Behind every successful company there is a key person that the company cannot do without.

Most likely, this is an executive assistant.

As remote and hybrid working have become the norm, the role of an executive assistant has now shifted from an office environment to a work-from-home facility, where they are referred to as virtual executive assistants.

A virtual executive assistant handles all the day-to-day tasks for the business owner. You coordinate between the teams and ensure consistent follow-up of all ongoing projects. This helps the business owner focus on what they do best, ie growing the business.

For her experience and expertise in helping business owners run a successful business, Virtual executive assistants are well paid around the world, with many moving up the ladder 5-digit dollar salaries yearly.

Amazing, isn’t it!

Read our blog: What’s the future of virtual assistants?

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How to become a virtual executive assistant

While it may seem like a challenging task to become a virtual executive assistant, it’s actually quite simple. All you have to do is learn the right administrative skills, build your communication skills, and market your services to the right audience.

However, it would be helpful if you remember from the start that the executive assistant job is not an easy thing and requires a lot of dedication and discipline on your part. There may also be times when you need to work overtime to cover an important meeting or to make urgent travel arrangements.

Patience, understanding, and the ability to prioritize tasks go a long way in making you a successful executive assistant.

Let’s look at how to start your virtual executive assistant journey.

Check out our blog: 25+ Software Tools for Virtual Assistants to Boost Their Productivity

1. Start by identifying your key skills

Knowing what skills you’re pretty good at is the best way to start your journey as an executive assistant. While executive assistants are expected to multi-task and manage a variety of tasks, it is worth specializing in a few skills as this will increase your value and job profile within the organization.

You might be good at coordinating meetings, responding to emails, generating sales leads, etc. or anything that adds immense value to your work and makes you indispensable.

At this stage, list only those skills that you are very confident in, as claims of expertise in different skills and not being able to perform them as expected create a negative impression.

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2. Create a profile that highlights your skills

Now that you’ve identified your core strengths, it’s time to share them with potential employers through a well-designed, not-too-flashy profile/resume. Again, make sure that the language you use in the profile is formal and not loose in tone.

While it’s okay to be informal while sharing examples and details of the projects you’ve worked on, you’re expected to be respectful given the job profile and the people you may need to interact with as an executive assistant , maintain formal communication skills.

Make sure all your past achievements are highlighted in the profile. This will help employers get a positive vibe about you.

Some of the skills/tools to highlight on your virtual assistant profile are:

• Computer Skills: MS Office, G Suite, etc.
• communication skills: Slack, Google Meet, Zoom, etc.
• Editing: grammar, plagiarism check, etc.
• Graphic design: Canvas, Photoshop, etc.
• Organization & Project Management: Trello, Asana, Time Doctor, etc.
• Social media: Facebook, LinkedIn, Hootsuite, etc.

If you are active on LinkedIn, make sure your resume and profile on LinkedIn provide accurate details, including any information you have provided about previous assignments. A discrepancy in the above data/job profiles could give the wrong impression of you.

Your profile should also indicate whether you are looking for a full-time or part-time job and how much time you have available for your duties.

If you want to become a virtual executive assistant as a side job, then select the services you want to offer and the ideal fee for it. Be ready to negotiate bulk orders or bookings.

Finally, double-check your profile for spelling and grammatical errors, because nothing deters a potential employer more than a CV with spelling or grammatical errors. It shows a lack of detail and focus on your part.

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3. Make sure you have all the necessary tools/software required to perform various tasks

Nothing is more frustrating for an employer when they hire someone and then realize they don’t have the necessary tools or equipment to perform a specific job.

Although the list of available tools for executive assistants is quite exhaustive, it would be worth considering installing popular and commonly available tools. It’s also good practice to keep up to date with the latest upgrades/versions.

Your equipment and tools don’t have to be premium and expensive; simple, basic ones will suffice as long as they help you get your job done efficiently.

Consider investing in a;

• Laptop with at least 8 GB of RAM and a 1 TB HDD so that you have enough speed and storage space when working
• A wireless microphone and headphones are a must for the comfort and freedom they offer should you need to move around the house while working at the same time.
• An HD webcam for all the Zoom calls you will be attending.
• Tools like Canva for graphic design, Trello for project management, Slack for communication, and Hootsuite to efficiently schedule social media posts.

Experts advise setting up a dedicated workspace at home so that you can work undisturbed and concentrate on your work.

Read our blog: 6 reasons why a dedicated workspace is a must when working from home.

4. You can work directly with clients or join a virtual assistant company

If you want to be independent and only work a few hours a week, you can become a freelance virtual assistant. For those who are looking for a longer-term career option and a stable income, joining a virtual assistant platform like Wishup is the best thing you can do.

While freelancing may sound like fun and gives you the freedom to be selective about assignments, there can be times when you can go weeks without an assignment.

As a freelancer, you need to market yourself to keep getting jobs. Sometimes, you may even need to lower your fees to stay competitive in the freelance executive assistant market.

Consistently tracking clients for payments is also one of the pain points of being a freelance virtual assistant.

Working with a reputable virtual assistant platform, on the other hand, gives you the opportunity to grow, stay up to date with the latest training and developments in the industry, and more importantly, get paid on time every time.

Read our blog: A Guide To Virtual Assistant Salaries to learn more about the salary range offered to virtual assistants.

Image source: Pixabay

5. Use social media channels to reach potential employers

Today, you no longer need to cold call or send your resume in bulk to potential employers. A simple social media post will do the same job much better.

Create a social media post along with your image or the skill you specialize in and share it on social networks like LinkedIn and Facebook. Both of these networks are popular sites with potential employers who are always looking for good talent for their organization.

Be sure to answer any comments and questions you receive as you never know what organization is trying to reach you.

If needed, make a copy of your portfolio online and share the link with potential collaborators. It gives a good impression of your organizational skills.

6. Educate yourself

Once you’ve landed a client and established a good working relationship with them, make sure you take some time to educate yourself.

Sharing your latest skills with the client will help you build a better working relationship with them and ensure they don’t hire someone else to do their other duties.

Offering more value-added services will also help you increase your fees and increase your income significantly.

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Being a Virtual Executive Assistant is a highly qualified, well-paid career option

At the end of the day, it’s about maintaining a good work-life balance and having fun with what you do for a living.

Working as a virtual assistant to the management offers you all this and much more.

Just make sure you’re focused on your work and putting in the effort and extra hours it takes to help your client and their business grow. Good performance ensures that you are properly rewarded for your efforts.

Remember, the key to success as a virtual executive assistant is anticipating your customers’ needs well in advance, being disciplined and organized, and constantly learning to keep your skills relevant to the business.