How to Become an Online Administrative Assistant

Online Administrative Assistants work from locations of their choosing due to technological advances that allow them to work virtually. If you’d like to work from home and have superb organization and customer service skills then becoming an online administrative assistant might be a great career choice for you. Follow the steps in this article to begin your career as an online administrative assistant.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Create a resume. Just because you’ll be working for yourself doesn’t mean that you don’t have to bother summarizing your skills and qualifications for potential clients. Create a resume that highlights any training or work experience you have as an administrative assistant.
   
   Be specific. If at all possible, quantify your accomplishments. For example, ‘Updated and maintained a database of 3000+ contacts using Microsoft Outlook’ is much more informative (and impressive) than ‘maintained contacts database’.

2. Fill in holes in your training. Administrative assistants (including online administrative assistants) are expected to have experience with all kinds of software (word processing, spreadsheets, contact management, etc.), as well as above par organization and customer service skills. After you’ve created your resume, get any additional administrative assistant training you need to fill in the gaps.
   
   Community colleges are good places to obtain training. Lots of training for virtual assistants is also available online.

3. Take stock of your equipment. Working as an online administrative assistant means that you will usually be responsible for having the equipment you need. Common equipment needs are a computer, printer/scanner/copier, office software, phone, scanner, and a filing cabinet or cabinets.
   
   The cost of starting work as an online administrative assistant is usually relatively low but employers or clients will want you to have the equipment you need before you begin work.

4. Market your services. Start with current or former employers, assuming you left on good terms. Sites like Craigslist can also be a source for job openings. Begin using social networking like Twitter, Facebook, and Linked In to maintain an online presence.

[Susanh]

on 5/29/2009 Sounds like a great opportunity for a work-at-home position.