As entrepreneurs, time is our most valuable commodity. That’s why we should always look for ways to free up more time to focus our attention on the areas that can help us grow our business. If you’re currently swamped with various admin tasks, it may be time to hire an office assistant who has the skills to take care of those things for you.
Office assistants work behind the scenes to ensure that everything is running smoothly in the workplace, and they work in nearly every industry. They are expected to carry out all sorts of clerical and organizational tasks. These duties include performing data entry, managing email, conducting research, answering and transferring phone calls, maintaining files, coordinating and scheduling appointments, drafting and proofreading correspondence, and performing other administrative support tasks.
If you look at the tasks listed above, you will see that an office assistant has to develop the skills needed to be a jack of all trades. In this section, we’ll go over each of the skills that are crucial for an office assistant.
1. Multitasking
The ability to multitask is essential in this role since office assistants are expected to handle a wide range of day-to-day tasks. The ideal candidate has to be able to move from one task to another without losing focus, and sometimes, he/she may even have to tackle several tasks simultaneously.
You’d want to get someone who would not panic when the workload was heavy, so don’t forget to ask applicants if they have any experience with multitasking in their previous jobs. Find out how they handled those situations because you need to know if they can keep calm under pressure while they juggle many different priorities and tasks start piling up.
Ask them a question like, “Can you explain a time when you had to multitask? What made multitasking a requirement in that situation?” This will help you find out how well they organize their time and prioritize which task to do first.
If done right, multitasking can be an effective way of getting things done.
2. Interpersonal skills
Since an office assistant will come in contact with a wide array of personalities on a daily basis, he/she needs to have strong interpersonal skills to succeed in the role.
Interpersonal skills range from emotional intelligence to empathy. These skills help an office assistant interact with others effectively, and one of the most important skills in any job is communication.
Office assistants have to communicate effectively both verbally and non-verbally, especially when they are going to be taking calls and writing emails. They need to understand the rules of grammar, punctuation, and spelling because you don’t want things to get lost in translation when people can’t understand what they’re trying to say. Also, communication is more than just talking. It also involves listening and carefully choosing your words to say what you mean.
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3. Organization
This is a skill that every office assistant should have because they are supposed to make sure that everything is in order in the workplace. They have to be organized because they are going to be handling a lot of files and information.
If you are a person who tends to waste precious seconds being unorganized, you really have to get someone to keep things on track. Remember, an organized person spends less time correcting mistakes. That means more time is saved to do more productive things.
4. Technology
Office assistants have to be tech-savvy. They should know how to use Microsoft Office apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, scheduling tools like Calendly, collaboration software like Slack or Trello, and file hosting applications like OneDrive, Google Drive, and Dropbox. Employers will also have to train office assistants to use their company’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.
5. Time Management
Office assistants should be good at time management. They should be able to analyze their workload and prioritize to determine where their time is best spent to get everything done on schedule.
Here’s a good question to ask during an interview if you want to know more about a candidate’s time management skill, “What are your strategies for managing your time when dealing with multiple urgent tasks simultaneously?” Aside from time management, you’ll also get to know more about their ability to multitask and stay organized.
6. Problem Solving
Wouldn’t it be nice to have an assistant who can solve problems before they become bigger issues? Problems at the workplace are inevitable so an office assistant has to learn how to analyze the situation, consider the available options, and come up with a solution to the problem.
So those are the must-have skills for an office assistant. Now, there are many office assistants in the United States with these skills, but they earn around $12 to $17 an hour. That’s why a lot of entrepreneurs choose to outsource to an agency or a freelancer overseas.
Did you know that you can easily find someone to fill that role for around $3 an hour? You don’t believe us? Try to look for an office assistant on this site for virtual workers from the Philippines. You’ll even find applicants who are willing to take less than $3 an hour, but they probably don’t have much experience.
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The OnlineJobs.ph website is a great place to look for an affordable virtual office assistant if you don’t mind doing the recruiting and training yourself. But if you don’t have the time to do that, you can always reach out to the dozens of outsourcing agencies out there. Take a look at Virtual Staff Finder, VA Staffer, or TaskBullet if you decide to go this route because they have access to a large database of qualified professionals from the Philippines.
So why the Philippines? Well, we prefer to hire from the Philippines because aside from the affordable rates, Filipino virtual workers are usually college-educated and they speak fluent English.
If you have any questions on how to find the right office assistant just message us. Maybe we can help you.
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