If you want to know the duties and responsibilities to expect and the monetary benefits of being a virtual assistant, then you should read this job description to the end.
Just like Secretaries, virtual assistants assist their employers with administrative tasks.
But, unlike secretaries who have to go to the office daily, a virtual assistant does his or her job from home or any other location they or prefer.
These individuals use internet services to communicate with their employers, schedule appointments, make travel appointments, and respond to emails.
To do all of these, a good virtual assistant must be given details and possess good time management and communication skills.
An ideal candidate should be a good multitasker and always know how to stay self-motivated.
This is because they work from home, and the tendency to overlook certain things is possible.
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What does a Virtual Assistant do?
Virtual assistants do not work in offices and may not have to work in the same state of the country as their clients.
In other words, a virtual assistant is his or her boss and does not exactly work for anybody.
The companies they work for are more like clients.
Most of the duties and responsibilities a virtual assistant performs are similar to those of an assistant or secretary.
The specific responsibilities of a virtual assistant vary from company to company.
Irrespective of the company, some of the general duties of a virtual assistant include organizing e-files preparing and editing presentations, documents, and PowerPoint presentations.
Also, they schedule appointments, make travel arrangements and respond to phone calls on behalf of their employer.
Virtual assistants typically work from home; therefore, they must be careful to avoid scams.
Before signing any document with a client, it is essential to conduct your research and be sure the organization is legit.
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What are the Duties and Responsibilities of a Virtual Assistant?
You must have good network services to perform all the duties and responsibilities of a virtual assistant.
This is very relevant because they work from home. Therefore, practically all their duties are performed online.
Here are some of the typical duties and responsibilities of a virtual assistant usually featured in the job description:
1. Convincing Potential Clients to work with you as their Virtual Assistant
Virtual assistants are saddled With the responsibility of convincing clients to work with them.
They do this persuasively and present a good portfolio and/or recommendation.
2. Make Travel Appointments
As I already said, a V/A performs almost the same duties, and responsibilities secretaries and assistants perform.
Making necessary travel arrangements and booking hotel reservations is also one of their duties.
3. Seek Potential Clients
Virtual assistant’s responsibilities also include seeking and identifying potential clients.
They do this by signing up for freelancing platforms and creating an excellent virtual assistant portfolio on social media platforms like LinkedIn.
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4. Handling the Company’s Social Media Platforms
Some clients also put their virtual assistants in charge of handling their social media platforms.
The V/A creates original and engaging posts and also responds to messages.
5. Respond to Phone Calls
Although they are not in the same location as their employers, virtual assistants are also in charge of responding to phone calls on behalf of their employers.
A good V/A should possess good customer service skills to perform this duty.
Other duties and responsibilities of a virtual assistant include the following:
- Scheduling appointments and meetings for clients.
- Carry out market research.
- Handle administrative queries.
- Prepare reports and presentations.
In general, it is safe to say that virtual assistant performs administrative duties for their clients.
What Qualifications do I need to become a Virtual Assistant?
The minimum qualification for becoming a virtual assistant is a high school diploma.
Although some virtual assistants have an associate’s or bachelor’s degree, which gives them an edge.
Individuals can take an online training program from online educators like Udemy on what the job of a virtual assistant entails.
Some companies and online educators also issue certification for virtual assistants who complete their tutorials and pass an online or offline examination.
Knowledge of VolP, desktop sharing, and cloud services are also required.
Just like with almost all jobs, employers also expect potential virtual assistants to have some years of experience in performing administrative tasks.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and online calendars and scheduling software is both relevant and advantageous.
All of these requirements should not be surprising because V/As work from home.
Keep reading this free guide on the job description of a virtual assistant to know the Essential skills and monetary benefits a V/A should possess and receive respectively.
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What Skills should a Virtual Assistant have?
This guide on the job description of a virtual assistant will never be complete without including the essential skills they should possess.
Although the duties and responsibilities section of any job description is one of the most important parts, no virtual assistant can properly carry out those duties without these skills.
As a result, employers lookout for potential virtual assistants with some or all of these skills or attributes.
1. Give Attention to Details
A good virtual assistant should be able to pay attention to details at all times.
Even if you don’t have to go to the office, you should still carry out your duties with little or no errors.
2. Ability to Multitask
To perform more than one task at a time, a good virtual assistant should possess multitasking skills.
This way, you can achieve so many things in a limited time.
Whenever multitasking is not possible, prioritizing your tasks is important.
As much as preference should be given to the most important tasks, less important ones should not be left out.
3. Good Time Managerial Skills
The importance of time management as a virtual assistant cannot be overemphasized.
You may not be in the same location as your boss, but you are responsible for helping him or her manage time.
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4. Great Communication Skills
A virtual assistant should be eloquent in speech.
You should be able to communicate effectively verbally and in writing as well.
Also, a good virtual assistant should possess good listening skills.
This is relevant when communicating with their clients and responding to calls.
5. Good Customer Service Skills
All virtual assistants who have succeeded or intend to succeed in this career path must possess good customer service skills.
A virtual assistant is responsible for responding to calls and emails.
Speaking badly on behalf of your client is bad business for them.
Although, employers look out for virtual assistants who demonstrate a sense of professionalism when performing their duties.
Where do Virtual Assistants work?
virtual assistants work from home; as I said, they are their boss; they only work for clients.
Some of the potential clients of virtual assistants include:
- Government workers
- Banks
- Transport agencies
- Logistics companies
- IT firms
Usually, clients search for virtual assistants online or through agencies that staff virtual assistants.
How much do Virtual Assistants make?
The United States Bureau of Labour Statistics does not compile separate salary data for virtual assistants.
Therefore, the figures below are for secretaries and administrative assistants.
On average, virtual assistants in the United States make up to $38,880 annually, $18.69 per hour.
Their salary ranges from $24,690 per year to $64,230 per year.
Which is $11.87 per hour and $30.88 per hour, respectively.
Depending on your geographical location, these figures may not be the same for you.
Some of the factors that may determine the pay of a virtual assistant include:
- Location: virtual assistants who work for clients in locations where the economy is poor may not be paid much.
- Experience: Usually, more experienced virtual assistants are paid better than their less experienced colleagues
- Qualification: Those who have fewer qualifications are typically paid less.
- Employer: V/As who work for affluent employers are usually paid more.
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Virtual Assistant work Environment and Schedule
virtual assistants usually work from home; they may rent an office space if they want to.
They determine their working hours and days. Sometimes they may have to work in the evening and on weekends.
The Virtual Assistant Job Outlook
Unfortunately, the number of job opportunities for secretaries is expected to drop by 5% from 2016 through 2026, according to the United States Bureau of labor statistics.
There are no statistics for the estimated job opportunities for virtual assistants when compiling this job description.
Conclusion: Virtual Assistant Job Description Guide
Those interested in administrative tasks who want to work from home always make good virtual assistants.
When creating a professional virtual assistant resume, potential virtual assistants should feel free to make optimum use of this job description.
Clients can also use it as a template to create their worn unique job descriptions.
On that note, clients can adjust this job description to suit their needs.
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