Virtual Assistants Career Outlook

Career Outlook for Virtual Assistants

The Virtual Assistance industry is a blooming field today. As outsourcing is a popular trend today, the growth outlook for Virtual Assistance is good.

VA’s are called “virtual” assistants because they work from a location that is remote from their clients’ locations. Most VAs work from home. Virtual assistant are typically  independent contractors rather than employees. 

Virtual assistants (VAs) provide popular and much needed services needed by businesses and entrepreneurs. Many businesses are outsourcing administrative services and specialized services to VAs, secretarial services, graphic designers, web designers, programmers and a variety of specialized service providers and freelancers instead of using in-house staff.  Businesses that outsource work to VAs include realtors, authors, speakers, coaches, financial advisors, photographers and a large variety of entrepreneurs.

VAs assist business owners with administrative tasks, secretarial tasks and accounting.  But the services offered by VAs are not limited to secretarial services or administrative support and are as varied as the VAs themselves and their skills. They can also provide technical and creative assistance. The more skills you have and the more services you are providing, the more work you can get as a VA.

Here are just some examples of services you can offer as a virtual assistant:

- Secretarial and administrative tasks, such as a variety of secretarial, word processing, data entry, bookkeeping and other administrative work.
- Customer service.
- General transcription (non-medical transcription).
- Editing and proofreading.
- Internet research.
- Internet marketing: VAs can perform a variety of internet marketing tasks for clients, e.g. a variety social media promotions, bookmarks, submitting articles to directories, publishing blog posts, submitting comments to forums or blogs, and many others.
- Graphic design:  This can range from resizing and optimizing graphics, designing web headers and ebook covers to more sophisticated design.
- Web design and blog design.

Here are some reasons why businesses outsource:

Outsourcing is hiring outside professionals or services to take on part of your business workload.

Businesses may want to outsource part of their work because they need an expert, have periodic busy periods, need help to get work done on time or get orders out on time.

By outsourcing part of their workload they can save money and spend more time concentrating on their business.

-They don't have to do time consuming tasks like data entry.

-They don't have to spend money on workers comp, medical insurance or vacation time.

-They don't have to take time recruiting and training new employees.

-They don't have to learn a new software program or equipment.

-They don't have to buy extra equipment.

-They don't need extra work space.

To be successful VAs must develop their skills and stay up to date with technology and software. They need good communication skills and have to learn how to promote themselves. Social media is a popular methods VAs use to get the word out about their services.

Whether they provide word processing, data entry, transcription, internet marketing, graphic design, web design or a niche specialty, virtual assistants are in demand today. With more employers and companies looking to outsource projects to offsite freelancers, using VAs and freelancers is a popular trend today and a great alternative to using house staff for administrative and specialized tasks.

Below are some resources for people interested in becoming a virtual assistant or expanding their virtual assistant business.

General transcription work from home

Start a Web design business

Resume writing business

If you offer administrative support or other specialized services, you can have a promising career as a VA.

Fear of starting a business

Are You Scared to Start a Home Based Business?
by Michele Miller

Every year more and more people are working from home, starting their own businesses. Men and women, even teenagers are starting their own home business ventures. In the last ten years work-at-home businesses have tripled, according to statistics. I think it's probably more than that actually. Just look at how many people make a living selling things on EBay!™

It's no wonder really why so many people want to work at home and there are a vast amount of good reasons why.

The costs of traveling, including vehicle maintenance, the cost of gas, child-care, and dry-cleaning, are just a few good reasons why it's cheaper to stay home and work, right?!

Not having to answer to a boss or a supervisor is another great reason too. Being able to set your own hours and work when you want to work is a definite plus as well.

Some people can't see how they are going to do it though. I mean, how are you going to give up work and replace that income and not worry about how you are going to pay the bills? It's impossible, right? -- Wrong! -- It's not impossible, and it will take some hard work at first, and some extra working hours, but you can do it if you want to badly enough.

Choose a business that will allow you to work in your spare-time and keep your job, and you have eliminated the risks. This is not possible in all circumstances, but for the small business person, it's the ideal way to go. If this is not possible, make sure you set aside enough income to live on while you get your business established.

There's going to be some sacrifice in the short term, such as working extra hours in the week building your business. But those kind of sacrifices will still allow you to sleep at night and not put you in the poor house, thereby increasing your chances of success!

A lot of people do some "side work, or extra work" at first to gain customers or to save up some extra cash to start a business or pay for inventory. I know one mechanic who did some evening and weekend work so he could save enough money to buy his own tools and work out of his garage at home, for himself. Now that garage has grown into two workshops in his back yard and he employs another mechanic to help him out.

I have two friends who do the home parties. One lady sells Mary Kay and the other lady sells candles. Both are quite successful. The lady who sells the candles has only been doing so for just over eighteen months and her income exceeds $50,000 per year. Once you have the vision of working from home, you will find a way to make it happen.

You need DISCIPLINE AND MOTIVATION. That's as important as your business idea. You need to be a go-getter kind of person to have your own business. You need to be willing to get things off the ground yourself, and often willing to work for no financial return at first, or very little financial return. It helps to have vision; you have to sow the seeds to see the flowers. Overnight success is quite rare.

You can help yourself stay motivated by making a "to do list", and "working your business" every day in some small or big way. It doesn't really matter as long as you have a "plan" and keep chipping away at it until it happens. You hear people say all the time that you need to set your goals, well that's great advice, and a "to do list" will enable you to cross off things as you work through them, giving you a feeling of accomplishment as well.

If you really have the dream of working for yourself out of your home, it is possible, you just have to be determined to find a way to do it. Millions of people are realizing this dream, - you can make it happen for you too!

Michele Miller is a home-based business owner and the author of an ebook about starting a Profitable Medical Transcription At Home Business. /http://www.startasecretarialbusiness.com/medical-transcription.html

Legitimate Home Businesses



General transcription work from home

Start a Web design business

Resume writing business

Secretarial Services - Transcription

Professional Transcription and Your Business

Note from Leva: This article explains why businesses need transcription services and what's required to provide professional transcription.

Got stacks of audio tapes that need to be converted to a more user-friendly format? Professional transcription services may be the answer.

Professional transcriptionists can take standard or micro cassette tapes and produce a typed version of the text in a format that's clear, consistent and correct. They can create transcripts of taped meetings, training sessions, seminars and conventions, as well as dictated letters, reports and manuscripts. Once the information is transcribed, you can easily email, fax or post it to a Website.

Accuracy Is Essential

Transcribing actually covers a variety of services. It can include whatever editing is necessary to make a report or letter 'flow'. It can also include the tweaking sentence syntax, adjusting paragraphs, removing redundancies, and repairing general grammatical errors.

For some professions, a high degree of accuracy in transcripts is crucial. For example, medical transcriptionists must carefully listen to dictated recordings made by physicians and other healthcare professionals and accurately transcribe them into reports, correspondence and other administrative materials that eventually become part of patients' permanent files. Their ability to understand and correctly transcribe patient assessments and treatments reduces the chance of patients receiving ineffective or even harmful treatments and ultimately ensures high quality patient care.

Accuracy in transcripts is equally as important in other fields. In legal matters, it's essential because all testimony must be rendered exactly as it's spoken. Likewise, police detectives require precise transcripts of statements by suspects and witnesses. In the corporate arena, letters, meetings and training sessions must be properly transcribed for the sake of effective education and communication.

Requirements For A Good Transcriptionist

Whether you need medical, legal or general transcribing for your business, accurate transcribing requires a unique set of skills. But if your staff lacks the expertise or time to transcribe materials in house, an outside company can easily fill the void.

Working with an outside vendor offers a variety of cost-saving benefits, including:

• No cost of special equipment.
• No hourly employee downtime. You pay only for production.
• No Social Security, payroll or unemployment taxes.
• No medical insurance benefits, paid vacations and sick leave

But before you run out and hire the first transcription company available, make sure it has the skills to meet your needs. The outsourcer you choose should be:

• Well-versed in the English language
• Knowledgeable of the rules of grammar
• Familiar with your industry
• Easily accessible for questions

For more information about professional transcription services, contact Kate Smalley, Connecticut Secretary, at 203-641-3739 or mailto:kms@connecticutsecretary.com
Copyright 2004, Kate Smalley
Connecticut Secretary
Freelance Secretarial and Transcription Services - http://www.connecticutsecretary.com
203.641.3739 mailto:kms@connecticutsecretary.com

To find out how to become a transcriptionist, visit https://generaltranscriptionworkfromhome.com

Home Based Medical Transcription

If you have typing skills, you should seriously consider a medical transcription at home career. You can start small and build up your business at your own pace, in your spare time.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, medical transcriptionists can expect job opportunities to be good. Government job information data suggests that employment of medical transcriptionists is projected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2012.

My friend Michelle Miller has helped many people start a medical transcription business. She can help you too. The Step-by-Step Guide To Medical Transcription at Home. Visit http://www.startasecretarialbusiness.com/medical-transcription.html

Below is an article written by Michele.

A Medical Transcription At Home Career

As a medical transcriptionist, I get asked several times a month how I got started in this business. So many people nowadays want to work from home, especially mothers with young children. That's the primary reason I started my home business ten years ago, so I could be there for my daughter. I didn't want someone else taking care of her after school instead of me.

It's really not hard to start a medical transcription business. The start-up costs are low compared to many other home-based businesses.

You need a form of education, via home study courses or by attending your local community college. You do NOT need a degree in medical transcription to start a business either. In a short amount of time, usually nine months or less, you can be working from the comfort of your own home, just like me.

You will need some equipment, such as a computer, a printer, a transcriber, and some reference books. All of which can be purchased second hand if need be. The latest and greatest equipment is not necessary to get started.

Now, there are some special skills you will need, outside of the education, which include:

• Ability to type - your speed will increase with experience.
• Excellent grammar skills.
• Good listening skills.
• Basic computer skills with a work processing program.
• Research skills.
• Must be detail oriented.
• Ability to work on your own.
• Ability to maintain work deadlines and be a self-motivator.You will also need some computer programs such as a medical spellchecker and a word expander utility to cut down on the amount of actual typing you do. Some programs, such as Microsoft Word® include this type of utility. It is the best invention by far, in my opinion.
• Basic bookkeeping is necessary, but not difficult. A good bookkeeper is great to have when it comes to taxes and advising you about saving money with tax deductions for your business.
• Medical transcription is usually paid by the amount of work transcribed. Therefore, it is quite normal to charge your clients by the line. If you charge 13 cents per line and type 200 lines per hour, (this is a very comfortable speed to type) your hourly rate would end up being about $26.00.

Being self-employed does have some pitfalls. One must consider, as with any home based business, that once you become self-employed you are responsible for securing your own health insurance, and putting away money for retirement.

However, there are many positive things about being self-employed, as I'm sure you can imagine. For me, what I love the most, is the flexibility I have with my time. If I want to work late in the day I can, and if I want to work early in the morning, that's up to me. Running a home-based medical transcription business is a lot of fun.

Medical transcription is not for everyone, and it is important before venturing into any business that you weigh up the pros and cons of it all and do what is best for your situation.

Michele has helped many people start their own medical transcription business. She can help you too. She is the author of The Step-by-Step Guide To Medical Transcription at Home. Visit http://www.startasecretarialbusiness.com/medical-transcription.html

NOTE from publisher: As Michele said, medical transcription is not for everyone.  If you find the learning curve too steep, you might want to check general transcription. Visit http://generaltranscriptionworkfromhome.com

More Popular Home Businesses

General transcription work from home

Start a Web design business

Resume writing business

How to become a medical transcriptionist

How does one become a medical transcriptionist?

In the past it was sometimes possible to learn medical transcription on the job, but today it is very rare because of the need to learn medical vocabulary and formats. Some colleges and hospitals offer classes, and there are several home-study courses available.

MTs work in doctors' offices, clinics, hospitals and transcription services. They also work from home, usually after 2-3 years of experience in an office or hospital. With more experience, MTs go on to teach, supervise, consult, edit and write in the field.

SOME RESOURCES

Step-by-Step Guide to Medical Transcription at Home, book by Michele Miller, http://www.startasecretarialbusiness.com/medical-transcription.html

MT Daily - medical transcription, work at home.




General transcription work from home

Start a Web design business

Resume writing business