Saturday, June 29, 2013

The Duties Of A Virtual Administrative Assistant

By Freda Watts


More and more business are outsourcing their work to contractors who are not directly employed by the business in the usual way. A virtual administrative assistant is someone who provides services to a business from their own home, and can be beneficial in many ways. The business benefits from hiring a home worker as well, as they have less expenses for the individual than for a normal employee.

Hiring a person that works from home is beneficial to a company in several ways. They do not have to have extra space within their offices to house another employee, and do not have to buy extra equipment for the worker, such as a computer and printer. A VA can also live in any part of the world, and still perform the duties required by the company. Nowadays, there are many ways that money can be transferred between different countries. A company can also more easily choose the number of hours they would like their VA to work, and will only pay for those hours.

All duties of an online secretary are performed from a home PC or laptop. Each business will require different types of work from their virtual secretary, but in general, it includes word processing tasks, email processing tasks and possibly scheduling and electronic filing. Transcription work is often completed by a homeworker as well.

Since that this is a virtual position, an connection to the internet is the most essential component for the job. The person should be online during their working hours, and have a computer that is loaded with the necessary applications. Email and other forms of online communications are necessary, as this will be the way that the work is sent between the worker and the company. Sometimes a phone line, as well as fax and printer machines are also required.

You will also need to ensure that you have a suitable work area. You don't need to hire an office away from home, but you will need somewhere with a suitable working atmosphere. Distractions should be kept to a minimum during your working hours.

There are no specific degrees or diplomas required in order to become a VA, but relevant experience is beneficial. The company looking for assistance will specify the type of tasks to be completed, and some may also expect some sort of qualification. However, most will be interested in your past experience, your proficiency in computer applications and your typing abilities.

Communication skills are very important in this line of work. You will not be speaking to people, but will possibly be writing to people from all walks of life. These people may be potential customers, or they could be others who work for the company. Excellent writing skills with no grammatical errors and a good typing speed is therefore often a requirement. The ability to multitask and effectively operate basic computer applications are other skills necessary.

Someone who would like to become a virtual administrative assistant will find career opportunities online. For most offerings, you will need to submit a resume. Decide which type of work will suit you best, and the number of hours you can work per day.




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