April 8, 2020
VA Tips
Have you ever wondered what you need to start a career as a virtual assistant?
It’s not as simple as owning a computer, having a decent internet connection, then, applying to whatever job posts are available. Getting the job is important, but keeping it is another story.
If you want to know what you need to be a successful virtual assistant, then, you’re in luck because our team of VA experts have put together some of their tips on some basic elements that you need to start a successful career as a virtual assistant.
Equipment
Technology plays a key role in your job as a virtual assistant, so your priority would first be to get a good, working computer (such as a desktop or laptop).
A desktop unit is perfectly fine, but if you want to be more flexible and mobile, a laptop is the ideal option for you. It would be really easy to just scoop up your laptop and go somewhere that has a generator or an area that is not under the same outage. A laptop is also very handy since it’s battery powered, which will allow you at least 4-5 hours of work time even if you are experiencing a power outage in your area.
Next, and also very important, is finding a really reliable internet service provider and a plan that has decent speed. We recommend getting a plan that gives you a minimum speed of 5 MBPS, but you may need higher speed depending on your tasks and responsibilities. You also need to watch out for other things in the fine print of your internet plan, such as: limits on download or internet usage and your upload speed needs to also be within a decent range.
The third thing that you need to consider is your contingency plan or back-up equipment. Consider a back-up power supply such as a UPS for power outages and a portable internet device, such as a pocket wifi for potential internet outages. You can also consider using your smartphone to act as a hot spot that you can tether to, should your main connection fail.
That being said, you will also need a smartphone. While this is not an absolute necessity, you may find that it is more productive to have a smartphone where you can have all your work apps available if you have to check on emails or wait for messages and the like.
Work Station
While it isn’t an absolute requirement for you to have a home office or work station, setting one up will be extremely beneficial to a virtual assistant.
A quiet corner in your home will suffice if you don’t have a spare room to turn into an office space. Separating the work space from the living space will help compartmentalize the two and can help strike the balance when working from home. Other people living with you will know not to disturb you when you are working and when you are done with your work day, you can also step away from it and focus on the other aspects of your day-to-day life.
Set-up your home office or work space like you would if you were in an actual one and add the little touches that will make it an ideal environment where you will be motivated and focused on your work.
Accounts
Make sure you have several options to receive your pay, like PayPal and other bank accounts that can be accessed online.
Set-up an email account that you solely use for work. When you get a client, they will most likely set-you up with an account from their email system but having your own email account dedicated for all work communications is still recommended.
Set-up an online or cloud-based storage system so you have easy access to anything you might need anytime, anywhere.
Make sure you have calendars, spreadsheets, and whatever else you might need to be organized with your schedule, deadlines, and other aspects of your work that you need to keep track of.
Learning
One quality of an amazing virtual assistant is their desire and willingness to learn.
Invest in some books and even online courses if you feel it would help enhance your skills or if you want to acquire new ones. Many veteran virtual assistants have been successful for so long because they constantly learn new things and acquire new skills, thus making them valuable to their client’s business. As long as you keep learning, you will always find people to work with.
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These are some of the basics you need to set-up in order to be successful as a virtual assistant.
This list will evolve and grow longer as you work with different clients and as you learn more about what works well for you.
Just keep in mind that along with these, you also need to be disciplined, have integrity and work hard every day, just as you would in a normal office job.
If you want to be part of a world-class organization and work with the best of the best, be sure to apply to Scale Virtually today.