Remote assistant work is quickly growing in popularity. More and more companies are offering virtual assistant services, and more and more virtual assistants are seeking jobs.

As a remote assistant, you can choose to work for individual clients or for a VA company, also known as a virtual assistance company. Individual clients are usually individuals or businesses that do not have a full-time staff member or vendor that covers all the responsibilities they need.

Virtual assistance companies handle many tasks for their client and project-based clients. They typically have staff members or VAs that cover specific duties, such as marketing, accounting, finance, etc.

The beauty of being a remote assistant is that you can choose where you work! You are able to get out of the office environment and gain some freedom. However, there are some downsides, like communication and collaboration.

Create a profile on a remote job posting site

Remote job posting sites are a great place to get started as a virtual assistant. These sites have profiles for virtual assistants to create where they list their skills, experience, and services they can offer to clients.

There are many remote job posting sites that assist virtual assistants in finding jobs, and clients that need assistance with tasks. Clients find help via these sites as well, so it is a great resource for making connections.

The most popular remote job posting sites are Upwork, Freelancer, and Guru. These sites have very similar guidelines and processes for creating a profile, adding skills and experience, and uploading a portfolio of previous work.

If you are new to being a virtual assistant and don’t have much work in your portfolio yet, do not worry! Taking the time to build your profile on these sites will help you gain some exposure and potential jobs.

Create your resume

A resume is the first step to becoming a remote assistant. A well-crafted resume will help you gain more interviews and, hopefully, jobs.

To create a remote assistant resume, you should include your educational background, any experience as a virtual assistant you have, technical skills such as social media management or content creation, and languages you can speak.

It is also important to list all the platforms and tools you can use to manage calendars and correspondence. This includes software like Microsoft Office Suite, Google Suite, Trello, Slack, and Inbox by Gmail.

Listing these resources will help an employer know that they can entrust their information to you. You do not want to have to spend time learning new software when you start the job by being competent in these already.

Your resume should be formatted in a print-worthy manner with appropriate spacing and bullet points.

Add it to the site

As mentioned before, creating a profile on a virtual assistant website is the first step to becoming a remote virtual assistant. Once your profile is complete, it will be added to a database of other assistants and agencies.

By adding your profile to a site, you will begin to get inquiries and opportunities to begin assisting others. This is why it is important to have your skills, strengths, and experiences highlighted in your profile.

In addition to linking your resume, you can also add links to social media accounts, portfolios, or websites that contain additional information about you or what you do. Having these added features will help potential employers find you and hire you!

Once again, check for credibility! Make sure that the sites that inquire about you are legitimate sites that are not scams. Always keep this in mind when receiving inquiries.

Share it with friends and family

Sharing your opportunity with friends and family can bring in new business. As you build your reputation as a virtual assistant, people will start to trust you and your work.

People you know may know someone who needs a virtual assistant. Or, they may need assistance themselves at some point. When this happens, you can be confident in saying they will ask you for help.

By sharing your website, they will see what kind of work you do and how you can help them. It will also let them know that you are reliable and trustworthy.

Friends and family support you emotionally and psychologically, which helps with the ability to take on new clients.

Get recommendations from clients

Your first step should be to get a few recommendations from your current clients. Reaching out to your client base and asking if they would give you a positive review is a start.

Many professionals offer free consultation sessions as well, which you can use to your advantage. You can offer one free consultation session to a new potential client as a way to get a recommendation.

Using these recommendations is important because potential clients will do their research on you. If you have solid recommendations from past clients, then they may be more comfortable hiring you.

Getting recommendations can be hard for virtual assistants that only work independently, but getting referrals can help with this problem.

Update your profile photo

Having a well-designed and updated profile photo is an essential part of creating a professional account. Your profile picture will be the first impression you give potential clients!

Make sure your picture is not distorted or blurry, and that you are clearly visible. Use a close-up of just your face as your profile picture, or a full body shot if you are comfortable doing so.

Clothing should be consistent with the corporate dress code, and you should look professional. A little bit of personality can be thrown in through what you wear, but it should not be overly extravagant.

Having your face visible is a big part of ensuring clients feel comfortable working with you. Being able to identify who they are working with and who they are communicating with on the other end makes them feel more secure.

Updating your picture periodically also helps keep your profile fresh and current.

Decide what services you want to offer

Once you have decided to become a virtual assistant, the next step is to decide what areas or tasks you want to assist with.

Are you going to be an administrative assistant, marketing or sales assistant, research assistant, social media manager, or something else?

Your choices will depend on your skills and experience, and what your clients are looking for. For example, if you have extensive marketing experience, you could potentially become a marketing assistant.

Clients look for different skills and may pay differently depending on the skill they are seeking. Research is usually a low-paying task, but it is important for other assistants. A good virtual assistant knows how to divide up tasks so that they are paid appropriately.

You always have the option to take on more tasks if you are performing well and being productive.

Learn how to use popular online software programs or websites

Many virtual assistants have a repertoire of software and online tools that they use to carry out their work. Some of these include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Google Docs, Gmail, WordPress, and Social Media.

Knowing how to use these software programs is a valuable asset for virtual assistants. You will be required to create and edit documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, which can be easily done with the right knowledge.

In order to become a remote assistant, you should research how to use these programs or websites so that you do not need to ask someone else for help. The more independent you are, the more opportunities there will be for you.

Some of this software can be tricky, so it is important to ask someone who knows how to use them or search for some online help.