How to Find Virtual Assistant Jobs You Can Do From Home
If you’re a good fit for the work style, and know where to find the best jobs, being a virtual assistant has plenty of benefits, including great pay.
There are now more than 3.5 million administrative assistants in the U.S. according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Many of those are now virtual assistants at home. The outlook is good for the profession and the barrier to entry is low to medium, depending on the types of work you’re aiming to apply for.
Table of Contents
What is a Virtual Assistant (VA)?
A virtual assistant typically works from home and works as a freelancer (not a W-2 employee). Although virtual assistants can really do whatever is needed, most tend to perform tasks which lend themselves to the digital world.
Here are some examples of the types of jobs for which virtual assistants are best fit:
- Scheduling
- Transcription
- Booking travel
- Event planning
- Organizing files
- Writing and editing
- Email and marketing outreach
- Online administrative functions
- Email and calendar organization
Sound fun? Great – you may be a strong fit.
First, let’s check out the main benefits of being a virtual assistant.
After, we’ll talk about how to find virtual assistant jobs you can do from home or coffee shop (or anywhere with an internet connection).
Benefits of Being a Virtual Assistant at Home
The virtual assistant lifestyle may take some getting used to, and each gig may be different, but you generally will have a standard set of benefits from becoming a virtual assistant.
Virtual assistants can typically work from home and set their own hours–perfect for a stay-at-home-spouse.
As a virtual assistant, even though you are “working for someone,” you are typically going to be in business for yourself, set up as a 1099 contractor. For anyone desiring freedom with their work each day, this is a great opportunity.
Virtual assistants can start out making from $10-15 an hour and move to upwards of $100 an hour (or even higher depending on your expertise.) But most assistants fall in the $15 to $30 range.
Additionally, it doesn’t require a lot of expertise or work to get started as a virtual assistant. And as you’ll see below, there are many ways to market your services and find virtual assistant jobs.
Of course, it isn’t all rosy when it comes to being a virtual assistant. There are plenty of scams out there to watch out for.
If you want more guidance, I would suggest to sign up for Kayla Sloan’s online VA course. She’s scaled her virtual assistant business to over $10,000 per month.
If you’re serious about building a full-time virtual assistant business, it’s always a good idea to learn from those who have already made a living from doing it to shorten your learning curve.
Who Makes a Good Virtual Assistant?
Can anyone become a virtual assistant at home and enjoy it?
I asked Jessica, my own virtual assistant, what she would tell a friend who might be considering a virtual assistant job.
Here’s what she had to say:
“You need to be a self-starter and able to handle deadlines well. Employers will usually give you tasks to run with and trust you’ll have it completed on time. If you struggle with initiative and deadlines, this might be a problem.”
Jessica also mentioned you need good time management and organizational skills, saying “this includes attention to detail and the ability to multi-task.”
Kayla Sloan echoed similar sentiments by saying the only skills you must have to be a virtual assistant are:
- being organized
- being a self-starter
- being a quick learner
- knowing the basics of how to work online
One of the biggest challenges I face as someone who hires virtual assistants is coming up with tasks for my virtual assistant to do.
So, an addition I would make is the difference between being a good virtual assistant and a great one would be the ability to partner with a client who you can help by finding work for yourself, by improving their efficiency or effectiveness.
Related: How to Make Money Blogging [8 Important Questions Answered]
Ways to Find Virtual Assistant Jobs
If you’re still reading this, it means you’re interested in finding one of these virtual assistant jobs.
Luckily there are several ways to find consistent virtual assistant jobs:
1. Ask Your Network
You never know who is in your network who is in need of an assistant. Remember, virtual assistants can do a variety of tasks, so there’s no way of knowing who needs what done, business or personal.
I hired Jessica because a friend was using her virtual assistant services and she asked if I needed any help as well. It turned out I did at the time, and the rest is history.
A simple Tweet or Facebook posting will let your network know you are serious about helping them with their virtual tasks.
As another example, Carrie Rocha, owner of PocketYourDollars.com has hired a few virtual assistants over the years, all from the same source: her blog’s readership.
Carrie said:
“I have reached out to those who are active in my online community (especially via Facebook) to ask if they are interested in helping behind the scenes.”
Follow your favorite online brands online and you might just be applying for a virtual assistant job with them next time they ask for help.
2. Work for a Virtual Assistant Company
Don’t want to search for clients?
Join a virtual staffing company like Zirtual.com.
You can apply directly through their website and, when accepted, you won’t have to worry about the administrative side of your business.
Of course, your pay will probably be limited to what Zirtual.com’s going rate is, but for those who don’t want to prospect for work, this can be an easy trade-off.
Others include:
Some of these virtual assistant companies are harder to get into, but if you have a special set of skills or abilities, you may find you’re a perfect fit and can begin working right away.
3. List Yourself on Freelance Sites
There are tons of sites now where freelancers connect with potential employers, or even just for one-time jobs.
Sites like Upwork.com (who I use) and Guru.com are some of the biggest.
These sites are international, so keep in mind you’ll be competing with the lowest pricing on the planet unless someone is specifically trying to hire more locally.
It does take time and experience working when with these freelance sites to find the right gigs, so I also would also recommend Craigslist or Fiverr.com for quick opportunities.
Another option would be to post your business online using a service like Thumbtack.
You create your free profile and Thumbtack will help customers looking for your service to find you. You only pay when an interested customer reaches out to you.
Another short list you may want to check out include:
4. Join a Virtual Assistant Network
There are several virtual assistant networks and forums available online which allow potential employers and virtual assistants to connect using directories or a request for proposal process.
These sites seem to attract some of the top-notch U.S. based virtual assistants and look to be a great place to see what others in your industry are doing to find jobs.
You may want to get involved at:
- Virtual Assistant Forums
- VA Networking
- International Virtual Assistants Association
- Administrative Consultants Association
It may also be beneficial to connect with other like-minded VA’s, not only to bounce ideas off of, but maybe they have overflow work they can’t handle which you can step in and take care of.
5. Create Your Own Website
Kayla Sloan said having your own website is a great way to attract clients (and, frankly, I agree).
“If you’re a virtual assistant, having a website with a contact form and information about your services can go far to help you land potential clients.”
Even if you’re still going to use some of the tactics above, you should strive to have your own home on the Internet.
It’s more evidence you are a professional and in it for the long-haul.
Nothing fancy is required, though showcasing your previous work and listing your higher end skills can help you get more of the work you’re really looking for.
6. Take Kayla Sloan’s 10k VA Course
After you complete Kayla Sloan’s 10K VA course, you’ll get added to her directory of graduates.
Whenever clients looking for a VA reach out to her, she connects them with one of the graduates of her course, which helps you create a pipeline of great work from serious employers–it’s really a win-win for everyone involved.
It’s a win for the client because they get access to a list of virtual assistants who are highly trained and know what they’re doing.
And it’s a win for you because you get easy client referrals!
7. Use Job Boards
Job boards are still underutilized for virtual assistants finding work.
Take a board like ZipRecruiter, for example. It is most known for being an employer tool.
Using ZipRecruiter, employers can have their job listing sent to over 100+ sites at once. And they’re powerful matching technology helps employers quickly find the best job candidates.
But ZipRecruiter can be a handy tool for job seekers as well.
Specifically, you can find hundreds of virtual assistant gigs listed on their site.
Browse through the current listings to see if any jobs catch your fancy.
If not, you can have ZipRecruiter send you a daily batch of new virtual assistant jobs listings straight to your inbox.
And, ZipRecruiter can save you a lot of time on filling out applications.
The first thing you’ll want to do is create an account with ZipRecruiter and upload your resume.
Once ZipRecruiter has all your information, the real fun begins. Begin searching through all the virtual assistant jobs on their site.
8. Sign Up for the AssistU Registry
I hesitated to put this one in here because it’s a paid service and not for all beginners, but it does come with some solid recommendations.
Tracie Shroyer says this about them:
“All of my current clients have come through the AssistU Registry… graduates of its program are eligible to subscribe to a Registry potential clients can use to find the right VA for them.”
It may not be the first place you’ll want to look, but if you’ve already put yourself out there on several platforms, this might be a way to keep getting feelers out there.
The Bottom Line
These are just some of the places I recommend you start your virtual assistant job search.
In the end, I’d really like to stress you find the skillsets and strengths you are most proficient with and find a way to showcase them.
I’m sure the community will share their suggestions for more places to look for virtual assistant jobs in the comments below.
But don’t get overwhelmed by all the options. Perhaps you could set a goal to try one of these strategies each month.
Or you could just go crazy and try them all if that’s more your style.
Either way, as long as you stick with it over the long haul, I’m certain you can build a profitable side hustle as a virtual assistant. And if you really enjoy it, you may even be able to turn it into a full-time job.
Are you a virtual assistant at home? Where did you find your job? Have you ever hired a U.S. based virtual assistant? From where did you hire them?
Another benefit of VAs is that they can help you launch new products quickly or test new markets. This is a nice read. Thanks, Philip!
Great info and thank you for providing the complete service list.
Great read! I found it so helpful and it gave me so many insights! Thanks for sharing this.
Like you, I am also an advocate of outsourcing and working with all different types of virtual assistants to provide a much better and efficient method of fulfilling tasks for our clients.
Very interesting! My wife is on it. 🙂
Hey, Phillip 🙂
Thanks so much for mentioning AssistU. I’m the founder and CVO and love helping VAs build strong businesses!
I started the Virtual Assistance profession back in 1997 when I founded AssistU, and we have trained some of the best VAs in the world (Tracie’s one of them!) in our 16+ years in business.
Our programs are really second to none, and give those who find value in getting industry-specific training as well as guidance in setting up a business with a strong foundation everything they need to do exactly that in this industry.
I started AssistU for a number of reasons, not the least of which was to help admins who wanted to leave their corporate jobs but had no idea how to do it, how to start and run a business, how to set their fees for profitability (our VAs, by the way, bill $30-$100+ with the average being $50/hour), or market themselves so they could connect with ideal clients for them (the only kind we think are worth working with!), or how to create strong standards that would allow them to build something for themselves that would contribute to their having high-quality lives. I wanted to help them do it well so that they could beat the statistic that has more than 50% of all new businesses not seeing a 5th anniversary. Many of the VAs we’ve trained have been in business for more than a decade now, and I love knowing that that has been a positive influence on their lives, the lives of their families, and the lives of their communities.
The reason that our company isn’t available to everyone–or free–is because I made the decision when I started AssistU that we’d stand behind our members; something a company can really only do if it’s trained those members and has standards around who can be part of the membership.
All of our members have to sign a yearly ethics pledge, and agree to be bound by an ethical review process should their clients file a grievance with us. In all the years we’ve had that process, we’ve only received three grievances, because our members are professionals and take their work and reputations very seriously.
Our program is comprehensive, long (11 weeks) and difficult. There’s a weekend-long final exam that has to be passed with a 90 or better. And people who successfully complete it not only know everything they need to to start and grow a VA biz, but are able to join our private community and subscribe to receive referrals from us.
And we do have a great deal that we offer at no charge to people who want to be VAs. For instance, our blog, at VirtualMoxie.com is an amazing resource about creating and working with high standards. And our Smart VA Starter Series, with over six hours of high-quality content, is available–without even so much as having to exchange an email address to get it (that’s here, in case anyone would be interested: http://www.assistu.com/smart_va_recordings.html).
At our core, we are champions for people who want to work this way–as a professional endeavor. What I’d love to see is more people being educated to the fact that to have their own business (which is what freelancers do!), assuming all the risks and responsibilities thereof, they need and deserve to be happy *and* profitable. And the majority of people who are freelancing, including anyone earning in that $15-$30/hour range you mentioned, are very likely not profitable if they live in the US or Canada. Makes me a bit crazy, actually 🙂
We stand, not only for the success of the VAs we train and support, but
for the amazing clients they work with. So please don’t think that the
membership standards or fees we have in place are a negative. They really are anything
but. 🙂
I am really looking to expand my business. How consistent are the job requests via AssistU?
This is interesting. I’d be curious to see how flexible the hours are. For example, do they care that you’re not working at the same time as them and will be completing projects while they are out of the office or asleep?
@debtblag For 90% of the work my virtual assistants do I don’t care when or where they do it…just that it gets done by the deadline. I suppose hours are going to be flexible, but with most online entrepreneurs, unless it’s a customer facing role or gig where you are working hand-hand with a team, then you should be free to work whenever.
@debtblag Some will and some won’t. If flexibility is important to you, you would only look for clients whose work can be done almost any time. A good way to think about this is that-you want clients who fit with you, not ones who don’t. 🙂
This is an interesting profession. It looks like it would be a great job for a stay at home spouse like you mentiioned. Are most Va’s hired on a part time basis or are most of them 40 hours a week? I’m sure it varies, but I wonder what the majority of opportunities are.
CommonCentsWealth In my research I ran across a poll in one of the VA forums that explored this topic. Although it was a small sample size, the results were about 50/50: 50% worked less than 40 hours and 50% worked 40 hours or more. Hard to say how many of the >40 were using multiple gigs to accomplish that. But that’s the beauty of the virtual assistant gig. You can work up to perfect number of hours using multiple clients.
Philip Taylor CommonCentsWealth And in fact, if you’re going to be a VA who isn’t an employee, you wouldn’t want to work with only one client (assuming you’re in the US or Canada) because the IRS and CRA would see that as employment, *and* because, in your own business, it’s fun to have a mix of clients, and having a mix also makes it easier on your wallet when one of them needs to move on (as they eventually and inevitably do).
I’ve done some virtual assistant work, and sometimes the pay can be pretty good. All depends on what you do! 🙂
I’ve been using virtual assistants since 2004, and their impact on my firm’s bottom line has been enormous. Being able to expand and contract as the market moves is a critical piece of the the puzzle for business success, I think.
JayFleischman Great testimony from the entrepreneur side of things. It’s taken me a while to get used to working with someone virtual, but it has certainly paid off and I would recommend anyone looking to expand at least consider it.
Philip Taylor JayFleischman What’s interesting is that it even took *me* time to really get it, and I should be the poster girl for working this way! I still laugh when I remember one of the VA I’d trained calling me to say, “Hey… when are you going to get your own VA?” It really was a light bulb moment for me. I’ve not been without a VA since, and now, my entire team is virtual. I love the relationships we’ve formed and how they make me and my business better than I ever could have done it by myself.
I have only recently realized how popular Virtual Assistants have become. With so many great tools for sharing and collaborating online it seems as though almost all of the tasks previously performed by secretaries can now be done by VAs. I will definitively be looking to hire a VA as my business grows in the future.
Anton Ivanov Something to keep in mind… by the time you consciously realize that things are to a place where you need to take action to find help, chances are you actually needed it long before. There are people who will do even a few hours/month for you, and that can free you up to grow faster. Good luck with your business, Anton!
AnastaciaBrice That’s a very good point Anastacia and something for me definitely to keep in mind in the coming months! Thanks!