What Skills Do You Need To Be A Virtual Assistant?

The skills a virtual assistant needs are both specific and diverse. 

A virtual assistant is an independent professional who provides critical support services from a remote environment.  They can help a company with a wide variety of tasks, and are able to vastly improve a business’s productivity by providing support in any and all areas, from administrative and technical functions to marketing and creative work. 

Because of this variety, it is difficult to pinpoint precisely which specific skills a virtual assistant will need. But there are critical strengths every virtual assistant should cultivate that will best position them for success. 

WHO ARE VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS?

Statistics from a 2020 study suggest that over 82% of virtual assistants are female. The majority of virtual assistants are in their 30s and 40s, and over 50% have bachelor’s degrees.

A virtual assistant is brought on part-time or full-time, paid hourly, or by the project as needs arise. Some virtual assistants run their own business, marketing themselves for work on places like Indeed or LinkedIn and connecting with business owners and managers independently. They take on clients and projects as they arise and fit within their self-managed schedule. Or a virtual assistant can be part of an agency like Freedom Makers, which maintains a pool of talented, vetted virtual assistants. Agencies connect with businesses and entrepreneurs who have identified the need for a virtual assistant and then serve as a matchmaker, finding the best-qualified virtual assistant for the job that needs to get done. The agency does the leg work to find the virtual assistant with the suitable skillset and experience.

All virtual assistants work offsite, often from their own home, and typically provide and pay for their computer equipment, software programs, and internet service. Business owners who engage virtual assistants share privileges and passwords a virtual assistant needs to remotely access drives, documents, calendars, spreadsheets, the backside of websites, etc. 

VIRTUAL ASSISTANT TREE ANALOGY

When considering what skills a virtual assistant needs to be successful, picture a thriving oak tree.

The roots of a well-established tree hold it in place and cultivate the nutrients needed by the rest of the system from the soil surrounding them. The tree’s trunk is healthy and strong as it grows and expands. The trunk’s main task is to remain stalwart through every condition and serve as a consistent conduit from the roots to the branches. The branches of the tree reach upward and outward, adjusting as they grow and constantly adapting so the tree can reach its full potential.

Applying the tree analogy to a virtual assistant:

• The roots are the foundational and critical strengths a virtual assistant needs to anchor themselves in their career choice. The roots are a virtual assistant’s mindset.
  
  
• The trunk is the solid pathway from those critical strengths to the branches.  The trunk ensures the conditions are set for a virtual assistant to grow and thrive. The trunk houses a virtual assistant’s determination and strength as well as the actual physical environment they operate from.
  
  
• The tree branches are the virtual assistant themselves! The branches are fed by the roots and the trunk and spring out into every support area a business might need. The branches continuously grow by cultivating tactical skills so they can best contribute to their client’s success. 

THE ROOTS OF A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

A virtual assistant must be rooted in a strong foundation and have a growth mindset. 

A virtual assistant’s roots must consist of a specific mix of practical skills and intangible qualities that are strong and tenacious under every circumstance, helping guarantee success. 

Those skills include:

TIME MANAGEMENT EXPERTISE

A virtual assistant must have stellar time management skills, along with excellent organizational and multitasking abilities. Because they work from home, in typically a solitary environment, a virtual assistant must be self-motivated. They must have the ability to work with minimal supervision and still be driven and determined to deliver their work on time and error-free.

INDEPENDENT LEARNING ENTHUSIASM

A virtual assistant must be enthusiastic about independent learning. Each client will expect their virtual assistant to adapt to their unique work environment and learn their company’s specific platforms and ways of operating. A virtual assistant must be willing and eager to train to new skills - or update outdated ones. Doing so will help them stay relevant and competitive in a landscape that constantly shifts and changes.

ADAPTABLE FLEXIBILITY

Virtual assistants must be flexible. Changing deadlines, fluctuating cash flows, increases or decreases in sales volume - these are the challenges many businesses face as they gain a foothold in their marketplace. Being adaptable and resilient are vital components of building a successful virtual assistant career.

COMPETENT COMMUNICATION

Virtual assistants must be clear and continual communicators with their clients to best carry out their duties. They must be curious! If there is a question or doubt, virtual assistants must be proactive in obtaining the answer and information to help them succeed. Virtual assistants must also be honest about their ability to perform the duties needed and exude confidence through proven success to get the job done.

DEDICATED TRANSPARENCY

Time is money! Virtual assistants must be transparent and track their progress for their clients. Keeping a log and providing a report will allow both the virtual assistant and the client to know where and how they spend their time. The goal of a virtual assistant is to add value. Successful virtual assistants do this by focusing solely on the tasks at hand when they “clock in” and work without distractions. 

CONSCIENTIOUS CARING 

Perhaps the skill a virtual assistant needs most to be successful is that they must care about their client’s needs and genuinely want to contribute to their success. Completing the smallest of tasks with a keen eye for detail and being accountable for the quantity and quality of the work they produce is an essential element of being a successful virtual assistant. Therefore, virtual assistants should always be resourceful when handling aspects of their client’s business, and they should possess the passion, determination, and perseverance to work within dynamic environments. 

THE TRUNK OF A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

The tree’s trunk is the core that delivers and enriches the nutrients from the foundation to the rest of the system. A healthy and thriving trunk allows a tree to grow and reach its greatest potential. 

A virtual assistant’s ‘trunk’ is the established and steady set of conditions that provide a vital channel for their practical skills and intangible qualities to reach their branches. 

Specifically:

• Education and Experience: All virtual assistants must have a high school diploma or GED. Most virtual assistants (including those at Freedom Makers) have associate’s or bachelor’s degrees and/or advanced certifications. Virtual assistants must also be comfortable and familiar with the many current workplace technologies that make remote work possible and seek ways to self-train. 
  
  
• Home Office: All virtual assistants must have a computer and a reliable, fast internet connection to execute their tasks. They also must have a quiet, dedicated workspace and possess professional decorum. A virtual assistant should equip their home office space with items that make working remotely possible and comfortable. Many virtual assistants invest in powerful laptops with high processing speeds, updated operating software, and headphones for meetings and video calls. Many also purchase a second monitor for their computing system so that they can have multiple tabs open simultaneously for cross-referencing and ease of use. Of course, any home office would not be complete without pens, paper, highlighters, and other staples that make organization easier.
  
  
• Independent Mindset: A virtual assistant must manage their own hours, including taking personal days to reset and handle personal business. Business owners who engage a virtual assistant do not pay the same taxes they would for a full-time employee, nor do they provide medical or dental healthcare or paid vacation leave. A virtual assistant is a freelance contractor who typically files a 1099 form to pay taxes. No state or federal income taxes, social security, or Medicare taxes are taken out of what a virtual assistant earns. They are solely responsible for paying self-employment tax. There are specific costs 1099 workers can deduct from their self-employment income taxes, so every virtual assistant must have a general understanding of the tax code or have an accountant help them file appropriately. 

THE VIRTUAL ASSISTANT AS A BRANCH

The branches of a tree shoot off from the trunk in all directions looking for access to direct sunlight. 

A tree’s branches can symbolize the individualized path a virtual assistant takes. 

A virtual assistant, like a branch, chooses to work and stretch into areas that best complement their interests. It is here a virtual assistant works to obtain the specific tactical skills they need to do work that is meaningful to them. 

Because each virtual assistant’s career path is unique to them, not every virtual assistant will need the same set of skills.  Which skills they need will depend on what tasks they do. 

Virtual assistants execute tasks that include, but are not limited to:

• Daily office functions like making/receiving phone calls
• Appointment scheduling
• Calendar management
• Making travel arrangements
• Managing email accounts
• Blog writing
• Bookkeeping
• Social media engagement and scheduling
• Graphic design
• Website content management and design services
• Marketing services
• Research
• Project coordination
• Event management
• Customer Relations Management (CRM) / Database support

Every virtual assistant should have relevant and relatable professional experience in the role they fulfill for a client.  For instance, if a virtual assistant supports a business in their customer service area, they must have a skill set that involves working directly with people.  Having empathy, exemplary communication skills, being versed in conflict resolution, and having persuasive speaking skills are some of the necessary skills a customer service virtual assistant should cultivate.  Having creative, visual design skills is vital for graphic or website work. Attention to detail and an enjoyment of process are critical skills when supporting a business with CRM, research, bookkeeping, or calendar management.

Virtual assistants also support specialized fields like real estate transactions, medical coding or transcription, paralegal work, and accounting. These virtual assistants have or gather the niche-specific skills that will help them best support their business owners.

Virtual assistants with strong skills, experience or interest and desire in a particular area will best position them to integrate into existing workflows and begin providing value for the client without additional training.

Additionally, all virtual assistants must know or learn the tools available to make working from a remote location possible in today’s fast-moving business environment. These technical skills can be specific to the areas of support the virtual assistant specializes in and include:

• Scheduling apps like Calendly, Google Calendar, Honeybook, etc.
• File sharing apps like Google Suite, Dropbox, Huddle, etc.
• Communication and collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom, DocuSign, etc.
• Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.
• Graphic image development tools like Canva, PicMonkey, etc.
• Project management tools like Asana, monday.com, Trello, Basecamp, etc.

The best way for a virtual assistant to have the tools they need is to determine what areas they are best suited for and enjoy, and then work to build their skillset with that specific area in mind.

VIRTUAL ASSISTANT SKILLS

The most successful virtual assistants have a rich and diverse set of skills. With a growth mindset, they can branch out into all areas of interest, acquiring the specific skills they might need by seeking out education and training opportunities, completing certificate programs, and honing their skills with practice. Because practical skills and inherent qualities anchor them, there are no limits to how far they can go.