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Virtual Assistant Jobs for Beginners: How to Find Work (FAST)

Virtual Assistant Jobs for Beginners: How to Find Work (FAST)

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Looking for virtual assistant jobs for beginners?

I don’t blame you. 

Working as a virtual assistant has become more attractive than ever. 

Virtual assistant gigs come in all shapes and sizes, and there is literally something for everyone. 

✔️ Want to set your own schedule? Go for it.
✔️ Want a job that lets you work while traveling? Many VAs do exactly this.
✔️ Want to work for a range of clients on a variety of projects? It’s almost impossible to get bored as a VA. 

There’s just one problem.

How do you land virtual assistant jobs without experience?

That, my friend, is exactly what we’ll cover today.

Let’s dive in.

Where to find virtual assistant jobs for beginners

There are LOADS of ways to find virtual assistant jobs online. 

Especially now that the pandemic has changed many previously in-house administrative jobs to permanently remote positions. 

There are three major ways to find VA work fast:

  1. Job boards
  2. Networking
  3. Virtual assistant agencies

If you’re just getting started, I recommend testing out all these options. 

The more lines you have in the client pond, the more fish you’ll catch. 

Discover 100+ virtual assistant service ideas you can start offering clients today

Stuck on what your niche should be? Wondering how you can stack your services to charge more? This mega list of VA service ideas has you covered.

Can you land virtual assistant jobs with no experience?

laptop on a table with a cup of coffee

You don’t need any sort of certification or experience to start working as a virtual assistant. 

That said, just because you don’t technically need experience doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have experience.

It’ll certainly make your job hunt easier.

Most clients will want proof that you know what you’re doing before hiring you, which is where your portfolio comes in. 

For portfolio pieces, consider helping out a friend or just making “samples” of your work.

There are also several free and paid virtual assistant courses that help you create a “real” portfolio as part of the course. 

While not required, these types of courses also often teach more advanced skills you can use to charge more as a virtual assistant. 

That said, if you’re on a tight budget, you can also take a free intro course to start on the right foot. 

Companies that offer virtual assistant jobs online

The world is overflowing with companies that hire VAs, but not all of them hire noobies. 

Let’s start by focusing on those that offer virtual assistant jobs for students and beginners. 

These aren’t necessarily the highest-paying virtual assistant jobs, but they aren’t the lowest-paying either. 

For better virtual assistant rates, use VA sites that hire US virtual assistants (if you’re eligible). 

If you sign up for a site that outsources to virtual assistants in India, your rates will take a hit.

That said, when you’re brand spankin’ new, don’t stress too much about rates. 

Your ultimate goal should be to get your foot in the door, build your portfolio, and start working your way up the ladder.

Just avoid staying at the bottom rung of the ladder for too long. 

1. VaVa Virtual Assistants

screenshot vava website

VaVa Virtual Assistants is an agency that hires US-based virtual assistants. 

When you join VaVa, you’ll get matched up with clients who need the skills you offer.

Don’t know which skills to offer? Here’s a mega list of all your options:

Discover 100+ virtual assistant service ideas you can start offering clients today

Stuck on what your niche should be? Wondering how you can stack your services to charge more? This mega list of VA service ideas has you covered.

You can see the exact skills they’re currently looking for on the Careers page. 

At the time of writing, it looks like they need executive assistants, bookkeepers, social media managers, graphic designers, and content writers. 

2. Zirtual

screenshot zirtual jobs

Zirtual is another agency that matches companies with US-based virtual assistants. 

These agency options are great for new virtual assistants who don’t want to have to actively hunt for clients by themselves. 

It lets you focus on paid work and portfolio building instead of constant outreach. 

To see their open virtual assistant positions, check out the Zirtual Jobs page. 

3. Vicky Virtual 

screenshot vicky website

Vicky Virtual is a company that provides US-based “virtual receptionists” for businesses that need help managing phone calls. 

This is a potential option for people looking for virtual assistant jobs from home that don’t mind helping people over the phone. 

In addition to handling calls, you’ll also be in charge of scheduling appointments.

There aren’t many first-hand reviews from actual employees online, but it’s worth a shot for beginners — especially since they do not require any experience. 

4. Byron

screenshot of byron homepage

Byron hires VAs to do administrative work for companies. 

The company is super flexible, allowing you to choose the types of projects you’re interested in. 

You can also work as much or as little as you want, from 1 to 160 hours per month. 

This flexibility and range of projects make it a perfect opportunity for anyone looking for full or part-time virtual assistant jobs for beginners. 

5. Okay Relax

screenshot okay relax website

Okay Relax is similar to the other agencies, but they’re not just for companies. 

They also serve anyone who could use some extra help — from a family trying to plan a vacation to a student researching the best computer to buy.

Unlike many of the other companies mentioned, Okay Relax outsources to the Philippines and other countries. 

That doesn’t mean Americans can’t apply, but it does mean the pay won’t be as high.

Because of this, it only makes sense if you are (1) living abroad with a cheaper cost of living, or (2) just trying to build your portfolio.

Virtual assistant job sites to avoid 

If you’ve been scouring Google for leads on “virtual assistant jobs for beginners”, you’ve likely come across some bad advice.

Some blogs recommend looking for jobs on virtual assistant websites that are complete and utter crap.

One example commonly recommended is Fancy Hands.

screenshot of glassdoor reviews of fancy hands virtual assistant jobs for beginners

If you take the time to look up reviews for this company, you’ll think twice about applying. 

Moral of the story — don’t waste your time signing up for anything without taking a second to dig up any dirt on the company. 

This will help avoid those pesky virtual assistant scams floating around the internet.

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The best job boards to find VA work online

Working for agencies takes the client-finding burden off your shoulders, but it also means you’re sacrificing a chunk of your pay.

If you want to earn more by working directly with your clients, you can find virtual assistant jobs online on various job boards. 

Here are some good places to start. 

6. Flexjobs

Flexjobs is a curated job board focused on remote work and flexible online jobs. 

This makes it a perfect fit for finding virtual assistant jobs for beginners. 

Flexjobs charges a small monthly fee to use their platform, but they also offer a satisfaction guarantee. 

So if you don’t have luck finding a job, you can request a refund. 

Part of this fee goes towards filtering out all the “crap” from the job listings that you often see on other free job boards. 

All job listings pass their vetting process, so you know you’re applying to legit positions. 

7. Freelancing marketplaces (Upwork, Fiverr, etc.)

Freelancing marketplaces like Upwork and Fiverr are ripe with opportunities for no experience virtual assistant jobs. 

On Upwork, you bid on job opportunities against other freelancers. 

This makes it quite competitive, but you’d be surprised at how horrible most freelancer applications are. If you put in some effort, it’s not hard to stand out. 

That said, before getting started, I recommend checking out this article on whether Upwork is worth it or not

On Fiverr, you create a profile offering your services, and clients find you. 

Clients are more likely to choose freelancers with reviews, so sell a few gigs to your friends, and have them leave you a review.

On both of these platforms, you can find both one-off and recurring gigs. 

One-off gigs are great for building your portfolio. But eventually, you’ll want something more stable. 

8. Major online job sites

Don’t overlook major job sites like Indeed and Ziprecruiter for finding virtual assistant work. 

You usually have to filter through spammy listings to find the gold gems, but opportunity abounds. 

Make sure to take advantage of the different filters to quickly laser in the type of position you’re looking for.

You can also upload your resume so employers can find you when they search for candidates with your skill set. 

Other effective ways to find VA work

notebook with phone and laptop

Agencies and job boards generally attract a lot of competition. 

If you prefer a more sniper approach to finding work, these strategies all involve less competition.

9. Take a VA course

Many VA courses include memberships to groups where exclusive VA jobs are posted. 

Oftentimes, these opportunities aren’t found on other job boards because companies are looking for VAs trained by a specific program. 

The obvious downside to this strategy is that it costs money to buy a VA course. 

But it all depends on how you look at it. 

If it means learning skills that allow you to charge more and having access to a steady stream of VA opportunities, these courses usually pay for themselves. 

For example, I recently created a review of Virtual Excellence Academy, a popular VA course. The course creator, Hannah, runs a separate business helping business owners match with qualified VAs.

So if you decided to take her course and become one of her most active students, she would notice. That would be a good position to be in.

10. Make a website

Don’t want to scour through job postings or hunt clients? 

No problem. Let them come to you.

Creating a virtual assistant website is a long-term strategy that requires front-loaded effort. But it can pay off in the long run. 

Your website acts as your portfolio, resume, and sales page — all in one.

Just the act of creating a good-looking website proves to clients you know what you’re doing. 

The same goes for a professional-looking Instagram account, Youtube channel, or other social media account. 

Keep in mind that just because you create a website doesn’t mean clients will automatically find it. You’ll also have to create content to draw them in.

11. Warm and cold outreach

This is the ultimate sniper approach.

Make a list of companies that use VAs that you want to work for. Then reach out to them directly.

That could be via email, LinkedIn, social media, or whatever other medium makes the most sense for the particular company. 

Cold outreach involves offering your services to people who have no clue who you are. 

Warm outreach involves first getting on their radar to “warm them up”, then offering your services. 

Warm outreach involves significantly more effort, but also leads to more conversions. 

Another idea is to join Facebook groups full of your target clients. For example, if you want to be a VA for a blogger, join a bloggers group and start networking your butt off. 

Just remember — be helpful, not spammy. 

How to stand out as a beginner virtual assistant?

person working online

There are TONS of virtual assistants out there, but not all virtual assistants are good virtual assistants. 

Your number one objective should be proving to potential clients that you will make their life easier, not harder. 

Go above and beyond. 

Let me give you one example. 

One day, this brilliant human named Kayla wrote a guest post for me about how to become a Pinterest manager

Normally, guest posters do the bare minimum. It’s one reason I don’t bother with them anymore.

But not Kayla. 

As you can see from that article, Kayla went WAY above and beyond.

Simply seeing the quality of her work made me wish I had room in my budget to hire her as a VA (and I don’t even use Pinterest!). 

With so many lazy people out there, it’s easy to stand out if you’re a go-getter.

Be like Kayla, and you’ll have VA work in no time. 

Virtual assistant skills in high demand

General admin tasks like email management, blog post formatting, research, and form-filling jobs will always be in demand. 

But since most types of virtual assistants already know how to do these things, the bar to entry is extremely low. 

If you want to take your virtual assistant career to the next level and start earning more, you’ll need to start specializing in higher-value skills.

Not only will this make you more valuable to potential clients, but the more skills you know, the harder you are to replace.

And the harder you are to replace, the easier it is to get what you want.

Here are some ideas and free resources to get you started:

These are by no means a list of all the virtual assistant service ideas you can offer. For 100+ more ideas, check out this free resource

Alrighty, I know that was information overload, but just remember — one step at a time.

Before you know it, you’ll have regular clients under your belt, enjoying the freedom that the “virtual assistant life” offers.

Time to roll up those sleeves and get to work!

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Going Cheap Flights Newsletter - Get flight deals from your airport up to 90% off sent straight to your inbox.
Safetywing Insurance - This cheap travel insurance has saved me over $15,000 in medical bills.
Booking.com - Book accommodation without adding your credit card (in case you need to cancel).
Trusted House Sitters - Take care of pets in exchange for free (sometimes luxury) accommodation.
Flexjobs - Find remote jobs without having to sift through crappy ones.
Skillshare - Free trial to take unlimited classes that teach digital nomad skills.
Wise - Send and receive money abroad cheaply (great for freelancers).

John Joel Anonuevo

Friday 18th of August 2023

These practical job suggestions and insightful tips are a great asset for individuals new to the virtual assistant world. It's a fantastic resource that provides clear direction and motivation for beginners looking to kickstart their journey.

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