VIRTUAL ASSISTANT
I enjoy working from home according to my convenience. Initially I had to face lot of problems. I wasted money and time as I was ignorant about the term work from home, work at home, virtual assistant, administrative assistant or freelancing. Nobody supported the idea but was arrogant for the reason that I took voluntary retirement at a time when people were desperately running for a job. Now, when I analyse my experience, I find that I was ignorant about the virtual assistant industry, had no planning and no idea about marketing my skills. So, before you step into this vast industry, it is necessary to analyze two important points.
- Are you employed?
- Are you the only earning member in the house? In case you are employed, you can work after office hours.
- Are you the only earning member? If so, seek the advice of your dependents.
- What are your skills? How many hours you can work a day?
- Are you going to work full time / part time?
- If you are from India, can you work during night time?
It is my experience that entrepreneurs are not hiring virtual assistants but people with specific skills like online web research, data entry, SEO, link experts, writers, programmers etc. They are not looking for a cheapest assistant instead the best assistant to work within their budget. The next step is to promote yourself. Some virtual assistant duties are :
1. Help people remember important dates.
2. Do web design or create e-mail promotions.
3. Write a press release and/or articles.
4. Do research.
5. Take and return messages.
6. Coordinate travel plans.
7. Help plan an event.
8. Answer letters and e-mails.
9. Do transcription.
10.Create a database.
There are a lot of work at home scams out there. Never send money to unknown persons. Marketing yourself is most important. Networking organizations like Twitter, Facebook will be of great help. Become a forum member, create your own blogs, join freelance web sites as a member with out paying any fee.
Are you a beginner and need assistance? If you are really interested, I am willing to help you.