There is an obvious rise of needs for virtual assistant especially with remote work being much more common nowadays. Working from home with a relatively good pay is the perfect fit for those who are living in areas where traffic is too stressful to go through on a daily basis, for those who want to travel while they work or working parents who cannot afford to spend more for childcare.
If you have been thinking of getting into this career but you don't exactly know where to start, here are some questions that will hopefully help you in devising an effective plan for this transition:
What is your skill set?
This is a question for any job that anyone could apply for. There are different types of virtual assistants - some are general VAs that concentrate mostly on administrative or organisational tasks, travel VAs, appointment setters, lead generators, customer support, social media managers, transcribers, etc.
What you need to do is really think through what skills you are confident to be good at and/or your work experience. With this, you can start researching the types of virtual assistant and see where you fit.
Where can you look for jobs?
A popular option for those starting out is through a third party like Upwork. Just know that the competition in upwork is stiff but the main advantage is there is less risk of getting unpaid or being scammed by fake employers.
You can also work for a VA management company. These companies will act like your middlemen. They will serve as your sort of HR and they will also be the ones to find an client for you. Some even provide you with the equipment. In this case, you are their employer not directly the client's hire. With this, expect that they will have a good cut of the pay (charged to the client of course) with other management companies even earning higher than the VA. Also have a good read at the contract because others prohibit you from working for the client if you quit the management company and there are also others who will outright prohibit you from working for the same industry if you quit. There are already a lot of management companies who allow remote work right from the beginning but there are also others who require being based in an office during probationary period or even the entire time of employment.
Last (but not the least nor the only) option is to apply directly to employers/clients who are posting listings on job marketplace like www.onlinejobs.ph or www.jobstreet.com.ph. Just be very cautious when going down this path because there is a high risk of getting scammed by employers. Make sure you do enough research and you draft out a legitimate agreement.
Do you have a good startup equipment?
If you choose to work from home, you are most likely required to have your own equipment. Understandably so, employers would not typically risk giving expensive equipment if the trust has not been built yet.
For general/administrative virtual assistant work, it's usually just office software and documents so you don't need the fanciest equipment but you also cannot settle for bad ones. The most essentials are a good working laptop or computer with the latest operating system, good quality headphones with microphone and a relatively fast AND stable internet connection. You might be required to disclose the specs of your equipment and the speed of your internet connection during the interview process.
Are you able to communicate the language effectively?
Almost all clients use English unless you specifically apply for other languages. Whatever the case is, you must be able to speak, write and hear the language effectively and efficiently. You don't have to have the perfect grammar or pronounciation because even native speakers are not perfect at that either - with the exception of jobs where language accuracy is a prime requirement.
Are you comfortable working for foreigners?
Foreign clients/employers are usually the ones who offer higher pay so if that is important to you, make sure to really assess how comfortable you are with working for them or with them. A personal tip is that you have to show that you are not a pushover just because they're foreigners so you won't be prone to work abuse such as overworking without pay, inability to file for leaves/absences, etc. Be very confident with what you can contribute to the company but still maintaining a great level for your employers because they are after all, the hand that will feed you.
This is also why it's important to have a good grasp of the language and the job that you're applying for so you won't feel lost or they won't feel like they have to micromanage you often.
What questions should you ask your employer?
This could also be a topic for further discussion but as an overview, you will have the chance to ask questions during the interview process and/or while you're drafting the agreement before officially getting hired.
The important things to know is their preference for payment transfer and how long does the transfer take, what are the company policies, hierarchy, company culture or if you're brave enough you may also ask about how they go about with promotions or raises (just be mindful that there are HR staff or employers who are turned off if this is a topic of discussion during the interview).
Good luck!
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