Virtual Assistant without Experience – The Ultimate Guide [2023]

VIRTUAL ASSISTANT STARTUP GUIDE: BECOMING A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT WITHOUT EXPERIENCE

Disclaimer: This post may have affiliate links, if you click on these links and make a purchase I may get a small commission, which is of course at no additional cost to you.

WHO IS A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT?

A virtual assistant is usually an individual who is considered an independent contractor (someone who is self-employed or contracted to do specific tasks or provide some kind of service as someone who is not considered to be an employee) Now some people may say working from home is not for them and I totally agree but here are some reasons to consider working from home. This job can be done on a full-time or part-time basis. Of late many VA jobs are done by students as a way to offset some of their expenses.

IS THERE A DEMAND FOR VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS?

To answer this question firstly, have you seen the growth in online businesses and the online community, and a VA doesn’t have to work for an online business it could be a brick and mortar… I can safely say that yes there is definitely a demand as there are so many possible tasks a VA can do in so many industries..so if that doesn’t make it clear then yes there is definitely a demand for VA’s.

”The global intelligent virtual assistant market size was valued at USD 2.48 billion in 2022 and is estimated to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24.3% over the forecast period. (2023-2030)” –

Intelligent Virtual Assistant Market Size, Share & Trend Analysis Report By Technology (Text-to-Speech, Text-based), By Product (Chatbot, Smart Speaker), By Application (IT & Telecom, Consumer Electronics), And Segment Forecasts, 2023 – 2030 Dated: 20/04/2023 Grand View Research

HOW TO GET STARTED AS A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT WITHOUT EXPERIENCE

1. KNOW AND UNDERSTAND THE RESPONSIBILITIES AND ROLES OF A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

In the initial phases of becoming a VA, one of the first things you need to do is understand the roles and responsibilities of a VA just to have an overview and a clearer understanding. I listed below some of the areas and responsibilities that a VA may have. You may be required to provide a variety of services to different clients. From creative work, technical work, and even administrative duties. My recommendation – find that you want to become a VA and start researching.

2. DECIDE ON THE SKILL YOU WANT TO FOCUS ON AND BUILD ON IT

The list I created below can be used as a guide that you can review, find the areas that you are great at and even areas that you may not be great in but you can actively work on improving them. Note there are many videos and guides on youtube to literally help you improve in if not some, all areas. So find an area and really focus your time and energy and when you feel comfortable then you can start reaching out. Fiverr also has a learning center with paid courses.

3. RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF JOBS THAT ARE AVAILABLE

Now all this information I am providing you with is a guide it is not the end all so please do your research, research on the jobs available, and the salary offered so that you can create realistic rates for yourself, or if what a company is offering is worth it because, in all honesty, some may not be, so ensure you look carefully and watch out for scams as they are more rampant now more than ever.

Another thing to note is that every client you receive may require different skills or techniques for the job, (this is why I recommended improving in more than just one area, because even if you niche down you may still have different job requirements). As you start and continue to grow you can improve even more in different areas. Think about skills related to project management, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), customer service, technical support, marketing, copywriting, etc.

4. CREATE AND BUILD YOUR PROFESSIONAL PROFILE ONLINE

Creating or building a professional profile on different platforms is ideal and has a strong impact on your success level as a VA. When I say professional platforms I don’t mean social media, I am referring to those professional marketplaces such as Fiverr and Upwork, for example.

Make sure that the language you use is well crafted and ensure that you back up your details with any qualifications or certifications you may have related to the area. You can even include links to your portfolio or website if you have one so you can showcase your work or your skills, even if you have no experience but let’s say you are good with graphic designing, then create a portfolio showing some sample work. (Comment below if you want me to create a post on this)

5. PROMOTE YOURSELF BY USING SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS AND NETWORKING

Now in 2023, what better way to promote your skills as a VA than through social media and networking? As a VA without experience, you can use platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and even Tik Tok. These are some powerful tools you can use in order to reach potential clients.

You also want to participate in different online communities and groups where you can connect with different professionals in the area you are interested in. Networking also can help you improve your reach exponentially and lead to business opportunities.

6. CREATE YOUR OWN WEBSITE OR BLOG TO REACH MORE CLIENT

In my opinion, it is essential to use a website or a blog that will help your clients so see your online presence and skillset so they can make a decision on if they wish to work with you or not.

You can have your services and pricing along with detailed information about everything that you offer. If it is a blog then you can look at so many different areas of being a VA and also building on providing additional value which also will showcase to clients what you are good at.

I am a huge fan of The Virtual Savvy, she looks at everything VA-related you can access FREE Training or even a complete VAULT that looks at different VA areas and training. She even has a checklist for new and aspiring VA’s. Her information is useful for any Virtual Assistant without experience.

VIRTUAL ASSISTANT SKILLS

TYPES OF VA JOB SERVICES

ADMINISTRATIVE VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

What they do is really ensure that most or all clerical duties are completed. They provide whatever support is needed in order for your employer to focus on other aspects of the job.

Responsibilities Include:

• Scheduling appointments
• Organizing Meetings and Calendars
• Booking Travel and Accommodations
• Respond to emails and phone calls.

AFFILIATE MARKETING VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

Affiliate marketing VA is where you assist clients as best as you can with applications and account setup to become either an advertiser or a partner for affiliate networks.

Responsibilities Include:

• Handling affiliates
• Reports on the program.
• Finding content creators and attracting them to join the affiliate program.
• Coordinating Social Media Promotional campaigns
• Email marketing
• Content Marketing
• Product Review

AMAZON VIRTUAL ASSISTANT (FULFILMENT BY AMAZON)

Amazon FBA is a fulfillment service that helps sellers to outsource their shipping. As a VA in this area, you will be helping in different areas to make sure this is effective and efficiently done.

Responsibilities Include:

• Keyword research
• Paid Ad campaigns
• Amazon webstore setup

APPOINTMENT MANAGEMENT VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

This individual or VA usually helps individuals or companies with appointment scheduling and customer communication-related tasks.

Responsibilities Include:

• Scheduling appointments and setting reminders
• Managing calendars

BOOKKEEPING VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

This VA looks at accounting ad bookkeeping, it helps a company to manage its finances, while the employer can mainly focus on growing the business.

Responsibilities Include:

• Budgeting
• Invoicing
• Processing Payroll
• Accounts Receivable and Payable Management

CONSTRUCTION VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

Construction means you have to make sure things are good both in the field and in the office, so the construction VA deals with different areas to make sure things run smoothly and nothing sets back the business.

Responsibilities Include:

• Project Management
• Tracking equipment
• Putting together estimates

CUSTOMER SERVICE VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

A customer service assistant really just deals with the day-to-day concerns and inquiries of a business.

Responsibilities Include:

• Help and respond to customer inquiries
• Manage customer database
• Schedule calls and meetings

DATA ENTRY VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

The role of a data entry VA is just to enter data into a computer system database, there may be different areas or industries in which data entry virtual assistants are needed.

Responsibilities Include:

• Office Data Entry
• Insurance claims Data Entry
• Image data entry

DIGITAL MARKETING VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

Maybe one of the most popular and in-demand VA niches right now. If you are great with social media and content marketing then this may just be right up your alley.

Responsibilities Include:

• Paid Ad campaigns
• Guest Posting
• Social Media Management
• SEO Optimization
• Content marketing
• Developing and managing sales funnels

E-COMMERCE VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

Responsibilities Include:

• Managing inventory
• Customer service
• Maintaining the e-commerce website
• Processing orders

GRAPHICS DESIGNER VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

If you love graphic designing and you are good with Adobe or even Canva (the easier one) then you can definitely look into this area. As you can see below it can be in different areas so it is important to see what area of graphic designing you are great at and then market it, and again this is something that you can learn, even by just using YouTube or finding online courses.

Responsibilities Include:

• Illustrations
• Design website graphics
• Design Infographics
• Social Media Graphics

HEALTHCARE VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

Healthcare VA’s which also include telehealth VAs are very common in modern healthcare. They can help with different situations and technical issues that may arise. They provide admin and customer support.

Responsibilities Include:

• Medical billing documentation
• Medical coding
• Insurance claims
• Scheduling appointments

HUMAN RESOURCE VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

Now of course the HR VA just ensure that they support the operations of the Human Resource department in a business.

Responsibilities Include:

• Managing payroll
• Conducting interviews
• Managing employee records
• Recruiting
• Posting Job Opportunities

LINKEDIN VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

A LinkedIn VA must be an expert at using LinkedIn platform, not just for using it but to understand all areas of it as LinkedIn does have quite a few different features that can help any business grow and improve.

Responsibilities Include:

• Posting jobs
• Writing content
• Cold outreach
• Customer Service for the page

PODCAST VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

A podcast VA helps to deal with all things podcast related from pre-production to post-production.

Responsibilities Include:

To assist producers, contributors and hosts.

PUBLIC RELATIONS VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

PR/Public Relation has to do with how well a company or individual gets seen or heard. So a VA in this field usually aims at spreading information, building a positive image, and building relationships.

Responsibilities Include:

• Managing influencers
• Planning events
• Managing social media
• Preparing press releases

REAL ESTATE VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

Many real estate companies hire VA’s all the time as they usually deal with usual business operations in different areas such as marketing, lead generation etc.

Responsibilities Include:

• Cold Calling
• Generating leads for properties
• Comparative Market Analysis

RESEARCH VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

This type of VA usually does research online while putting their findings together for their client.

Responsibilities Include:

• Generating leads
• Market research
• Putting together research data

TAX PREPARATION VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

Sometimes people need help as it related to tax preparation, so these VA’s can help them from the comfort of their homes if needs be.

Responsibilities Include:

• Tax consultations
• Data Entry
• Files taxes details

TRAVEL VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

This is for everyone who loves the travel industry and wants to help others, they may perform a range of different tasks or specialize in specific areas related to travel.

Responsibilities Include:

• Trip planning
• Budgeting for travel
• Promoting packages
• Booking and Ticketing

WEBSITE MANAGEMENT VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

This is a VA who is able to take over all kinds of responsibilities directly linked to a company or individual website to make sure that everything runs smoothly and efficiently.

Responsibilities Include:

• Updating website
• SEO Optimization
• Cyber security management
• Managing and maintaining a website

TRANSCRIPTION VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

Transcription is the written or printed version of something, so of course this kind of highlights what is then expected from a transcription VA, to change things from speech to text.

Responsibilities Include:

• Data entry by speech to text
• Preparing subtitles
• Captioning videos

MEDICAL VIRTUAL ASSITANT

Of course a medical VA deals with different areas related to the medical industry, dealing with things such as records and information.

Responsibilities Include:

• Data entry
• Gather medical and insurance information
• Patient scheduling
• Medical Billing

MULTIPURPOSE VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

A mixture of different areas. This is someone who can do a mixture of more than one area.

I do hope this was helpful and if you found it useful you may want to have a look at some companies hiring VA and where to possibly find clients.