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A Virtual Assistant Tip: Tools You Need to Know

If you have made the decision to pursue a career as a remote executive assistant, you may feel that your skill set is not enough to carry out daily tasks that will be set by your client / boss.

As a remote executive assistant, it is very important to keep yourself updated with the various tools available online to help up skill you and to keep you effective and productive.

There are many blogs out there that talks about different tools – and frankly there are hundreds of tools out there, that it’s important to understand what the ‘BEST’ tools are for you to be the most effective virtual assistant.

So, where do you start?

Firstly, you have to keep in mind what your role may entail and your daily tasks. Understanding your role and your job will help narrow down the list of tools.

Also, understanding your clients objectives would also be the best way to select which tools to learn. Besides – the single most important goal of every remote executive assistant is to help their boss achieve his/her strategic objectives.

To help you get started, here are some of top tools recommended by virtual assistants across the web. Each tool serves a different purpose, from communication to online marketing tools.

Enjoy 🙂

Communication Tools.

These are essential tools for communicating online.

Project Management Tools.

These are productivity systems that ensure everything is on track. It helps organisations to manage projects from start to finish, and allow employees at different levels to quickly understand and complete their work on time.

File Sharing Tools.

These are essential tools used mainly to share files and documents with teammates or clients.

Photo and Video Editing Tools.

Use to edit and create beautiful photos.

Productivity Tools.

Tools that can help you work effectively and manage your task and time wisely.

Training Tools.

These are interactive tools to help prepare and equip employees to better do their jobs.

Online Marketing Tools.

These are automated tools for online marketing campaign management.

In order to ensure an efficient day-to-day operation at the office, and to support the work of your clients and other team members, choosing from these list of tools will immensely improve the performance of your daily tasks.

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How to Increase Your Chances of Getting Hired as a VA

Alas! You have qualified, your name has been added to the roster of applicants for an interview – and you want this job so badly you want to play your cards right.

You have passed the initial screening and aced the required exam to qualify for the position you and your friends have been talking about it for weeks! – Being a remote executive assistant.

No matter how confident you are as an applicant, it’s helpful to have an insight of what you will expect when it’s your turn to enter the screening room.

The fact that you are being called in for an interview means that you have a very good chance of being hired – but it is not always the case. Anything can happen – especially as you may not know what they are looking for.

Truly – applying for a job can be stressful, unless you have an insight into the basics an employer is looking for in a VA and an idea of how to ace your interview. This is really above and beyond the skills you poses and focuses more on the qualities a company is looking for when employing their new team member.

So let’s take a few minutes to share the top 5 qualities companies look for in a VA and how to stand out as the right person for the position.

Reliability

Reliability goes hand in hand with a good work ethic. Employers are consistently looking for employees who they can count on – no matter what.

Nothing aggravates an employer more than a worker who does not carry out instructions. Show that you are reliable by being on time and performing tasks as per instruction.

Communication

Good communication is an essential skill many employers look for in their staff. Whether writing, speaking or using computers, communication skills are vital in virtually any job. Companies want to know that their new hires are able to communicate important information, ideas or challenges effectively.

Speak clearly and look into the eyes of the evaluator when speaking. Also, expand on your responses as the evaluator really wants to understand your ideas and your ability to problem solve.

Dedication

A remote executive assistant can show dedication by consistently exceeding the employer’s expectations and willingly taking on any task. Show that you are an employee that delivers work more than is expected, and not just the bare minimum by mentioning a situation in the past that displays such quality.

Adaptability

Companies look for team members that are flexible and work well with multiple projects – both independently and as a member of the team. Show adaptability by being able to express your enthusiasm to learn and take on diverse job functions.

Your flexibility may be put to test, so be ready to be asked about how you would handle or react to a situation that has a set of rules – but when a variable is being introduce that asks one of the rules to be broken, what will you do?

Attitude

Even reliable and responsible team members may not have the most cheerful dispositions.

A smile alone won’t get the job done, but a positive outlook and a pleasant disposition — combined with the basics such as work ethic and discipline — make for a well-rounded team member.

Some employers often measure this by noting how passionate you are of the job you are applying for. Employees who are passionate exhibits genuine enthusiasm, not only about the position but also on what the company will bring to the table.

Imagine if there are 2 people that poses the exact same skill level and experience how they will make the decision.

Being interviewed is an exhilarating time. You are excited to have made it this far and if you really want to stand out from the crowd then you should think about more than your qualifications and focus on these other qualities that will help you to land that role.

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Steps to Becoming a Virtual Assistant

A virtual assistant or remote executive assistant is a professional that offers endless opportunities to individuals, small businesses, organizations or companies as a result of the internet.

Many people hear about ‘virtual assistance’ and associate it to administrative assistance for example a secretary.

But today, while a virtual assistant can continue tasks as a secretary, there are many other facets that make up the scope of a VA. Other tasks as an example can include content writing, graphic design, audio/ video/photo editing, bookkeeping, social media management, project management, transcription and more. These are just a brief example of tasks VA’s are performing for their clients online, virtually as one might say.

Becoming a Virtual Assistant

Easy as it may sound, becoming a VA still requires hard work, it’s not an easy job that anyone can just do. So before ditching your old job and jumping into the world of remote assisting, do your homework and learn as much as you can about the job.

Steps to Becoming a Virtual Assistant

If you’re looking to work from home or a dedicated office space as a virtual assistant, here’s a quick guide to becoming a Virtual Assistant to get you on the right track.

Familiarize yourself with what a VA does and what online working is all about

To start, you can ask around, read some great articles, attend free webinars, find people who are already VAs and ask about their job. Connect with them. There are forums for VAs, and many VAs are more than willing to share their work experience.

Find out the PROs and CONs to becoming a virtual assistant. You must understand them in order to keep moving forward.

Equip yourself with the right tools

Once you’ve decided to work in this industry, it is important to equip yourself with a reliable internet connection and a good computer. It is also recommended to have a good microphone and sound devices to help keep communication between you and your client open and clear.

An email account, a file storage account (like Box.com), Skype and Office tools are must haves.

If you work for a virtual assistant company office, like Pathcutters, Phils. there is no need for you to have your own equipment as they already provide the necessary equipment for you to start your work.

Create a Plan

Once you’ve decided to work as a VA, map out a plan that will help you organize your thoughts and guide you to the right direction. Your plan might include:

  • Target Client. Based on your self-assessed skills, what segment of the business are your services best suited? Admin, writing, web design, editing, transcribing etc. This will help you get the work that you will enjoy doing because you are experienced and good at it.
  • Work hours. What working hours do you prefer? Many VAs work non-traditional hours including weekends and holidays. Do you want to work full-time or part-time? Are you comfortable working outside your time zone?
  • Your services. What services can you offer? Make a list of your skill-set. Are there areas you want to improve? Identify skills you want to learn to help you become more attractive to clients. Continue to learn new things.
  • Your Pay rate. Your pay rate will depend on training and the skills that you can offer to your clients. Virtual assistant rates vary.

Get your first job

Concentrate on getting your first jobs as a virtual assistant. There are a lot of businesses in need of remote assistants – and a lot of established sites that offer online jobs like Odesk and Elance. However, these are not the only players in the market – so you need to do your homework.

Be also mindful of scams and too-good-to-be-true offers. Ask for help from experienced online workers to point you to the right direction. Request for recommendations and do your research.

Being a Virtual Assistant is a great work opportunity and it is something many people want to do. If you have skills that can turn into Virtual Assistant services, and you think you have the passion to help clients grow their business online using today’s technology to deliver your services globally, then join the BPO revolution.

 

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What exactly is a Virtual Assistant that you keep hearing so much about?

We hear about it – and often times wonder what a Virtual Assistant (VA) is, how do they work, and what they do.

While more people are becoming familiar with the term ‘VA’, in reality there is still a lot of confusion as to what a VA really is.

Before you dive in – it is best to first do your homework, and find out what a Virtual Assistant is and what a Virtual Assistant does.

What is a Virtual Assistant?

With the introduction of the Internet, the gap is bridged for businesses, entrepreneurs and business managers to manage people ‘Online’.

A Virtual Assistant helps a business run, and is very similar to an ‘Executive Assistant’ where the employee works remotely from a different location from where the physical business is located. Virtual Assistants can provide a massive range of tasks for their clients from professional support services through web design and administration.

Dependant on the type of client you work with, you may either work from home office, in a cafe or as is becoming more common, working for clients from a physical ‘office space’, structured in a similar way to a BPO. Whilst BPOs are nearly ALWAYS linked to call centres, in this case Virtual Assistants are off-site professionals who focus on administrative tasks that are similar to those of an executive assistant or secretary.

The Philippines is a major hub of growth for Virtual Assistants and people that work within well structured Offices find they are able to expand their skills within a relaxed and fun environment, at the same time experience the job stability of a BPO.

What does a Virtual Assistant do?

With the aid of today’s advancing technology, VAs are hired to carry out a variety of tasks. Listed below is ‘just a sample’ of the type of tasks Virtual Assistants perform remotely for their clients.

1. Email Management

2. Setting up Autoresponders (Aweber, Mailchimp)

3. Booking appointments with clients

4. Following up with clients/customers (sending thank you and other reminder emails)

5. Receptionist duties (answering occasional calls)

6. Scheduling / Calendar Management

7. File Management (organizing files using Dropbox etc)

8. Database building (eg. updating email or contact lists on CRMs)

9. Research on certain topics for blogposts, newsletters or others

10. Personal errands (purchasing gifts for loved ones / family members online)

11. Hotel and Flight Bookings

12. Transcription (transcribing voicemail, video or audio, podcasts etc.)

13. Taking down minutes of meetings

14. Creating basic reports (reports on weekly tasks, deliverables, sales)

15. Preparing Slideshows (Powerpoint Presentations)

16. Liaison between the client and other team members

17. Recruitment (source for other team members like writers or graphic artists)

18. Socials tasks:

  • Set-up Social Media Accounts (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube)
  • Manage and update Social Media Accounts
  • Participating in discussion forums or message boards (more promotion)

19. Blog tasks:

  • Manage Blogs (Basic WordPress Skills)
  • Publish posts on Blogs
  • Filter and reply to comments on blogs
  • Answering support tickets (with the use of Zendesk)
  • Blog commenting (to increase links to your site)

There is a lot of scope for growth within the Philippines as the overseas demand continues to soar. If you have ever considered a career as a Virtual Assistant, note that it is more exciting than ever before, especially if you find the right business to join.

Before you do join, make sure you fully investigate how they work, what they offer and the how legitimate the potential client really is. Like with any new venture, ensure you are protected before you decide to take the plunge!

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