In today’s day and age work from home virtual assistant jobs are becoming more and more prevalent. People who can handle the responsibilities of the workday from the comfort of their own home are in high demand, because it requires less resources and you don’t take up any office space. As technology improves, and worldwide communication becomes stronger and more readily available, more and more people find themselves working from home as a virtual assistant. The “internet age” has been heavily responsible for the increase in work from home positions.
Typically virtual assistants work normal business hours, but may find themselves picking up some extra freelance contracts and working into the night. This job is very versatile, because as an assistant you may be given random tasks throughout the day in order to relieve pressure from other employees. Typically you communicate with management through email, Skype, GoToMeeting, or other types of communication software. Once you are given the tasks you need to complete, it is up to you to manage your time and ensure that you can get the work done in a reasonable manner.
The need for virtual assistants is constantly growing, especially as more and more small companies find their way into the market. It is a luxury to have someone working from home that you can trust to be responsible and get work done. Companies want results, and if you are results driven, you will find success in this line of work.
Where to find virtual assistant jobs
There are many ways to find a job as a virtual assistant. Most commonly, virtual assistants can use websites such as Elance or oDesk. These websites are incredibly popular and many people find jobs here every day. But these websites are typically reserved for freelance employees. You can post your profile and relevant job skills to apply for open positions that seem right for you. But usually you are given either an hourly rate or a fixed price for an ongoing contract. If you want to get on the company payroll and take home a salary/benefits, you need to search through current job openings around the area and decipher which ones are available on a work from home basis.
Work from home jobs are stressful
Working from home as a virtual assistant may sound like an easy gig. After all, who wouldn’t want to cut out the morning commute and get a few extra minutes of sleep every morning? However, it’s not as easy as it sounds. Often times you may be given large amounts of backlogged projects that need to be completed, and as they pile up, your day can quickly become full of stress and anxiety. In order to work as a virtual assistant, you have to be excellent with time management. You need to show how productive you can be, and how flexible you are with completing projects that are sent your way. If you can do these things, your company will be happy and will keep you around on a long-term basis.
The life of a virtual assistant is not for everyone. The workday will be longer than you think and you need to be flexible with requests. Sometimes you might get an email outside of work hours, but you need to be on your toes and ready to act if it’s important. Show your employer how flexible and valuable you can be, and maybe it will turn into a long-term position. It helps to have your work email linked to your smartphone so if anything important comes up you can be ready to go. Consider yourself “on call” and always be ready to act. By doing so, you will set yourself up for a long-term career working from home as a virtual assistant doing what you love. You will be happy when you don’t have to sit in traffic during the morning commute Monday through Friday.
Matthew Welch
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