clients and get the work done.
