| Samara T. "A Virtual Assistant (VA) comes alongside people such as business owners and bloggers, who are needing help with administration tasks or the "extra" tasks they do not have time for. A VA will manage social media pages, write posts, network with prospective clients for the business, create images, schedule posts, respond to comments, engage readers, and viewers, or handle administration tasks. Their job is to relieve business owners and bloggers with these "extra" tasks, giving them time to focus on expanding, connecting with clients, viewers, or other businesses, and put their attention towards growing their business." |
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Education
Required License(s)
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Required Degree(s)
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Importance of GPA
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Samara's Highest Degree: Bachelor's degree
Samara's College Major: Events Coordination and Management
Samara's College GPA: 3.6-3.9
Salary
There is no "typical" salary. It depends on you.
You can charge by the hour (typically $10-$25/hour depending on experience and tasks), you can charge a fixed rate per month, or you can charge by task (e.g., per article or image), which would be considered contract work.
You can charge by the hour (typically $10-$25/hour depending on experience and tasks), you can charge a fixed rate per month, or you can charge by task (e.g., per article or image), which would be considered contract work.
Getting the Job
How did you get your job?
I got my job by seeking out opportunity. I knew that this was what I wanted to do, and I sought out the jobs on my own. I contacted bloggers who I knew were bigger and would likely need help, and presented what I could offer them. Over time, after contacting enough people, I found my first client. Finding my first client led to finding my second client because it gave me more experience. What got me started was the desire to do something and willingness to not give up, even when I was turned down more times than I was accepted.
Being an Events Coordinator really helped with this position. You have to be organized, good with people, and be able to manage many tasks. As a Virtual Assistant, you are often working for more than one client and have to balance many tasks and accounts. You need to manage your time to fit them all in, in one day. My previous experience really helped me with this, and also gave me the confidence I needed to reach out to people and network. |
How important was networking to landing your position?
Extremely! The way you get positions like this is by networking with other bloggers and business owners. The field of "Virtual Assistants" is still a growing industry. Many business owners do not even realize this is a thing. The only way that I have gained clients is by networking with bloggers and business owners.
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Life on the Job
What is a typical day (or week) for you like?
This one is a hard one to explain. This is one job that I do, but it is not my main job. Most afternoons I spend in cafes doing my VA work and my own blogging work. I usually spend time scheduling social media content, researching, creating posts, networking, and promoting the bloggers work on different platforms.
It is an incredibly flexible job, as I can do it from anywhere and all I need is the internet. If I have a really busy day with other responsibilities then I will catch up on my VA work in the evening. I also do not need to do it every day (although I do for the most part). I can schedule things to happen on days but not actually do it that day (e.g., social media posts). There is no day that looks the same, which makes it a fun job. |
Does being a woman affect any aspect of your career?
No, it does not. You do not have to be a woman to do this.
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What is the best thing about your job?
It is flexible. I can do it from anywhere since all I need is the internet. I have also learned so many things, gained a lot of experience, and connected with some wonderful people.
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What is the worst thing about your job?
You do not always have enough work, and have to seek out more opportunity yourself. It is not a typical 9-5 job where you show up and get paid whether or not the day was very busy. I do not mind this aspect of the job, but it can be unpredictable at times (at least until you are well established with a couple good, reliable clients).
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How demanding is your job?
It is not very demanding, but does take time. It is important to take time and do the job well, but it is not a job that will keep you up at night. (At least it shouldn't.)
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Do you have any advancement opportunities?
Yes, I can advance, for example, by taking on more clients, establishing a business to help others find VA work, using my experience to connect bloggers/business owners with VAs, or training people who want to become a VA.
At some point, I will definitely take the next step and expand this position. At this point, though, my focus is not fully my VA position because I am doing other things as well. When these other things end, I will take the next step, and further my career and position as a VA. |
Advice for You
What are the skills, characteristics, or talents that are most important to be effective in your position?
Being organized, creative, attentive, willing to learn, sociable, knowledgeable in social media, and blogging, knowledgeable in a few social media platforms and scheduling tools, and determination to not give up.
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What advice would you give to someone thinking about pursuing a career like yours?
Often times I hear people say, "Well, I am not experienced enough and don't know what I have to offer." My response is this: if you have/had a blog, even if it is new, you have something to offer. You know how social media works and have at least a basic understanding of at least one blogging platform. The most important part of this job is the willingness to learn and research when you do not know the answer. I am learning all the time (new things, new programs, better ways to do things, etc.). And when I don't know something, I spend time with my trusty friend Google to find others who do know.
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If you could do it over again, would you still pursue the same career?
Yes! If I could do it over again, I would pursue this first and would have skipped other things. Although those other positions in the past gave me more confidence to reach out to people and network effectively, I would have much rather started with this from the beginning.
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Follow Up
Want to learn more?
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