Steps to on How to be a Virtual Assistant – Even You Have Zero Experience

Virtual assistance services are a big thing today. That’s why many individuals wish to hop into this field. Are you one of them? If yes, it’s a good thing to find out the ways of becoming a virtual assistant. You can begin without any prior experience, yet still, you need to hustle. How?

Before unlocking the critical steps of transforming yourself as a VA, let’s first define virtual assistance.

 

What is virtual assistance?

Virtual assistance is a job career that plays a vital role in helping small business owners. They can support entrepreneurs in online and traditional business operations. 

Some roles assigned to virtual assistants range from admin, marketing to overall operations management. It allows them to help and guide their clients throughout their business. 

Unlike other admin assistant jobs, virtual assistance services are remote jobs. So, these virtual assistants are working in the convenience of their homes or nearby office. Moreover, these VAs cater to offer a long list of services to empower client’s companies and organizations. 

It seems that virtual assistants have serious and pressing roles, right? But then, you can still nail it confidently if you thrive hard!

 

Can you start a VA career even without experience? 

Absolutely! Similar to any other job, you can need to receive proper training and preparation. However, you do not have to earn a degree to become an actual virtual assistant. The one thing you need to focus on would be your skills. 

After owning the right skills to offer as services, you must now prepare yourself for the virtual world. To help along this journey, here are the steps to begin your virtual assistant job career. 

 

How to become a virtual assistant? 

Use these six simple steps to start your virtual assistant career and continue as an existing service brand. Let’s begin.

#1 Choose your service brand.

It is vital for you first to identify your service brand. Service brands are companies that focus on providing services and performances for their clients. They are not giving materials or products but instead offering solutions and intangible benefits. So, you must identify what kind of service brand you are. 

Aside from that, this step also relates to your physical location, the type of clients you want to work with, and what kind of VA work you would like to pursue. You also need to determine your current personal life situation along with your professional experiences. 

Step one allows you to check all aspects of your life, determining your willingness and flexibility to become a virtual assistant. In this case, you should take time thinking, analyzing, and weighing things to visualize your service brand. 

 

#2 Plan the services you will offer to clients 

After knowing your current status as an aspiring virtual assistant, you should now proceed with your offers. Why not try to list down the skills you can do, relating to tasks on the computer. It would help you break down the services you may choose from. 

Remember, a virtual assistant can offer varieties of services. But, ensure that you can enjoy these things to help you get motivated all the time. 

To give you some ideas, check out the following virtual assistant jobs you could try below.

• Administrative tasks
• Bookkeeping
• Calendar management
• Content Creation
• Content writing and copywriting
• Customer support
• Editing and proofreading
• Email management
• Finances, invoicing, orders and refunds
• Data Entry and Transcription
• Graphic designing (flyers, brochures, etc.)
• Human Resources
• Marketing Research
• Product launching
• Project management
• SEO management 
• Social media management
• Website design and development
• Video and audio editing

You may try choosing among these services. If you have more skills and other experiences from your previous jobs, you may still add them to your list. In this case, you can easily offer varieties of services for your clients to support their needs as a company fully.

 

#3 Learn the skills

After choosing the services, you would like to offer, research about it. Then, begin to learn how you can gain that skill. You can take a whole week learning, watching, and studying each step of doing that skill. But then, you should continuously seek more ideas for this particular skill.

One of the most accessible skills you can master within a short time is data entry. It only involves typing and inputting data into a computer. If you have prior experience in using your computer, then you would rock this service! 

Other than that, if you are familiar with the language and have solid auditory talent, you would enjoy transcription. This virtual assistant skill would bring you to clients such as vloggers, YouTubers, coaches, speakers, and even video creators. 

More of these skills are welcome for you to try. You just need to take time mastering it. So, even you do not have previous knowledge and experiences about other VA skills, and you could still learn. 

What shall you do? Watch tutorials, join the community on Facebook, and enroll in short VA courses to sharpen your virtual assistant skills and services.

 

#4 Prepare your pricing and rate 

Once you finalize your clients’ services, you may now fix your rates and pricing. Decide on your pricing depending on your current status as a service provider. Rate yourself based on experience, considering the value you can offer to your client.  

Because you have zero experience, you would love to start with a beginner’s rate. It’s not bad at all! Why? You are still learning and gaining experience, but you can still earn money as well! Exciting, right?

In this case, you can start with the beginner’s rate and, as time goes by, learn to increase your value and charge. 

You should also consider the materials, equipment, and devices you are using as a virtual assistant. Of course, your clients would not give you these things for you to use. They are expecting you to have these tools on your own. Thus, consider these items at your rate.

Other than that, you must also set your rate corresponding to your tax as a service brand. As an employee in a company, you are paid with benefits, and your employer handles the tax. However, as a self-employed person, you should consider these matters. So, you may add up taxes on your pricing.

 

#5 Build your online presence.

After fixing your services and corresponding rates, move on now to building your digital identity. Prepare your social media account, website, and other marketing platforms. However, to easily pitch your services to clients, you should first have a resume or portfolio. 

Well, resumes are for employment jobs. You are actually looking for partners who would want your services. So it is better to make a compilation of your works using a portfolio. 

Because you do not have experience yet, you may just use the things you practiced and add them to your portfolio. For example, use your practice blog and compile it in a folder. As for graphic designing, you may create your personal Instagram business account and post the graphics you just freshly made. Moreover, you can also use your personal website to present your skills in web designing and development. 

Check out the following things you can present to your clients.

• Virtual Assistant Social Media Profile. Ensure that your social media profile is professional-looking. It could include personal likes or hobbies, but consider choosing a more modest, clean, and appealing profile. It would help people to trust you more. Aside from that, your social media profile resonates with your first impression. So, if you fail to present your service brand to the public, they might not like you in the very first place. 

• A Portfolio. You use various tools to compile your portfolio. Some people prefer to use their Google Drive, Dropbox, or other storage files. However, other people like to make it more presentable in a PDF or an infographic. It would help your potential clients see what you can do, and your portfolio must speak about you. If the portfolio highlights your value as a service provider, people would highly follow you through!

• A Hire Me Page. Other virtual assistants invest time and money in using the hire me page. It is like a sales page or web page that presents your skills, vision, mission, and overall service brand. It is also connected with email marketing management, especially if potential clients entered their email addresses on your web pages.

You see, even you have zero experience with clients, you can still showcase your skills to them. Please take note that your words are not enough to invite clients. It is better to provide evidence to allow them to trust you more. 

 

#6 Begin pitching and networking

You have prepared all your materials, portfolios, and online presences. Then, you should continue with pitching your services to your target audience. Remember how you define the people you want to work with? Those individuals would be your target market.

So, you need to ensure that you are exposing yourself to the right audience. If you did this part well, then you would have a good time connecting with people. As a result, you can find more connections, build new relationships, and strengthen your trust in your market. 

How can you start networking? Use social media platforms like Facebook groups and the community. You can also try LinkedIn and connect with individuals that could be your potential clients. Furthermore, some virtual assistant sites are available that you may check regularly. 

 

#6 Establish relationships with others

If you find potential clients, try to connect with them. Offer them some of your freebies and other services you may give. You can tell them that you are just starting as a VA and you’d like to complete your portfolio. This step would help you reach out to people, and you wouldn’t know, they could be your first paying client!

Once they accepted your free or half-the-price offer, you could now help and support them. It is like a win-win situation. Why? You see how you can provide the services that they would get benefits from. That’s how they win. As for you, you just land your first VA experience! 

Afterward, you can ask this person to give testimonials about your experience working together. You may also request referrals and recommendations. Sometimes, you do not even need to leave this first person you connected with because they may really get you as their virtual assistant!

But then, even you got your very first client, kindly complete your portfolio, list of testimonials, and other evidence for your skills. It would help you find more and more clients!

 

Is it worthy of becoming a virtual assistant?

See for yourself the freedom you would face if you become a virtual assistant. You would totally enjoy the liberty of choosing the time and place you would like to work. Furthermore, you would also love how easy, engaging, and unpressured the tasks of being a virtual assistant compared to full-time jobs! 

Well, it is no doubt that employees can enjoy paid vacations, but can you really just file a vacation leave? Nope! That’s where virtual assistants have an edge. They can schedule their time depending on their likes and convenience. 

Most importantly, virtual assistant work can fully enjoy life working at home, providing their families’ emotional, physical and financial needs. You can work remotely and enjoy all the comforts of home. As long as you have the equipment and a stable internet connection, you can freely do VA tasks right away! 

Amazing, right? Being a virtual assistant is such a smooth way of living your professional and personal life. If you are not enjoying this kind of living, why not make a sweet turn? 

 

How to be a virtual assistant?

Find someone to guide you. You could learn from skilled, experts, and experienced virtual assistants you know. Aside from that, you could also reach out to communities to guide you along the way. 

Empowering Virtual Servies or EVS is a community supporting newbies and aspiring Filipino virtual assistants to begin their VA careers. They have trusted mentors who could give you the ideas, tips, and reminders you need. 

Like what you have encountered today on this page, you would also learn more about becoming a virtual assistant. How to start? Check out more information here.