While virtual assistant jobs are not a new concept, there are still many people who are unaware of what a career such as this is all about to include responsibilities, salary, career opportunities, and benefits. The truth is that a qualified virtual assistant could mean the difference between an online business thriving or falling apart. Because of the nature of this job, one of the key elements of success is trust between the employer and employee, which is explained below.
What is a Virtual Assistant?
Before going into details about job responsibilities, salary, and career opportunities for virtual assistant jobs, we wanted to provide a brief description of what this type of assistant is. Simply put, someone working as a virtual assistant would provide a variety of duties for an individual, small company, or large organization via the internet. As stated, because virtual assistants do not work in the same office and typically not even in the same city or state as the employer, there has to be a strong business relationship built on trust.
Although virtual assistant jobs are not for everyone, for the person who is self-disciplined, a go-getter, someone who is capable of working independently, and the individual dedicated to the job, this would provide a unique and rewarding career. In most cases, a virtual assistant works from home. Virtual assistant jobs are ideal for everyone but they have become increasingly popular for scenarios for certain individuals such as those listed.
- Having small children at home or children in school part-time
- Having unreliable transportation options
- Living in the countryside or other remote areas
- Living with some type of disability that makes mobility difficult, if not impossible
- Being a self-starter, someone who works exceptionally well on an independent basis
- Living in regions where jobs are scarce
With virtual assistant jobs, job functions could be performed on the west coast while the employer is physically located on the east coast and vice versa. With everything being performed using a computer and the internet, being in the same geographic location is simply not a requirement.
Job Responsibilities
The exact type of duties associated with virtual assistant jobs would depend on the type of employer, industry, or company working for but also the level of experience and knowledge provided by the assistant. In other words, an assistant such as this working for a medical research company would have some duties different from a virtual assistant working for a small heating and cooling company.
The same would be true in that someone with years of experience, as well as education and training would probably be given more responsibility than an individual without formal education or training and only a few years of general administrative experience. However, virtual assistant jobs share a common thread when it comes to job responsibilities, some that include:
- Handle all travel arrangements for one or more people in the company
- Provide research, accounting, bookkeeping, word processing, PowerPoint, and other administrative type skills
- Conduct business with excellent written and oral communications that might include the creation of proposals, working with insurance companies, handling customer complaints, developing product protocols, and more
- Develop marketing strategies and execute marketing campaigns to promote the company, or a product or service offered by the company
- Take minute meetings, arrange meetings, prepare documentation for meetings
- Operate standard office equipment to include a computer, fax machine, copier, printer, scanner, and so on
- Coordinate efforts between various inside and outside customers
- Set up and manage vendor and merchant accounts
- Process payroll for company employees
- Check expense reports and issue payment
- Develop current rules and regulations for the company
Skills Required for Virtual Assistant Jobs
Since a virtual assistant and employer are seldom near each other location wise, on-the-job training would be impossible. Of course, people who hire virtual assistants are well aware that some degree of training would be required, specific to the company, type of products and services offered, company practices, and so on but since this is a unique career, most often certain skill sets are looked for when hiring a virtual assistant.
A great virtual assistant would have the ability to perform any of these functions:
- Deal with customers, merchants, vendors, creditors, and other individuals inside and outside the company in a professional and proper manner
- Answer the telephone using proper phone etiquette
- Communicate at a high level, both orally and written
- Maintain customer confidentiality and company proprietary information
- Respond to emergencies in a constructive, effective, courteous, and calm manner
- Deliver unrivaled customer support, again for internal and external customers
- Work under pressure for meeting strict deadlines, challenging scopes of work, and limited budgets
- Understand and follow more complex job requests
Education and Training
While there is no requirement for formal education or specialized training when it comes to virtual assistant jobs, it would still be highly recommended that this professional have some college education, preferably a degree in business. However, most individuals and companies consider candidates for this type of job with only a high school diploma or GED. Obviously, virtual assistant jobs for high-tech or specialized companies should have prior experience working as an Administrative Assistant or Executive Assistant.
Average Salary
Most people find it surprising to learn that on average, a virtual assistant earns $48,000 a year for full-time work. While there was a substantial drop in demand and salary potential for virtual assistant jobs during the latter part of 2009, that has changed. Experts believe the downfall was a result of online businesses being impacted by the struggling economy at that time but even then, jobs such as this were relatively easy to find. However, most people hired had experience, as well as education and/or training.
Future Jobs
With so many online businesses now in existence and the numbers continuing to grow, virtual assistant jobs will not be going anywhere soon. In fact, experts suggest that over the next 10 years, this will be one career opportunity among those with the greatest growth.
From the assistant’s standpoint, having the ability to work and make good such as this would make it easier to look at different industries and sectors for possible long-term careers. In addition, with some virtual assistant jobs being part-time, this provides opportunity to complete a college degree while still working.
