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Skills you need to know to land a Virtual Assistant work |
One primary job of a virtual assistant is as a Content Contributor. It is either as a ghost contributor, creative
writer or layout artist. With these tasks, you need a web publishing
tool like Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher or Wordpad. Knowledge of the
basic to intermediate functions of these applications would be your magic wands to do good as a virtual assistant.
These tools allow you to produce a wide array of jobs. The list is endless: from creating contents for books,
brochures, business cards, calendars, letterheads, logos, magazines,
newsletters, postcards and even websites
From basic web publishing, you can also learn advanced
graphics applications to have a better grasp of the interactive design space.
One of the most sought-after skills for Virtual Assistant work is being an
adept in Photoshop, Corel or Quark. Being equipped with skills on either of the
three makes one virtual assistant a prized asset. Having control of your interactive design space
is very easy when you have skills using graphic design applications. Like the
palm of your hand, design, manipulations,
and conceptualization are easy to
complete.
There are also a lot of clients in need for people to do
Data Entry Virtual Assistant work. In
reality, the competition is very high for this gig. However, it is an
additional armament of an online services provider if you possess the skills
needed for data entry. Data entry tasks require
typing and entering data into forms.
Some data entry work needs verifying and then editing current
information. Some need to do
proofreading and updating databases. Knowledge of
Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and other
spreadsheet applications is vital for this role.
On top of having proficiency in specific applications and
programs, it is also important to have good communications skills and a good
grasp of the English language if you want to excel in Virtual Assistant
work. It is imperative for a virtual
assistant to have good communication skills, both written and spoken. Being away from your client, the medium for
communication is mainly through email, web talk and instant messaging. You may
be required to communicate to customers and your client constantly for feedback
and follow-ups. Your client may also ask you do tasks on his behalf like calling
customers for appointments, confirm meetings or relay messages of customers to
the “boss.”. The understanding and delivery of messages are vital for Virtual Assistant work. One miscommunication would
hamper trust and credibility. Therefore, your writing and verbal communications
skills should be excellent.