Is Being a Virtual Assistant for You?

The rise of the Internet is affecting the job market and traditional roles. Employees can now work remotely while maintaining complete communications with their offices and managers, and work-at-home entrepreneurs can hire virtual assistants to help them with the workload of owning and operating their own business.

So how do you know if you’re a good fit for a virtual assistant position? Your ability to work remotely, your work morale and ethic, and your attention span are all great indicators of what you can expect of your performance.

Working remotely is hard. Without the formal environment of an office, even on casual Fridays, you are more prone to distraction and wasting time on social media than ever before. Without the all-seeing eyes of your boss, it can be tough to keep yourself on a rigid schedule that mimics the office work morale you’re used to. However, working from home also has its advantages, which include working in your pajamas, snacking from the fridge and listening to music as loud as you want.

As a virtual administrative assistant, it's up largely up to you to find work and clients. Though there are many online platforms available that can help hook you up with people looking for an online assistant, some of them may require a fee or commission in return for finding you work. Likewise, a lot of these platforms essentially act as your employer, which may defeat the purpose of working on your own.

If you’re looking to become your own boss, setting your own pay and hours, you should have the drive and motivation to find work – otherwise, you spend a lot of time not working. If you're okay with working under a company that contracts out virtual assistants, you can get steady work at the cost of set hours and a possible fee or commission.

Becoming a virtual administrative assistant is obviously not for you if you have a hard time meeting deadlines or completing projects in an office environment. Working remotely means you have to hold yourself accountable and manage your time efficiently. If you can’t do these things under the supervision of a manager, who can reprimand wasting time or incomplete projects, you're probably going to have an even tougher time getting things done without the threat of punishment looming over you. If your work ethic could use some fine tuning, consider becoming an in-office assistant before venturing out into a virtual assistant role.

Virtual assistants are on the rise as companies and entrepreneurs begin to realize that they can hire assistants online without having to pay for an office space or a place for these assistants to work. Your time management skills, work ethic and ideal office environment are good starting points in determining whether virtual assistance is the right field for you.

Image courtesy of David Martyn Hunt on Flickr.com