What makes a person a great candidate for becoming a virtual assistant? What skills do those of us who set out to build a career in this exciting field that offers so many opportunities – in part because it is still relatively new and still evolving – seem to share?

As someone who has worked as a virtual assistant, it’s interesting to think about this question and try to determine what skills a virtual assistant should have in order to really achieve the level of success that they deserve. While trying to look at it objectively, it seems like focusing on goals and a willingness to persevere are essential starting places.

Among the most important skills a VA can have is the ability to be really goal focused. That doesn’t mean that someone who is going to be a virtual assistant can only look at the long term; it means that he or she should be able to stay focused, to be able to look at what might go wrong and come up with possible solutions before there’s a problem, and it means that he or she has a keen ability to plan ahead – whether in the course of a day, a week, a year or longer.

Being goal focused also means taking initiative, making sure that the goals that are set really are attainable. Similarly, it means taking responsibility, and sticking with being good at what you’re doing even if it seems like things aren’t quite going the way that you want them to: in order to be a great virtual assistant, perseverance is a necessary skill to have.

Perseverance doesn’t mean doing things the same way all the time though; it means being willing to try new things and find better, more efficient ways to complete a task, reach a deadline or juggle commitments. Perseverance comes down to adaptability: if you aren’t willing to learn and make changes, you’re likely to find that it becomes far harder to reach your goals.

That’s why it’s also important that those who want to become virtual assistants are willing to put time and effort into running their business – and finding business training that will help them to run their business more efficiently. Every skill that you have that you’re willing to put to work for your clients is a skill that you should be willing to further develop for yourself because those skills are going to ensure your success.

When you’re going into the office everyday, it’s hard enough not to get caught up reading email or looking at videos on YouTube or chatting with others. When you’re working on your own – when the only person who is overseeing your day is you – time management skills are essential.

Without great time management, you’re likely to lose clients not just because the work doesn’t get done, but because some things are going to look rushed because they are. Without solid time management skills, it’s going to be difficult to get each client’s work done well and on time – especially because it’s just a fact of life that there are going to be things that come up and try to turn your days upside down.

More importantly though, effective time management doesn’t just help to keep you safe from distraction. It also serves to shorten the number of hours you’ll need to spend working each day. It helps to “create time” by letting you reclaim the time you aren’t using well.

Whether you reclaim that time to bring on an additional client or two or you use it to hit the gym or spend more time with your family, you’ll find that you are better able to get things done and grow your business (without feeling like you’re going to lose your mind).

When you make the decision that you’re going to become a VA, there are certain skills that you’re already going to have. For some of you, your skills will be around a core of administrative activities. For others, you’ll already have what it takes to offer writing services, to create marketing materials and to design great websites.

But what business skills do you need to have as a virtual assistant? Here are a few:

1. You need to understand networking
2. You need to know how to brand yourself and the services that you offer
3. You may need to develop better time management skills
4. You may need to learn good customer relation skills so that you’re able to have great communication with and referrals from your clients

When you take the time to develop these skills, you’ll find that not only are you better able to run your own business but also you’re able to put them to work for your clients as well (and they’re sure to thank you for that).

When it comes to becoming a virtual assistant, a lot of would-be VAs start wondering whether or not they have the skills to really get a business started on the right foot.

Some of these skills are simple things like multi-tasking and being great at managing your time: for some, these skills are innate – some people are good at doing multiple projects at the same time, exceeding every deadline that’s put in front of them. For others, these are skills that take a while to learn.

Other skills are a more specific: typing, using different computer programs – whether simple word processing or desktop publishing. Still others are specific to business: marketing, building relationships with clients, bookkeeping and staying on top of taxes.

The bright side is that you don’t have to worry about not having the skills up front: if there’s something that you need to work on, there are virtual assistant training classes that are readily available.

Skills can always be developed: in any job, you’re going to want to progress, not just stay where you are when you started. Why not take advantage of training so that you can develop new skills and take your business to the next level?

When you’re working as a virtual assistant, there are going to be many skills that you’ll have in your arsenal: you’ll be able to communicate effectively online and off, by phone and on paper. You’ll have a knack for scheduling, bookkeeping. You’ll have other skills too – things like writing blogs, creating press releases, updating websites or designing flyers and other marketing materials.

But beyond all of your other virtual assistant skills, you’ll need to be sure that you are well-versed in customer service.

Customer service is essential to your success as a VA. To be blunt, there are always going to be others out there who can provide the same services that you do, and some of them may even be better. But if you’re right there providing great customer service – not only meeting your clients’ needs but also anticipating them ahead of time – you’ll find that you’ve got an edge: those other VAs out there won’t be able to provide those services as well.

It’s customer service that’s going to set your virtual assistant business apart. Customer service is the thing that is going to get you testimonials that you can use to attract new clients. It’s customer service that will help you to get referrals from your clients – even the ones that are the most difficult to deal with.

Some people are innately great at working with others. Some people could use a little bit of help – for them, customer service training is essential.

With tips and tools that will help you to build a stronger rapport with your clients and a great customer appreciation program, you’ll be able to grow your business in no time.

Becoming a virtual assistant isn’t really as simple as saying “I think I’m ready to start my own business, I want to work from home and I think I’ll give the virtual assistant field a try.” First, you’re going to need to have some administrative skills and experience. You’re going to need to have a business plan, and the tools that you’ll need to operate your business on a day to day business – a computer, certain software, a phone, fax capabilities (whether you have a fax machine or use an online service), etc.

Becoming a VA also means that you’ll need to develop some basic skills that all virtual assistants should have.

Virtual assistant skills start with basics like multi-tasking and just being able to sit down and work independently. Then there are communication skills – you’ll need to be able to be personable and knowledgeable when you answer calls or emails for one of your clients, but you’ll also need to keep the tone professional.

Similarly, if – as a part of your virtual assistant business – you offer a particular service, you’ll need to have the skills necessary to do the job well. For example, if you offer to write and submit press releases for your clients, you’ll need to know the basic construction of a press release, and you’ll need to know the best way of getting the word out to those who can act on the information. If you’re going to offer bookkeeping services as a part of your VA business, accounting is a great virtual assistant skill to have.

However, not every skill is going to be that specific. Marketing skills should be a priority – both for your clients and for your own VA business. Customer service skills are really important too.

Kandra Hamric – Real Estate Virtual Assistant
Train to Be a Virtual Assistant
From One Virtual Assistant to Another
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