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Let’s take a look at a Virtual Assistant job description!

Hmmm, that’s going to be trickier than it sounds, because there is no such thing as a defined Virtual Assistant job description. But that’s a beautiful thing, so please bear with me! But first things first…..

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What is a Virtual Assistant?

“A virtual assistant is a self-employed administrative or personal assistant who works remotely (usually at home) for various clients”

The key part of this definition for me is the ‘various clients’ part. It means so much in terms of a corresponding Virtual Assistant job description – it’s vast!

What industry are clients in?

Clients looking for Virtual Assistants tend to be freelancers or self-employed individuals or owners of small businesses themselves. They are just looking to offload some work, perhaps on a regular basis or just to help a bottle-neck, but don’t want the tie of an employee.

My clients have included a marketing consultant, sleep consultants, a yoga instructor, a zumba teacher, a tutor, a parenting consultant, a snack shack, an owner of an app, sonographers, a cleaning company…..

Do they all want the same from me? No

Can I help them all? Yes!

What work do they need a Virtual Assistant to do?

This is the exciting part, because it is so varied and I absolutely love the variety that comes as part of being a Virtual Assistant.

In no particular order, they have needed me for research, data entry, data cleansing, updating websites, updating external third party sites, social media content creation, cross-posting across different networks, report writing, messaging clients, email management, leaflet and voucher creation, marketing advice. That’s just a snapshot!

What if I can’t do any of those things?

Firstly, can’t is a strong word!

Secondly, take a look at your transferable skills. You will be surprised!

When I started out, I had worked in hotels in events and in training companies as a trainer then Curriculum Manager and Quality Assurance lead for a small team.

A by-product of these roles had been admin skills – competence with all Microsoft Office packages and an ability to learn new computer systems quickly. Each hotel had different events booking software and the training companies had had different e-learning portfolio software. I also had excellent proof-reading skills from assessing Functional Skills qualifications! I could go on, but you hopefully get the gist!

One of my very first Virtual Assistant jobs was transferring a training course from one provider to another (training and portfolio experience). This was followed by research on happy hour offers in London to upload into an app (hospitality plus admin experience).

My point here is to look outside the box! When I saw the ad for the happy hour job, was I an immediate fit, probably not but I knew I could do it, and manipulated my experience enough to make it fit the brief.

BUT, if you want to start off more comfortably….

Just look for Virtual Assistant jobs that fit you more closely. What is your background? Marketing, Finance, Education, Health and Fitness? Find people in your niche and connect!

Be clear on what you are willing to do and decide if you are open to additional tasks. Essentially, write your own ideal Virtual Assistant job description!

I.e. I am mainly social media, but have been happy over the years to take on non-social media work when it has been quieter. However, if something gives you the ick, don’t do it!! A potential client contacted me on a recommendation and asked about me phoning his leads to try and get them to convert to a booking. Phone calls and sales – not.my.bag.ever so it was a polite decline!

Where can I find them?

Watch this space! I am working on an in-depth ebook with all my secrets to my fully booked Virtual Assistant business. If you can’t wait, my Virtual Assistant course does have a section on analysing your own skills so you know what to offer and where to find those clients! They’re both work checking out, as it’s a perfect solution if you have been searching for jobs that work from home part time.

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