As a bootstrapping entrepreneur, it is necessary to handle a lot of the work yourself when you’re starting a business on a shoestring budget. However, there will come a time when you will find yourself getting stressed out because all the tasks are starting to pile up, and the phone won’t stop ringing. If you’re starting to feel like you can’t breathe, it may be time to find yourself a virtual administrative assistant to support you.
A virtual administrative assistant can do a lot of things that free up your time. She is responsible for a variety of administrative and clerical tasks, including maintaining your calendar, preparing reports and presentations, scheduling meetings and appointments, making travel arrangements, taking calls and messages, performing basic bookkeeping duties, conducting research, and assisting in other daily office needs.
Those are just some of the things that a virtual administrative assistant can do for you. Of course, their duties will also depend on the industry in which they are employed, so you will see some virtual administrative assistants doing tasks like transcribing medical reports if they are working in the health sector. Some of them are even tasked with handling their companies’ social media accounts.
The answer to this question is quite simple – you can save a lot of money if you outsource this role. Take another look at the things that a virtual administrative assistant is expected to do. As you can see, these tasks can be performed remotely, so you can easily get someone from the other side of the globe for this role.
Instead of paying $15-$20 an hour for an administrative assistant in the US, you can find one who is willing to take much less. In fact, the average salary of a full-time virtual administrative assistant from the Philippines is only around $500. That’s just a little over $3 per hour. Every dollar counts when you’re a bootstrapped startup, so this is a viable option.
Of course, you can always go for an in-house administrative assistant if you prefer to have someone physically present in your office. It’s completely up to you.
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1) Multitasking – Since a virtual administrative assistant is going to handling a wide range of day-to-day tasks, the ability to multitask is vital for someone in this role. She has to be comfortable in moving from one task to another.
2) Organized – An administrative professional has to be highly organized. After all, part of her job is to make sure that everything is in order. She has to have this skill if she’s maintaining your calendar and scheduling meetings for you.
3) Verbal Communication – Being able to communicate effectively is a crucial skill for virtual administrative assistants. Your assistant should be able to communicate well verbally if she will be taking calls and talk to clients on your behalf.
4) Written Communication – This is important, especially if you’re going to ask your assistant to compose emails. She needs to know proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
5) Time Management – Virtual administrative assistants should be able to analyze their workload and manage their time so they can finish their tasks on time. Since their to-do lists are usually full, the ability to prioritize things and allocate their time correctly is vital. Make sure your administrative assistant has this skill if she is going to manage your calendar for you.
6) Attention To Detail – This is an important skill to have for someone who will be handling a lot of documents. Even the tiniest mistake can have a huge impact on a task. Of course, this is not limited to catching errors. Attention to detail is needed as well in tasks like scheduling meetings and making travel arrangements.
7) Adept in Technology – Since they handle a wide range of duties, virtual administrative assistants have to be tech-savvy. They must know how to use collaboration software like Slack or Trello, file hosting software like Google Drive and OneDrive, and Microsoft Office applications like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. If your assistant is managing your calendar, she should know how to use a scheduling tool like Calendly and Google Calendar as well.
8) Problem Solving – Having someone who can help you troubleshoot issues and solve problems is a huge plus. This is an indispensable skill for a virtual administrative assistant. Someone with this skill can help you keep things running as smoothly and efficiently as possible in the workplace.
9) Resourcefulness – For virtual administrative assistants, the ability to improvise is one of the best skills they can have. They may not know how to do everything you want them to do, but resourceful assistants will find a way to get them done.
10) Calm Under Pressure – Since administrative assistants are expected to juggle many different priorities, they should remain calm when tasks start piling up. This helps them prioritize which one to work on first so they can organize their time.
Because of the affordable rates, the Philippines is a great place to find a virtual administrative assistant. Aside from that, Filipinos also have excellent English communication skills, so working together should be easy.
There are plenty of agencies that can provide you with an assistant or help you find one, but that’s going to cost a little extra. There are many job sites for Filipino virtual workers if you prefer to do the recruiting yourself. With over 500,000 resumes in their database, OnlineJobs.ph is by far the largest online job site in the Philippines. That’s a good place to find a suitable candidate for the role. Just create a free account and post a job ad.
The free account only enables you to go through the applications you receive. You need to upgrade to a paid plan ($69 a month) if you want to communicate with the applicants on OnlineJobs.ph. But once you’re done hiring, you can just cancel your subscription.
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