Why You Won’t Get Hired As A Virtual Assistant (And What To Do With It)
- What are possible reasons why VA applicants don’t get hired?
- What are the skills needed so you can be hired easily?
- Where can you apply for virtual assistant jobs?
We will deal with these questions as you read on.
Today, if a task is achievable remotely, employers utilize virtualization technologies to get the job done. Because such a method became commonplace, virtual assistants are now working all over the world, providing services that make a certain workplace experience a better flow of operations from afar.
If we are to jot down the advantages of being a virtual assistant, the list would be endless. You can just work at home in your pajamas, or in any clothing, you feel most comfortable with. You can just wake up from your slumber, do some minor preparations for yourself, and you’re already set up to start working – that’s a set of comforts that any commuting worker would certainly be envious of.
Because the job of a virtual assistant is within the “independent contractor” scheme, their employers are not obliged to pay employee-related fees like health insurance or work benefits. (There are exceptions however, as some VA companies do offer such benefits. Sadly though, there are only very few of them.)
Offices that employ them are also free from the hassle of providing office space cubicles, supplies, and equipment. Without a doubt, the virtual assistance mode of employment is indeed a revolutionary way of providing jobs to countless workers regardless of where they are.
“The avenue of jobs that pertain to virtual assisting is very broad that’s why so many people are trying to get into the gig. Some are very lucky with it, while others often fail in getting hired.”
Maybe you want to ask, what makes an applicant fail in this endeavor? Or maybe you want to know the possible reasons why you won’t get hired as a virtual assistant? Here are a few possible reasons:
Your communication skills are not good enough.
In almost any type of job, good ability in communication is really a great advantage to anyone. In virtual assistance, the rule still applies. If you’re a VA, there will be instances when your client calls you so that you can communicate in real-time.
Although not all VA jobs require you to be available for phone calls, some companies have the policy of making their employees be available for phone conversations whenever the need arises. If you want to be an effective VA, you should work on your English-speaking skills since most clients communicate using that language.
You don’t pay attention to detail.
Today, with the prevalence of online technology, data is consumed by users almost as fast as it is manufactured. To address this issue, data and content need to be created and published in a very streamlined manner.
Of course, erroneous data is as good as no data at all. Accuracy is a major factor in dealing with precious and sensitive data, which is mainly what the internet is all about.
It is for this reason that a virtual assistant must have a very sharp eye in targeting errors and correcting them. Better yet, errors must be prevented even before they appear. Only someone with a high level of attention to detail is capable of handling a task like this.
You don’t know how to handle administrative tasks.
It may seem inappropriate, but sometimes, clients and business owners just leave the running of the business to the VA. To some extent, a VA might appear to work as if he is no longer an assistant… he may be placed with the task of managing an online business! As a precaution, you as a VA should learn how to handle admin tasks.
Never have too much fear though, the managerial tasks that you will perform will just pertain to managing social media accounts, email accounts, website pages, etc. In doing so, you will most likely be tasked with responding to messages, running ads, and spreading promotions.
You have no knowledge of visual arts.
The world today communicates visually. Be it via print or moving media, no person would ever hate seeing pictures and videos that can help them understand a set of information better. With this notion, it is a good thing for a VA to be knowledgeable about the basics of visual arts.
You don’t have to be really well-versed in using Photoshop or some sophisticated graphics software. What you need to have are just basic insights on what looks good and what doesn’t in presenting images and visuals.
If a picture is not presentable enough, you might be tasked to put some brightness or contrast into it so that it can be nicer to look at. If a video is too long, you might be tasked to shorten it. In situations like that, it would be great to have some basic skills that pertain to such tasks.
You’re not good at making presentations.
In case you haven’t known it yet, content creation is one of the jobs of a VA. Also, in addition to the visual arts issue, the ability to make comprehensive presentations must be an innate skill as well. Since the online workforce is mainly about data, the presentation of it must be a topmost priority.
As such, you have to be knowledgeable in working with presentations software like PowerPoint or Impress. This is to ensure that the information you can present is absorbed in the most visually-appealing manner.
You have no knowledge of database management.
On many occasions, a virtual assistant will deal with sensitive data that pertains to names, addresses, dates of birth, etc. These kinds of data can be typed in a word processor but many businesses would certainly prefer that they are entered into a database software. As a start, learning how to use MS Access of MS Office should be ideal. Excel would serve just fine as well, although it’s not really regarded as a database manager.
Do you really have to acquire all of the above skills to get hired as a VA? No. What the above info-set is trying to say is that if you learn most of them, a very profitable job in virtual assistance would easily await you.
You’ve just been given the idea about why you’d fail to get hired. Now what you’ll do is just work on acquiring those skills, and you should turn out just fine.
Those are actually the harder part of being a VA. Does it mean that there’s an easier part? Well, the following points are not exactly easy, so to speak. But they should be able to make you understand what are the…
Other Common Tasks of Virtual Assistants
Typing or data encoding – With the data and information you gathered, you need to input them into a document so that they can be sent to the client for use. This is a very basic job for virtual assisting. If you want to learn more about this kind of job, read this.
Building/setting up systems – Some clients want to build their own blog, but don’t know how to do it. Some of them want to set up their online community sites but are not well-versed enough to do it. Others want to configure software or hardware but are not aware of the technicalities that comprise it. Tasks like this are done by virtual assistants as well.
Researching – Some clients are actually too lazy to do research on their own, that’s why they let others do the deed for them. Businesses, for instance, need to know stuff about their competitors, about the latest ins and outs of the niche they’re having, and a whole bunch of other things. Since most proprietors don’t have the time or hate giving time to make research, they let virtual assistants do it instead.
Creating content – The vast expanse of the internet is due to one thing and one thing alone – content. Articles, photos, videos, etc. – these are what comprise the digital realm known as cyberspace. Some webmasters are just good at managing their businesses but when it comes to creating content, they are not skilled enough. As a remedy, they hire someone else to provide content for their blog, vlog, or any form of website.
Troubleshooting – Every once in a while, pieces of technology gives troubles to their human masters. There are times when those human masters are incapable of fixing such troubles. Small trouble, medium-sized trouble, big trouble, very big troubles… they are everyday supervillains that clients get to deal with every day of their tech-driven lives. Who are they gonna call? Virtual assistants.
The aforementioned are just the most common ones. Please note that they are not the only VA jobs available online.
“The possibilities for virtual assistance gigs are just endless. What the above list implies is that an aspiring VA like you should have the idea of starting from there.”
Given the basic job descriptions, it is crucial to think about acquiring the aforementioned skills if you want to get into virtual assistance. In addition to learning how to encode text on a word processor, which I assume is already in your skill set, you really should add the ones listed above.
Now for the earnings. How much can you possibly acquire while working as a VA? Since there are a gazillion companies out there where you can work, the pay varies. The safest bet would be that on average, you can earn around $200 to $2000 a month. Of course, the better you are with the job, the bigger your income will be.
Where can you find jobs as a virtual assistant? This is where Goggle can help you. Or you can just check on the most popular freelancing sites listed here.
Or you can check out this list:
10 of the Most Famous Web Companies That Hire Virtual Assistants
Belay Solutions – VAs here focus on not more than 2 clients. Claiming to be established under the premise of “true servitude,” this company is one of the best whenever we talk about the concept of “work anywhere.”
Average rate per hour : $5 – $20
Byron – Providing services that range from administrative tasks to writing and data entry, you can be either a client or a VA for this company for both short-term and long-term projects. By giving the best training methods to their workers, they claim to be one of the most ideal VA companies on the web.
Average rate per hour : $15
Fancy Hands – As a US-based company, they only hire employees within the country. Their core operations are said to be around 10-20 minutes of task requests which can also be accomplished by their teams in that span of time as well. Such requests can be sent through text, chat, or email.
Average rate per hour : $15
Assistant Match – Recommended on NBC’s Today Show as the place for virtual assistants, it has the aim of providing a productive, yet balanced life for business owners. As a VA working for this company, your tasks will be mainly about giving aid and support to the corporate world.
Average rate per hour : $15
Equity VA – What sets this company apart from the others is that they have a very deep understanding of the everyday dealings of those who seek virtual assistance. They train their VAs in such a way that they will put themselves in the shoes of their clients.
Average rate per hour : $13-$19
Virtual Office VA – Mainly focusing on real-estate services, VAs within this company provides assistance for those who seek pertinent information about parcels of land, and building spaces. Your task will be contacting real-estate leads and personnel, and converse with them about potential clients.
Average rate per hour : $9-$10
99 Dollar Social – In working for this company, you need to be someone who is techie enough with social media. A VA’s task for 99 Dollar mostly revolves around managing social media pages: sending messages, providing content, answering queries. You’ll be mostly helping internet merchants to grow their businesses.
Average rate per hour : $12
Vicky Virtual – The company’s website will usher you to meet Vicky – the term they use as an entity for their team, as virtual assistants. Their core principles are so categorized in such a way that they can create happiness in every interaction and build a workplace where both employees and employers can surely enjoy.
Average rate per hour : $9.25
Smith AI – The cool thing about this one is that If you hate the idea of working full-time which should not be less than 40 hours a week, is that you can have the option of working part-time, which is only up to 4 hours a day, for 5 days a week. While most VA companies rarely offer benefits like healthcare benefits and retirement plans, Smith AI offers them.
Average rate per hour : $10
Profit Factory – They claim to have high-profile entrepreneurs as their main pool of clients. For this reason, they offer trainings with uniqueness and extensive assessments. Throughout the years, they have been expanding their business ventures with the tagline, “Triumph of the Human Spirit.”
Average rate per hour : $10
Picture this: you’re at home, sitting comfortably in front of your computer, with your cellphone beside it. As you do so, you’re earning a decent amount of money. Such a setting could really happen to you if you try out what this post is talking about.
Before you leave, can you please share this with your friends?
