Virtual Assistant Opportunities for Students — Part 2
Are you a student who wants to become a virtual assistant to foreign business owners?
You’re in luck because there are many virtual assistant opportunities available, and if you’re wondering what service or skill you can offer clients, look into the various skills I mentioned in my recent blog. There has never been a better time for Filipino virtual assistants to work for clients, particularly American business owners than right now.
However, you should be aware that work-from-home jobs, particularly virtual assistance, can be a rapidly changing and competitive marketplace. That being said, you must plan how to land clients in the face of competition.
Here are 5 tips that can make you stand out and make you more successful in landing clients:
📌You always have experience — Just because you are a newbie virtual assistant does not mean you lack experience. You have some work experience under your belt from your college or university days. You may have done some volunteer work, community service, or church work. Consider those activities and relate all of your experiences to the needs of the clients, such as your ability to organize events, book appointments, video editing, social media, research, and presentation, among others.
It is important that you do not get trapped in the mindset of having no “actual” experience because it will be a killer, especially during an interview with clients. Business owners cannot afford to hire inexperienced VAs, so you must determine what you are truly good at and how to improve in order to assist your clients.
📌Master the vertical — This may seem counterintuitive, but don’t try to be everything to everyone. There is a concept known as the general VA, and many clients believe they need to hire someone who can perform ten different job functions at once. And that is a recipe for disaster.
There is a chance that you will fail as a VA if you try to do everything for your client. You must master one thing at a time and be able to focus on your strengths. Be an expert in your field, but you can also learn a second or third skill as your career progresses.
📌Teach yourself with online tools — Make use of free online resources. You can actually find far more than you’ll ever need on YouTube, including experts whose content you can consume for free. You can occasionally enroll in paid courses for skills that require additional training. However, American clients will not expect you to have a certificate from a VA training company. You simply need to actively learn the skills using the available online tools and demonstrate how they can help your clients.
📌Have a good resume — Create a nice resume, which you can do in Canva by searching for templates that are appropriate for you. Include a professional headshot, not necessarily a college graduation photo, but one that demonstrates to clients that you are likable and trustworthy. Also, for your resume, create a clear headline that indicates your niche, such as video editor, graphic designer, social media manager, and others. Begin compiling a portfolio of your recent work experience, projects, and relevant outputs to send to clients so they can easily see your credentials.
📌Personalize your message — Take the time to customize each job application you send to clients rather than copying and pasting similar generic messages to all. Your cover letter should not contain scripted messages, but rather should mention what the client requires in the job. Clients hire people who can help them specifically rather than people who can help everyone. Examine the job descriptions and incorporate them into your cover letter. Mention your skills and the solution you can provide to business owners.
If you want to work as a virtual assistant as a side hustle because you want to work with foreign business owners, start planning now. Get on-the-job experience by applying for internships as a VA. Start planning now to be ahead of the game and land your first client!
Visit my YouTube channel to learn more about virtual assistance. Remember to like and subscribe.
Dan Meyer Sonic VA, which specializes in matching Filipino Virtual Assistants with American Small Business clients and has been a leader in the outsourcing industry since 2011.
Dan is also one of the top experts in Virtual Staffing and has personally trained over 10,000 Filipinos in areas such as virtual assistance, data analytics, business process outsourcing, and social media marketing & management.
