What Do I Need to Become a Virtual Assistant

What Do I Need to Become a Virtual Assistant? (7 Useful Tips)

Who hasn’t dreamed of boosting one’s bank balance without even having to step a foot outside your front door? Oh, what a dream to be working in your PJ’s all day, no hustle and bustle of being stuck in traffic jams. But how do I make decent money from being a Virtual Assistant (VA)? And what do I need to become a Virtual Assistant?

To become a virtual assistant, you need to be organized, motivated and disciplined. It will also help you to have good computer skills, as well as communication and customer service skills.

Read on to find out all you need to know to learn how to make this a full-time work from home career.

Be Organized!

So, what do I need to become a virtual assistant? In a nutshell, a virtual assistant’s job is to make someone’s life easier.

Organizational skills are supercritical with your role as a Virtual Assistant as you will no doubt have a list of different tasks dumped on you each week (or day, depending on who you work for!) Yep, being organized is crucial if you want to succeed at becoming a superstar Virtual Assistant.

Create job lists daily. This is so important! Your memory bank can only hold so much. Never underestimate the old school “list of jobs to do” whether they are on paper or digital. Make sure you prioritize these and cross them off as you complete each task. These lists will be your best friend.

Learn the art of Self-Motivation and Discipline

Virtual assistant

This may be one of the harder skills to learn.

Your mind can either be your best friend or your worst enemy. Having the “I’ll get to that shortly…” attitude does not work in the world of remote work.

Motivation and discipline are 100% absolutely essential.

You’ve landed your dream job of working from home, fantastic! Now please don’t push your luck on this, this is such an easy trap to fall into. Step one is getting out of bed on time. Start your day as if you would any other job.

Don’t let non-work-related matters distract you from your role. You’re there to get the job done, and just because you are working from home does not mean that you can let your favorite TV show or scrolling through your Facebook feed distract you.

We all know how easy it is to fall into these traps. But remember, the beauty of this job is that it allows you more freedom and you need to remain motivated and disciplined enough to succeed.

Computer Skills

Well, this is a no-brainer right? The basis of your role as a virtual assistant requires you to be in front of a computer for a part/the entirety of your day! Here’s another key element that you need to become a virtual assistant…

Every single virtual assistant task is done with the use of a computer. You are basically required to have skills and knowledge in programs like Microsoft Word and Excel, these are the basics of doing most tasks online.

Understanding the internet is also very important. Email and setting aside time for meetings in the calendar is crucial. There may also be the company’s own programs that they use. With so many things to get your head around it may seem overwhelming.

Therefore, enter the plethora of information that we have at our fingertips – the internet! In this day and age, we are so blessed to be able to literally get any information we need from a simple Google search or YouTube tutorial – take advantage of this!

Communication Skills

communication skills

So, you’re not sitting at a desk in an office anymore with your manager watching over your shoulder ensuring you’re completing set tasks for the day. But you still definitely need to touch base with your manager from time to time, putting his or hers mind at ease that you’re getting the job done.

Micromanagement is never fun, but this isn’t really about that. Your managers can’t physically see what you’re doing and what you’ve completed. By keeping them in the loop, you will put their mind at ease and earn more trust.

Communication is also very important for clients. A reply to those emails and return those phone calls, however unimportant they may seem – is a crucial role in your job after all.

If you need to sharpen your communication skills, then this is where the beauty of the internet comes into play once more! There are plenty of free information out there and paid courses as well that can help you.

Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills are equally as important as communication skills.

Interpersonal skills are the foundation of a successful career. In every aspect of our lives, we need to communicate and interact with people on a daily basis. Great interpersonal skills create great relationships with managers, work mates, and clients.

Customer Service Skills

customer service skillsAnother crucial role in your job as a virtual assistant is customer service.

Keeping customers happy is so crucial in any business, it also requires time investment. This is where you come into play. Your employer may not have all that extra time on their hands, which is why they’ve hired a superstar like you to make their lives easier.

You will no doubt need to handle customer enquiries. This might be email based or real time (eg: phone enquiries). Email based is a piece of cake, you have the time to read over your reply. Is it friendly enough? Does it need editing? Then it’s as simple as sending it off.

Real time is much more difficult. You don’t have the opportunity of edits and read overs. Customers and clients can be harsh critics. You need to be able to happily answer any request, no matter how unreasonable they may seem.

Insider tip; always have a smile on your face (even if you don’t feel it!) when chatting with a customer. They will feel it, that’s what is important.

So, what do I need to become a Virtual Assistant?

If you’ve read the tips above, you’re well on your way to becoming an asset to any company that will hire you! These rules apply to real life, as well as in the virtual world.

Don’t take working from home for granted. Many may think this is a green light to slack off a little. Please don’t do this. This is after all a real-life job that will pay your bills. It actually requires more determination than the normal 9-5 daily grind.

When you’ve landed your virtual dream job, show that you’re serious – I know you’ve got this!

PS. You’ll find lots of Virtual Assistant Jobs at Upwork.com and if you are tired of computers, read this post on how to work from home with no computer required.