With so many technological advancements in recent years, many administrative professionals are now choosing to leave their corporate jobs in order to work as an online personal assistant. Answering phones, setting appointments, managing a calendar, providing customer service, working on web design projects, and preparing documents and forms are all tasks that this type of job entails. Everything that can be done in an office can now be done from home. For small businesses or individuals without the budget or need for full-time employees, this situation is often more cost-effective.
Anyone interested in working as an online personal assistant has a variety of options. Some may choose to work for an employment agency that places online workers on a temporary or one-time project basis, while others may choose to start their own company and work for a variety of small businesses or individuals.
For those who are new to the field, starting with an employment agency may be the best way to get started as an online personal assistant. However, because many agencies require testing on basic office software, brushing up on common word processing and other business software before applying is a good idea. Assistants typically work a few hours a week for several different businesses on an as-needed basis, and their pay is usually by the hour.
For those looking to work for a specific company, online job postings are usually the best place to look. Online personal assistant, virtual assistant, virtual office, and work from home are all keywords to look for. However, because there are many work-at-home scams on the Internet, it’s important to be cautious when looking at these job listings, as well as those for online employment agencies. Just keep in mind that you should never have to pay for a legitimate job.
More experienced administrative professionals may decide to work as an online personal assistant in order to run their own company. An assistant in this situation would create his or her own website and market the company to find clients. Online personal assistants, also known as virtual administrators, frequently have a number of regular clients who hire them on a retainer basis, as well as clients who hire them on an as-needed basis. A retainer is a fee paid each month to reserve the assistant’s services for a specific number of hours.