Just like personal assistants, who often do work for their bosses, so do virtual assistants. Virtual assistants are employees that perform their job online to serve their business or their boss. Virtual assistants do tasks such as organizing meetings, keeping track of online records, handling inquiries, creating presentations, and managing bookings and emails. Being a virtual assistant may have a lot of tasks, but with the right skills, there’s no doubt that you can do your job smoothly.
This career does not strictly require so many educational degrees. In fact, you can be a virtual assistant with just your high school diploma. If you want to be a virtual assistant, it is important to have skills that are essential for this job. Because without the skills, you can’t be suited for the job, your boss might often get disappointed, and you will have a hard time.
However, aside from skills, bear in mind that it is also important to make your resumes and cover letters effective and error-free as these may be used as a basis for your acceptance. There are resume and cover letter examples you can find online that can aid you in making these written requirements right and appealing to your boss.
The five skills that a virtual assistant must have are listed below:
1. Communication Skills
One of the most important skills for being a virtual assistant is communication. Since this career may involve answering calls, composing emails, reports, and presentations, it is important to have this skill in order for the clients to understand you clearly and to develop harmonious relationships between you, the company, and the clients. Without this skill, clients may no longer comprehend you and you might get trouble trying to find the appropriate words to say.
2. Time Management Skills
Possessing this skill is crucial and beneficial so you can accomplish your tasks without being late. Through this skill, you can accomplish your tasks and you can increase your productivity rate. Plus, your boss might even commend you for being able to manage your time wisely!
3. Typing Skills
Did you know that a lot of companies actually hire virtual assistants who have technical typing skills and can type fast? Possessing this skill can increase your chances of being hired. Moreover, a virtual assistant career also involves composing emails to respond to clients, and clients love it when responses are fast.
4. IT Skills
Having IT skills is crucial for virtual assistance as your career means using devices for your work. Without this skill, you may have difficulty using computers and other job-related gadgets, and you may become dissatisfied with your client and coworkers. Thus, it is important to be an expert in this area as your tasks may also include creating presentations and other technical duties.
5. Reliable
Being reliable can increase the trust of your clients, co-workers, and boss. Plus, being a reliable employee may also positively contribute to the recognition of your company. As a virtual assistant, you must be reliable and responsible for whatever task is given to you so you can prevent conflicts and won’t have a hard time accomplishing your duties.
6. Customer Service Skills
Lastly, one of the most important skills in virtual assistance is customer service skills. As a VA, you should be able to talk to clients politely and address their inquiries courteously. Despite being under pressure, you should still observe the quality of your behavior when talking to the clients in order to prevent staining the reputation of both you and the company.
Since the pandemic started, the employment of virtual assistants has grown rapidly due to the concept of this career being convenient for the stay-at-home setting. Just by having internet and a device, you can already earn $23 per hour!