Online virtual assistants are a hot trend today and for a few reason: employees wanting to maintain control over their work styles and a greater demand from businesses to lower costs.

A virtual employee saves the company considerable costs: no need for office space, no payroll tax or benefits, and no equipment to maintain. If a business only needs a few hours of work each week, then that’s all they pay for. Saves the boss money and the assistant’s time.

As a virtual assistant, you’re basically doing the same work as you would in an office-based environment:

• handling correspondence
• travel arrangements
• maintaining the calendar
• billing/accounting
• research
• translation
• transcription
• paralegal
• concierge services and more!

You would be considered an independent contractor or freelancer. You set your hours, decide on the services you want to provide, and choose your clients. Virtual assistants can charge between $20 and $45 an hour depending on the work, as well as the needs and budget of the client.

TRAINING AND SUPPORT

Formal training and certification are not required to get hired as a virtual assistant, however, you should be able to take direction and have some sort of education in the field. If your experience isn’t where it should be, consider taking courses at a local community college or online through several organizations, including Virtual Assistance U or International Virtual Assistants Association . By Googling “virtual assistant”, you’ll find all sorts of resources and useful information. There are also private coaches out there to help you start your business but they’ll cost ya! Be sure to check references if you choose to go that route.

Google Apps is a great place to find many free applications for voice messaging, file transfers, and even calendars. Since being a virtual assistant will require a home office, you’ll need something like this along with some other tools and resources.

PROMOTING YOURSELF

This to me is the hardest to do. It’s always difficult when you first get started but there are some things you can do to get the ball rolling.

• Attend job fairs
• Check out the Chamber of Commerce
• Look online & join relevant business associations
• Create a professional website
• Post your services at Craigslist, Guru.com, etc.

If you are looking to work for one company, then you should check out VIPdesk. They hire virtual assistants so check there if that’s the route you want to go.

Make a plan, get some training and promote-promote-promote! Before you know it, you’ll become a PRO virtual assistant and making some big bucks in no time!

Tags: concierge, online virtual assistant, working at home opportunities

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