Working as a virtual assistant for newbies is a bit more challenging than working as a freelancer in a specific field. There are myriad reasons why starting a career in virtual assistance seems more complicated and difficult than any other side hustle. The most significant one is that people are not much aware of the role and responsibilities of a virtual assistant.
Here are a few tips for newbie virtual assistants that can help you start your business or side hustle on the right foot.
Learn More About Virtual Assistance
Start by getting familiar with the role and responsibilities of a virtual assistant. You need to know what virtual assistants do and how exactly they work and help their clients.
For this, you can take an online course on virtual assistance. Hustlepost Academy’s course called the Six Figure VA Formula introduces you to virtual assisting, skills you will need to become a virtual assistant, and the tools you will be using to help your clients.
There is a basic mindset and skillset that every virtual assistant needs and in order to acquire that, you need to learn. The course equips you with everything you require to become a virtual assistant.
Get a Specialisation
After you have the basic knowledge and skills, you should consider getting a specialisation in the services you shall be offering apart from the administrative work, as a virtual assistant.
Different companies require virtual assistants to handle different kinds of tasks. The common specialisation that can make you a better asset and help you stand out from the crowd are social media, search engine optimisation, content marketing, email marketing, or e-commerce management.
With a specialisation, you can offer relatively more benefits than a general virtual assistant and that is why your chances of landing a client increase.
Find a Beta Client
When you are just starting your career as a virtual assistant, you need to learn even during your practical exposure, and for that, instead of diving right into finding a paid opportunity, you should first find a beta client. You offer services for free to a beta client and in return, you get a testimonial or recommendation. There is no doubt that it is easier to find a beta client.
You will find people suggesting to not work for free but you need to realise that it is extremely difficult for an absolute beginner to stand out and get a chance over already successful and experienced professionals in an industry that is immensely competitive.

Offer your services for free for a specific amount of time to just one or two clients and add that experience to your portfolio. There are chances that these beta clients will consider hiring you after your unpaid or free services and for that, you need to make sure that you perform really well.
Create a Website
In most freelancing businesses and side hustles having a portfolio in the form of a PDF works perfectly well, and it is the least you can have as a virtual assistant but it is highly recommended for virtual assistants to have a website.
It won’t cost you a lot of money to create a website but it certainly will help you a lot in getting clients for your business. Especially if you aim to work with international clients, having a website helps a lot.
With the help of a website you can create content and rank on google, you can showcase your expertise better, and have a platform where your potential clients or leads can get everything they need to know to hire you.

Create Content on Social Media as a VA
Creating content on social media isn’t an area of interest for everyone but it can significantly change the game for a virtual assistant. You can share your knowledge regarding the subject in the form of reels and get engagement which will, in turn, help you in generating traffic that you can then convert into leads and clients through your website.

While creating content, you don’t necessarily have to pose for the camera. Even posting on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter counts as creating content. You can make graphics and illustrations to post on Instagram. Anything that you believe you are good at, can work in your favour. The idea behind creating content is to basically generate traffic and let the world know that you are a virtual assistant.
Parting Words
Virtual assistance is a very intriguing side hustle.
One gets to learn so much in this field and the earning potential is limitless. But of course, you have to learn, work, and improve yourself to grow.
So, don’t wait for the right time. Get yourself familiar with the basics and start working.
And if you need any help in this journey at all, join Hustlepost Academy’s Six Figure VA Formula today! 🙂