by Alex A. Kecskes
The number of Americans whose employer allows them to work remotely continues to rise sharply. (See the growing statistics on Telework Research Network.) In these hard economic times, overhead is a critical factor in a company's budget and office space is an expense that continues to eat into profits. This is why more companies are adopting telecommuting for many positions.
Administrative assistants have been able to dovetail nicely into this trend. Known widely as virtual assistants, these home-based administrative assistants use their office experience and computer skills to handle many of today's administrative tasks. This is because the skills they bring to a company don't have to be physically "brought to the office." Instead, with today's blackberries, laptops, iPhones and other mobile tools, administrative assistants can fully support their employers offsite.
As a virtual assistant, you'll be busy with a wide range of tasks. Some days, you may spend your time writing blogs, setting up wordpress entries, and managing your boss' Facebook profile. Other days may involve drafting and sending press releases, doing some bookkeeping on an Excel spreadsheet, and arranging hotel accommodations and airline flights. You may also be asked to update your company's website, send out newsletters, managing email, set up meeting schedules and luncheon appointments, and even order gifts or groceries online.
As a virtual assistant, you'll usually spend some time in the headquarters office initially. This is so you can meet and greet all the key personnel you'll be interfacing with, and to get a leg up on all the company's systems and technology. It's also not uncommon for virtual assistants to spend a day or so at the office once a month to "plug into" the latest changes in people, software and procedures. People like to see whose at the other end of the blackberry once in a while.
As a freelance writer who works in a virtual environment, I often meet the people I work with, even if it's just a quick chat via Skype.
For more information on administrative jobs, check out:
http://www.administrativejobsblog.com/
Alex A. Kecskes has written hundreds of published articles on health/fitness, "green" issues, TV/film entertainment, restaurant reviews and many other topics. As a former Andy/Belding/One Show ad agency copywriter, he also writes web content, ads, brochures, sales letters, mailers and scripts for national B2B and B2C clients.
The number of Americans whose employer allows them to work remotely continues to rise sharply. (See the growing statistics on Telework Research Network.) In these hard economic times, overhead is a critical factor in a company's budget and office space is an expense that continues to eat into profits. This is why more companies are adopting telecommuting for many positions.
Administrative assistants have been able to dovetail nicely into this trend. Known widely as virtual assistants, these home-based administrative assistants use their office experience and computer skills to handle many of today's administrative tasks. This is because the skills they bring to a company don't have to be physically "brought to the office." Instead, with today's blackberries, laptops, iPhones and other mobile tools, administrative assistants can fully support their employers offsite.
As a virtual assistant, you'll be busy with a wide range of tasks. Some days, you may spend your time writing blogs, setting up wordpress entries, and managing your boss' Facebook profile. Other days may involve drafting and sending press releases, doing some bookkeeping on an Excel spreadsheet, and arranging hotel accommodations and airline flights. You may also be asked to update your company's website, send out newsletters, managing email, set up meeting schedules and luncheon appointments, and even order gifts or groceries online.
As a virtual assistant, you'll usually spend some time in the headquarters office initially. This is so you can meet and greet all the key personnel you'll be interfacing with, and to get a leg up on all the company's systems and technology. It's also not uncommon for virtual assistants to spend a day or so at the office once a month to "plug into" the latest changes in people, software and procedures. People like to see whose at the other end of the blackberry once in a while.
As a freelance writer who works in a virtual environment, I often meet the people I work with, even if it's just a quick chat via Skype.
For more information on administrative jobs, check out:
http://www.administrativejobsblog.com/
Alex A. Kecskes has written hundreds of published articles on health/fitness, "green" issues, TV/film entertainment, restaurant reviews and many other topics. As a former Andy/Belding/One Show ad agency copywriter, he also writes web content, ads, brochures, sales letters, mailers and scripts for national B2B and B2C clients.
Become a member to take advantage of more features, like commenting and voting.
Register or sign in today!