Now I am not a VA myself, but I have 5 VAs working for me full time. I think I know enough now how to be a successful VA.
I'll be laying out very basic stuff, I'm not a guru. But I've seen people applying for VA jobs here on BHW and I'm not sure how some of you are scoring jobs with a very uninterested tone of talking and no pro activeness.
PS. I'm not hiring VAs here, nor do I give details about my VAs because they work full time for me, so please don't message me for this.
1. Language
As rude as it may sound, if your English is not good, you're already rejected. If your initial communication with a potential employer is in broken English then there's a good chance you're not going to get selected. Knowing English is not that of a big deal if you're happy in your own country doing local jobs. But when you want to work with people from other countries, you'll need to have good communication skills.
2. Ethics
Before hiring my current set of VAs, I've gone through at least 10 VAs who had no work ethic, they just wanted to run down their time for quick money. Please understand this, someone who's hiring you is not sitting on unlimited amount of money. If you waste their time, you'll get kicked out. It could've been a long term employment for you. Do not take your employer for granted.
3. Be pro-active
If you score a job that requires XYZ skills then don't just stop learning new skills. As a VA your job may not be permanent. You may need more skills to score more jobs or even move up the ladder in your current one. Be pro active and keep learning new skills. As an example, my VAs run Instagram accounts for me and content was my responsibility but after a few months they message me and say they can do the content part as they've been learning graphic designing for a few months. I gave them a 1 week trial and they did a fantastic job. I increased their pay and got rid of another responsibility for myself. A win-win. You'll be appreciated for your pro-activeness, don't just aim to run down 8 hours a day just to secure your basic pay.
4. Have basic tools ready
You'll need to have basic tools that you may need for your job. Like a laptop or a phone. Of course if the job requires a special set of tools, the employer will provide that to you. But I've seen people applying for jobs with no computer. They say they'll buy one when they secure a job. Please understand a VA job is not a regular job, don't expect your employer to buy you a computer, that beats the whole purpose of being a VA.
5. Be open to criticism and also give your own ideas and feedback
Be open to criticism and don't be a snowflake. I've had a VA resign from the job because he couldn't take criticism. Of course if your employer is making life hard for you for no reason then move on but do learn to take critical feedback and improve on what you're lacking. Also, don't act like an uninterested employee, give your own ideas from time to time. That will show that you take ownership and can be trusted with more important tasks.
6. Aim for jobs that adds value to you as a person
If your financial position is not too bad and you're not desperate, don't take up 'sweatshop' jobs or jobs that don't add value to you as a person. Being on a job is all about learning new things, doing things like making accounts somewhere day in day out, or spam commenting or downloading and re-uploading videos etc. is not going to help you out long term. If you're just starting out and have no money, I understand that you may have to take up these kind of jobs but don't make it a habit or you'll never grow.
Good luck everyone and hope you crush your goals in 2022.
I'll be laying out very basic stuff, I'm not a guru. But I've seen people applying for VA jobs here on BHW and I'm not sure how some of you are scoring jobs with a very uninterested tone of talking and no pro activeness.
PS. I'm not hiring VAs here, nor do I give details about my VAs because they work full time for me, so please don't message me for this.
1. Language
As rude as it may sound, if your English is not good, you're already rejected. If your initial communication with a potential employer is in broken English then there's a good chance you're not going to get selected. Knowing English is not that of a big deal if you're happy in your own country doing local jobs. But when you want to work with people from other countries, you'll need to have good communication skills.
2. Ethics
Before hiring my current set of VAs, I've gone through at least 10 VAs who had no work ethic, they just wanted to run down their time for quick money. Please understand this, someone who's hiring you is not sitting on unlimited amount of money. If you waste their time, you'll get kicked out. It could've been a long term employment for you. Do not take your employer for granted.
3. Be pro-active
If you score a job that requires XYZ skills then don't just stop learning new skills. As a VA your job may not be permanent. You may need more skills to score more jobs or even move up the ladder in your current one. Be pro active and keep learning new skills. As an example, my VAs run Instagram accounts for me and content was my responsibility but after a few months they message me and say they can do the content part as they've been learning graphic designing for a few months. I gave them a 1 week trial and they did a fantastic job. I increased their pay and got rid of another responsibility for myself. A win-win. You'll be appreciated for your pro-activeness, don't just aim to run down 8 hours a day just to secure your basic pay.
4. Have basic tools ready
You'll need to have basic tools that you may need for your job. Like a laptop or a phone. Of course if the job requires a special set of tools, the employer will provide that to you. But I've seen people applying for jobs with no computer. They say they'll buy one when they secure a job. Please understand a VA job is not a regular job, don't expect your employer to buy you a computer, that beats the whole purpose of being a VA.
5. Be open to criticism and also give your own ideas and feedback
Be open to criticism and don't be a snowflake. I've had a VA resign from the job because he couldn't take criticism. Of course if your employer is making life hard for you for no reason then move on but do learn to take critical feedback and improve on what you're lacking. Also, don't act like an uninterested employee, give your own ideas from time to time. That will show that you take ownership and can be trusted with more important tasks.
6. Aim for jobs that adds value to you as a person
If your financial position is not too bad and you're not desperate, don't take up 'sweatshop' jobs or jobs that don't add value to you as a person. Being on a job is all about learning new things, doing things like making accounts somewhere day in day out, or spam commenting or downloading and re-uploading videos etc. is not going to help you out long term. If you're just starting out and have no money, I understand that you may have to take up these kind of jobs but don't make it a habit or you'll never grow.
Good luck everyone and hope you crush your goals in 2022.
