{"id":2337,"date":"2022-09-20T08:59:09","date_gmt":"2022-09-20T08:59:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/?p=2337"},"modified":"2023-07-20T10:57:15","modified_gmt":"2023-07-20T10:57:15","slug":"virtual-assistant-perfect-first-freelance-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/virtual-assistant-perfect-first-freelance-job\/","title":{"rendered":"Virtual assistant \u2013 perfect first freelance job"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_79_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"cursor:pointer\">Table of contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/virtual-assistant-perfect-first-freelance-job\/#Who_is_a_Virtual_Assistant\" >Who is a Virtual Assistant?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/virtual-assistant-perfect-first-freelance-job\/#How_Can_You_Help_Your_Clients\" >How Can You Help Your Clients?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/virtual-assistant-perfect-first-freelance-job\/#What_Skills_Do_You_Need\" >What Skills Do You Need?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/virtual-assistant-perfect-first-freelance-job\/#How_to_Find_Your_First_Job\" >How to Find Your First Job<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/virtual-assistant-perfect-first-freelance-job\/#Useful_Tools_to_Manage_Your_Clients\" >Useful Tools to Manage Your Clients<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">It\u2019s still a growing industry, there are many ways in which you can start your own business as a virtual assistant. In this article, we will help you understand what skills could be useful, how to find your first job and what tools you can use to succeed. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p3\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Who_is_a_Virtual_Assistant\"><\/span><span class=\"s1\">Who is a Virtual Assistant? <\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">A virtual assistant is an independent contractor that provides all kinds of support services to clients while working from a remote location. A person working as a VA can assist with administrative, business development, social media, creative, or research tasks. There is no set scope of tasks that a VA can perform, and assignments vary depending on the client\u2019s needs. In most cases, virtual assistants work part-time, or contract based. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Like any freelance job, this brings both benefits and disadvantages. While you are the one deciding on your work hours, location, or tasks that you want to tackle \u2013 in most of the arrangements, the client doesn\u2019t provide you any typical employee benefits. That means you have to deal with your taxes, insurance, equipment, and working space. It also typically takes some time and field experience to be able to have a stable income guarantee.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p3\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Can_You_Help_Your_Clients\"><\/span><span class=\"s1\">How Can You Help Your Clients?<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">As a virtual assistant, you can assist your clients in multiple tasks, depending on their needs and your qualifications. The most common tasks outsourced to VA\u2019s are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Administrative tasks \u2013 phone calls, scheduling appointments, organizing calendars, research, data entry;<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Bookkeeping \u2013 budget management, clerical support, invoicing;<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Social media management \u2013 responding to comments, communicating with brand\u2019s followers, content management and creation;<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Customer service tasks;<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Data entry and transcription.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Your workload will depend on the type of business your client is working in. While bigger companies might need more help with administrative tasks, small clients might be entrepreneurs who want to focus on more high-value actions. Your goal as a virtual assistant should be to help your client to ease their workload, giving them more time to focus on what matters to them the most. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p3\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Skills_Do_You_Need\"><\/span><span class=\"s1\">What Skills Do You Need? <\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The basic skill that you need to succeed as a virtual assistant is excellent time management and the ability to work and communicate well with others. The rest can be entirely up to you \u2013 as you can assist clients from many industries, there\u2019s a fair chance you can find an employer that is looking precisely for your skill set. This makes it quite easy to start your first contract without any previous experience. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">We recommend sitting down for a personal brainstorming session to figure out what skills you already have. Are you an avid social media user, or an exceptional conversationalist? Do you like to write? Organize vacation sightseeing? Most likely, you already have a skill set that can be handy to a client, and the question you should be asking yourself is how you can strengthen it. If you\u2019re afraid none of the skills you possess might be enough, there are plenty of options for virtual assistant targeted certifications and training. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">For the beginning, make sure to start with the basics. Brush up on:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Microsoft Office;<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Google Workspace;<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Canva. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">For a first freelance job, good time management, the ability to multitask, and interpersonal skills should be enough \u2013 from there, any new skill you gain can be a marketable prowess you offer to your future clients. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p3\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Find_Your_First_Job\"><\/span><span class=\"s1\">How to Find Your First Job<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The best place to find your first virtual assistant jobs are freelancing services websites. Most of them provide an easy way to invoice your clients without registering your own business, giving you a chance to check the waters before you commit. We recommend starting with the most popular ones, such as UseMe, UpWork, or Fiverr. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">When you gain some courage, try messaging your favorite local business and asking around. Most likely, they will benefit from your help! <\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p3\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Useful_Tools_to_Manage_Your_Clients\"><\/span><span class=\"s1\">Useful Tools to Manage Your Clients <\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">As a virtual assistant, you will make use of many software tools that will help you with efficient work. While you can keep track of multiple clients using simple tools such as Google Calendar, it might be worth investing in a designated client management tool at some point. Some of the most useful ones are: <\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/monday.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Monday<\/a>; <\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/dynamicseip.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Microsoft Dynamics<\/a>; <\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/slack.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Slack<\/a>;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/hubstaff.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hubstaff<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A virtual assistant is a perfect job if you\u2019re starting out on the freelance work market. It gives you a chance to capitalize on the skills you already have and make your first step towards a full-time salary on your own terms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":2339,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","content-type":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[53,74],"class_list":["post-2337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-for-freelancers","tag-remote-work-management","tag-virtual-assistant"],"modified_by":"Ola Wajs","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2337","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2337"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2337\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2952,"href":"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2337\/revisions\/2952"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}