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What does a Virtual Assistant actually do?

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Ever dreamt of working anywhere you want? Like your living room while in front of the TV in your PJs? Or, using your laptop at your dining room table while having breakfast with your kids? Or maybe you just don’t like working in an office? 

Is this even possible? 

You may have seen posts on social media and on various job posting sites about a job called “Virtual Assistant.” This may be new to you, but, Virtual Assistants or VAs have been a real thing for quite a while. It became highlighted with job hunters when the pandemic started because people are opting for a safer option.

 

What is a Virtual Assistant?

In case you are wondering, a virtual assistant is a self-employed worker who provides support or administrative services to businesses and entrepreneurs remotely (as in, not in the same physical location).

Virtual assistants are in HOT demand. This applies to small businesses and for big companies. Virtual Assistants can do many different tasks without the need to be in an office.

 

A Typical Virtual Assistant Job Description

 

Some tasks that a Virtual Assistant does might be:

 

  • Support Services, like customer support, email support, and chat support. They can handle simple customer inquiries through email or chat. 
  • Bookkeeping, orders, and refunds. 
  • Administrative Services like managing appointments, bookings, calendars, and contacts. 
  • Content Creation Services are content creation, ghostwriting, editing, proofreading, transcription, content research. 
  • Other services specific to your skill sets include website design, WordPress website maintenance, graphic design and layout, editing videos, digital marketing tasks, social media management, and lead generation. 

 

As we shared in our previous article, How To Make Money From What You Know, these skills might be something you already know or have vast experience working in an office. 

 

Why Become a Virtual Assistant? 

So the next question is, why become a Virtual Assistant? It was covered in our article:  Why Working from Home is Here to Stay, and to give you a summary, it is just more flexible and rewarding to work from home. 

 

Work anywhere. This is a luxury most people dream of. Working anywhere you want might be working from a different zip code every week. Some would look at this as spending the whole day working at the comfort of their bed. Being a Virtual Assistant allows you to have the freedom to do things to make a living but still feel like you’re living. 

A study showed that people with a comfortable working environment had increased work productivity.  ² Experimental research conducted over the last 30 years has found anywhere between a 2.7% to an 8.6% increase in productivity.  

Without the toxic commute and the pressure of office-settings, you can focus on working and performing. 

 

Rewarding. Rewarding is getting satisfaction or gratification. If you ever feel dissatisfied or unhappy with your work because of pressure and not being appreciated enough for your work, being a Virtual Assistant might be for you. VA’s have the freedom to work and get satisfaction because they are not motivated by the pressures of an office-based environment. They are driven by comfort and convenience. 

³ Another research by Flexjobs in 2019 found that 65% of professionals think they would be more productive working remotely than in a traditional office, with 49% saying they go to their home or home office when they really need to buckle down and get work done.  

 

If you want a type of career that can rid yourself of safety concerns, the pressures of office-based work and the convenience of working from the comfort of your home, going for a VA job is possibly the best fit for you. 

 

PhilTeamFinder can help you be the next Virtual Assistant HERE. 

 

² The Comfy Team. “The Comfort Productivity Connection”
³ Emily Courtney. “The Benefits of Working From Home: Why The Pandemic Isn’t the Only Reason to Work Remotely”

The Secret To Landing Your Dream Online Job

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The Secret to landing your dream online job

 

The internet is an excellent place for job hunters and has massively changed the job-hunting game.  In the old days, you would need to check the newspaper for job ads or directly walk-in to the company to check for job vacancies. The power of technology has made it easier and faster to check for job availability. But the competition is tight, so you need to have a gameplan to get a job online successfully. 

 

Here are a few things to prepare to successfully get that online job: 

1. Identify Your Career Goals 

There are over a million job postings online, and going through them without any clue what kind of job you are looking for is going to be overwhelming. So before you start searching, find out what career path you want to pursue. 

 

It helps to list down all your skills and credentials and then narrow down the possible career you can search for job listings online. It also helps to go through the categories on the job listing sites to have an idea of what kind of jobs are available online. Be sure to match the skill requirements for the job categories. This will help you leverage your resume once you build it. 

 

2. Build Your Resume 

Before you start searching for a job online, you also need to update your resume. Make sure to showcase your skills and experience to make your resume stand out so you can impress your recruiter even before the interview. 

 

Have a cover letter ready and customized for each job application. You should always include a cover letter when applying for a job online. 

 

 

It would also be best to create a LinkedIn profile. You can attach the link to your profile whenever you reach out to possible employers or see posts of job vacancies online. 

 

3. Search Job Using Job Keywords or Hashtags 

A keyword or hashtag is a word or phrase related to the type of job you are searching for. You can use this on Facebook or Instagram. Nowadays, companies and recruitment companies use social media to find possible employees.

 

For example, when you go to Facebook and are looking for a work-from-home job, you search for the phrase “Work From Home,” and all posts with this phrase will come up. Same goes for Instagram, just search using a hashtag like “#workfromhome” and all posts using that hashtag will come up.  

 

Using keywords and hashtags will help you to find that online job that you specifically want effectively quickly. 

 

4. Build a Network 

Get connected to recruiters and headhunters online. Most of the time, headhunters and recruiters are related to not just one but several employers. Besides helping you prepare for the interview and a bit of the company background, they can get you connected to several job opportunities that cater to your skills. 

 

Finding a successful job online will be easier with these pointers, but always remember that perseverance is the key to success. If you can’t find a successful career online in the first try, then keep on trying. 

 

 

When you are ready to start your online career, Philteamfinder can help you get started.

 

Why Working from Home is Here to Stay

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Since the declaration of the pandemic in the early months of 2020, there has been a significant change in the workforce. 

Businesses had to adjust their strategy and adapt quickly to survive. Most opted to offer their services online, and enterprises that rely heavily on human labor encouraged their employees to work remotely.

While there has been a significant increase in remote work worldwide over the last few years, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the WFH (Work From Home) movement to new levels. Based on US statistics analyzed by Flex.jobs and Global Workplace Analytics, there is a 44% increase in people opting to work from home in the last 5 years and 91% in the last 10. 

Another study by Lenovo suggests that 87% of employees who either were encouraged or required to work remotely by their employers as a result of the pandemic, were already ready to make the shift to working from home.

 

Here are several factors why work from home is here to stay:

 

 

People who work from home have benefited a lot from avoiding stress brought about by daily commutes. There is no need to take the bus and get seated with someone who might be a bad egg. Forget about expensive cabs when public transport is unavailable. Say goodbye to penalties incurred by being late because of chaotic traffic. 

Now you can spend what would have been that commute time with family or doing other things like improving your skills. 

 

 

Apart from stress caused by traffic, another highlight that plays a big part in the switch in the working environment is office politics. 

Sure, there are office politics, even in the online setting. However, it is more tolerable because workers won’t need to deal with overbearing co-workers in-person.

Introverts benefit a lot with this setting and find they are way more motivated and less anxious.

Also, without additional drama, employees are happier. And when employees are happy, they are less likely to get sick, which means reduced absences and higher productivity.

 

 

Working from home helps you save.

There will usually be initial setups to buy the required equipment to work from home, e.g., internet subscription, electric consumption, headset, a proper desk, chair, etc.

However, it is also good to keep in mind that these are initial investments, and most are not recurring expenses (apart from wear and tear in office equipment that may need occasional replacement). 

Data from the Census Bureau in 2018 indicates the average work from home employees can earn an extra 10-20% per year more than a traditional office job when working for overseas business. With the savings on transportation and take out food, you can be in a position to save an extra 10-20% extra.

Add to that a life of less stress (longer travel time = less sleep, workplace politics, etc.), and the future looks bright.

 

 

Imagine spending more time with family and have rounded work-life balance.

The flexible work schedule makes it possible for remote employees to bond with their family members, friends, and do healthy activities like yoga, pilates, running, etc. There are no missing important events, and they have more control over their overall well being.

There are many benefits for people who want to work from home if they are serious about it. If there is a silver lining brought by the pandemic, one of them is, going/working online seems to be the way forward.

 

Are you planning on working from home? Philteamfinder can help you get started here