Work at Home as a Virtual Assistant

Are you currently working as an administrative or executive assistant? Do you have experience in office and administrative assistant services? Are you currently seeking a work at home job or telecommuting position? Do you have a motivated entrepreneurial personality and want to start your own business working at home? Now is the time to become a virtual assistant. In this wonderful age of technology and with a great amount of technical tools and resources, consider the option of working at home as a virtual assistant. A virtual assistant is an independent contractor or freelance professional who owns their own business and provides administrative assistant support to business professionals working mainly out of their own home.

Start off with creating your winning resume that highlights all of your educational and work experience and skills. Spend time on it as your resume will set you apart from the rest of applicants. There are many resources online in order to help you create a great resume and start your business.
When starting a virtual assistant business there are a couple of pointers to keep in mind before launching your business.
·Settle on what services you are going to provide? ·Take skills and assessment tests in order to clearly define what services you are qualified to offer. Also consider getting professionally certified as a virtual assistant. ·Join virtual assistant networks and affiliations. ·Seek out freelancing websites and create profiles in order to gain positive feedback and references working for business clients. This can also help you prove how versatile and motivated you are to working at home for yourself from a virtual office. ·Create a business plan. Outline all the goals that you hope to achieve and your virtual assistant company vision and types of services. Also include your financial plan and marketing strategies that you will be using. ·Start a professional virtual assistant website including credentials, availability, feedback, references and also propose the services you will be providing. Any good virtual assistant knows that in order to market yourself as a virtual assistant you must be technology savvy and up to date with the use of remote office tools. The website should be launched before you begin your practice, because this is clearly like an online resume and will be your biggest marketing tool.

The cost savings and benefits for businesses in hiring virtual assistants include:
·Not having to deal with lost commute time and less absenteeism ·Being able to select candidates from a larger pool of qualified professionals. Businesses do not have to look to hire from local applicants only because they can choose to work with virtual assistants who have just the right credentials that will fulfill the needs for their company. ·There is a smaller learning curve. If a business seeks to hire virtual assistants they are usually versed in the right areas of expertise when chosen. ·Savings include not having to provide office space, benefits to be provided and health insurance costs. ·Less time is lost when businesses choose to work with a virtual assistant because the time they pay for is time that is solely dedicated to their project. If you are interested in working from home and not seeking to start your own business consider applying at legitimate work from home companies that hire virtual assistants to work for them. List of companies that hire virtual assistants: Longerdays.com VOT Virtual Office Temps TeamDoubleClick

New Work from Home Job Listing Added

Once you have decided that you are going to give a 100% effort into transferring your work-place from the office to working from home out of a home office, one thing you should commit to and make a daily task of is job searching. There are many great job boards that you can weed through work at home or telecommuting jobs in order to determine what jobs are legitimate work at home jobs, but if you are serious in doing this, you must put forth a committed effort. My first priority, when I sign on for the day, is checking my email and the second task is doing a frequent job search on several different jobs boards and listings that I have found. I have added a Work at Home Job Listing to this blog and I will update it regularly and share with you the work at home, telecommuting, remote or virtual jobs that I have found that appear to be from a legitimate source. I hope that this list aids you in finding that perfect job so that you too can join the ranks of the virtual workforce that works at home.

Make money working from home as an eBay Seller

If you are pursing the possibility of working from home then one avenue to take is to become an eBay seller. I started selling on eBay in February of 2001 and it was fairly simple to set up and get things running smoothly. There are so many help areas and resources that are available at both eBay and on the web that you should take advantage of them. Working from home jobs are not always data entry jobs or customer service jobs; keep an open mind and examine all of the options. Work at home jobs can include a multitude of things and eBay selling is one of them.

Look around your house. There are probably hundreds of items that you do not actually need nor want, but have purchase and they are practically brand new and have not been touched. Well, someone else can need or want these items. So provide a service and set up your home office and become a sales consultant on eBay.

Use eBay selling tips and research the internet to become knowledgeable in the area of selling on eBay before you start. There are so many great resources about eBay selling. Check out About.com eBay information articles for a large amount of eBay information; especially if you are new to eBay and are eager to start selling.

When setting up your office in order to begin working at home as a seller on eBay, there are several lists that I find you should have printed out and hanging in your office space for quick reference. First, I suggest you print out a copy of the eBay rules for sellers. Second, definitely display a list of eBay seller fees for quick viewing. These fees will be helpful when you are determining your listing fee for an item. There are many resources on the eBay site that can be helpful in learning about the eBay selling process and will make your transition to becoming a great seller a smooth one.

Keep a couple things in mind when beginning to work from home as an eBay seller;

1. Make a professional profile: Spend time on your profile and make it professional and gear it toward the type of items you will be selling. Add as much information as you can. No one wants to purchase items from someone they do not have enough information on.
2. Listings: Spend time when listing your items. Take professional looking pictures that are clear and are a true representation of the item you are selling.
3. Gain trust: Gain trust of buyers on eBay and grow your positive feedback. One way to gain trust from buyers is to be 100% truthful when listing the items; which includes the description and photo that represents the item for sale. Communicate with buyers in a fast and efficient manner.
4. Perks for buyers: Offer different perks for buyers-free shipping, combined shipping if they want to buy multiple items from your auctions, gift sales and gift wrapping, returns policy etc.
5. Be Professional: Ship out your sold item as quickly as possible after receipt of payment. If you want to receive positive feedback you must be quick and efficient with your eBay business.
6. Auction information: If you decide to self your items on eBay using the auction option, then you must pay attention to the auction information. It can mean the difference of selling an item or not selling an item or even the exposure an item gets depending on the length of time or ending day of the week that you have set up your auction.

If you are looking into working from home and exploring all options and you have a knack for retail and customer service, definitely explore becoming a seller on eBay. Register for an eBay Seller account today.

List of 10 Tips for being successful in working from home

These are 10 important tips for being successful when you have started a work from home business or are working a freelance or telecommuting job from your home.
1.) Set-up a Website: What business do you know that does not have a website in this day and age? Use whatever resources possible and create a professional website to advertise and promote your qualifications and the business services that you provide working from home. Items to include would be information on the type of business you are running, listing of services that you provide, contact information, referral information (for example; link your feedback page and information from a freelance website that you have completed similar projects on to your website), sample projects and services, a link to your professional blog, industry certification and professional affiliations and organizations you belong to.  

2.) Blog: Start a blog that depicts information about the type of projects you are working on and/ or the areas that you are qualified in and update it regularly. Invest time in adding content articles that clarify the work and efforts that you have completed in researching, launching and running your online business. The blogosphere is a great worldwide forum to network and get involved and learn new and up to date information from many people that are experienced in the entrepreneurial arena. Make sure to link your blog on your work at home website, so that interested business associates can see your efforts, gain insightful information that you are providing and your basic personality style. 

3.) Get up early! From personal experience, just because you are running a business and working out of your home does not mean that the rest of the world is not running on a work-day time clock. Whatever type of instant messenger service or email you are using, you should be available at important times of the day when you know that most of your clients can be looking for you. Of course, when you have become an old seasoned pro at working online, you may be set up with several trusted employers or customers who trust you and the completed work and they rely on particular times to speak to you and receive project updates and completed work. But until your business has gotten to that level, you need to be available as often as possible and at the normal daily working hours. 

4.) Quick response time! Be as quick as lightening and strike in all phases of your business. Answering emails, responding to teleconference invitations, response to online interviews, etc. When asked questions about current work and tasks, when being sought after by potential employers or customers; make sure you are available as often as possible. Just because you are working from home, does not mean you are not available and you need to prove this. The list of technology tools that are useful in maintaining greater communication for virtual offices is long, but research what ones are best for your needs and utilize them. If you cannot be near your computer make sure you are reachable, especially during your quoted available hours, make sure to be able to access your emails by your cell phone. 

5.) Employ and learn useful online tools: Do not be closed minded to try new and helpful tools that are constantly available online and being introduced. Some tools may be exactly what you are looking for to keep every aspect of your business organized and prioritized in a great way. Tasks that are being completed manually can now be compiled in short easy software available. 

6.) Make a list of “To-Dos” each day. Every day, make sure you have a list of tasks that need to be completed. Whether the ’to-dos’ are working on your website, completing work for a current job you are working on, answering emails, preparing an article, advertising, updating material and content, training, researching or promoting yourself and your business-make a list and complete it each day. If there are tasks left over for your next work day at least things are not forgotten that are important. I use Google to-do list,but that is my preference. It is a running tally of all the things I have completed and must do. You can keep a list online or in programs such as Outlook, but whatever your preference, just keep a list. 

7.) Update, Update, Update! Update your website, update your blog, update your skills, update your available services as you become more proficient in other areas, update your hair… whatever. The world keeps, growing, changing and evolving. To keep up with competition and remain in the game, grow and change right along with it. 

8.) Prioritize: Prioritizing the work and tasks that you need to complete, in your work at home business, is a fine line between being professional and not. If you do not prioritize your workload correctly, something can be missed and it does not look professional to miss deadlines and meetings or training sessions just because you were not organized with your important tasks in good order. Sometimes it takes practice at this. Keep a strict calendar and make sure to write “due dates” in red on this calendar. Refer back to it when setting up other work and make sure you have the correct and allotted time to be able to complete the tasks either on time or before they are due. 

9.) Work hard. Dedicate you time, effort and commitment into your work at home business. Nothing comes easy and since you expect the rewards to be great so must your perseverance for success. If you search to take the ’easy’ road, do not forget the grass can always be greener on the other side and it is the ’work ethic’ mentality that we can make a million dollars in one month that leads us to fall for “work at home scams.” 

10.) Remain ambitious. After putting together your whole work at home business, web site, online professional profiles, ‘to do’ lists, marketing, promoting, interviewing and hard work, it seems as though is noticing you. It is times like this that you must remain in the game. Take a little bit of time away and come back to the drawing board and either reevaluate some of your efforts as far as your marketing strategies and change them or take a step back and wait a little bit while doing something else, or working on some other facet. Don’t forget there are all sorts of things to do during downtime. This would be the perfect time to catch up.
Working from home has many rewards, but if you do not set up your business model correctly or do not put the correct effort into it, it may mean the difference between reaping the rewards or failing.

Tips for promoting the "Work at Home" Idea in today's business world

"A matter of trust."

In today’s economy everything is shifting and changing. Perhaps due to the cost of fuel and commuting and insurance premiums that companies are paying, the idea of work from home jobs and telecommuting positions may become more established. Each of us has a social responsibility to gain the trust of employers and produce great quality work with timely delivery and little or no communication gaps.

It all comes down to a matter of trust. In one article I read about employers and their thoughts on employees working from home it stated, "many bosses think home working is a euphemism for slacking off." I do not know about you, but this is far from the truth for me with my own experience since I started working from home. The workplace is evolving and just like most employees who have to constantly evolve with the ever-updating work place, so must employers with a more flexible work schedule in order to promote more productivity, but we can help prove the benefits by gaining their trust.

If you are interested in working from home or have been working from home and want to up “your game,” follow these tips.

1.) Professionalism is Key: How professional do you appear when answering your phone or when you have a face-to-face Skype meeting with the company you are working on a project for. I work on Odesk, so first thing in the morning; I have my hair done and makeup on. I do not want to look like slop on the cam and it makes me feel more productive and prepared for work.

2.) Efficiency: Answering emails and phone calls in a quick and efficient manner can help provide employers with an assurance that the employees or independent contractors who are working from home are not falling behind or that there is not a disconnect or lack of communication. Upon accepting work establish an agreed time line for projects and expectations of companies that are seeking your services to prioritize your work and figure out how to deliver on time and early if possible. Use "Smart schedule" your day in order to create the best efficiency for prioritizing your work. Remember the say, “the early bird gets the worm?”

3.) Social Networking: When you have any downtime, you must use social networks to showcase your online work profile and link it to as many business professionals who work at home or who work out of their home. This provides a professional network and expands your exposure to many different networks. Try social sites such as MySpace, LinkedIn, Facebook.

4.) Prove competency with online certifications: If you work from home, you know you are qualified, but potential employers may be a little bit skeptical. The best way to prove that you are well qualified in your field is to take online certifications and qualification tests. Some testers do charge a fee to take these tests, but it is well worth the investment and the expense can be used as a write-off for income tax filings. Websites that provide employment certification online are Brainbench and Expert Rating.

5.) Updating your website: If you have a personal website and/or blog that highlights your services and skills, keep it up-dated. Make sure all links are working. Test your website on a regular basis to assure that all the links are up to date and working and the content is updated. Some reasons that non-updated websites dissuade traffic are returning visitors will not come back to your site and search engines will not index you as often.

6.) Twitter: Twitter is a free social networking site that keeps everyone connected by answering one simple question, “What are you doing?” Twitter like everyone else and show that you are just as up-to-date with technology and are not afraid to try new things.

7.) Explore Different Occupations: Maybe when you first started working from home, you started out doing data entry jobs, but then you realized that you had a knack for photography and had taken zillions of pictures over a matter of ten years. Well, if you have any downtime, organize those pictures and start seeking out making money from home on stock photo websites.. There are many different out there and you can compare stock photo sites to figure out what site would work for you and the types of photos you have. So you do not have to stick to the type of job you originally decided to work from home, but you can expand, excel and update your skills. Think of the services that companies need and highlight and showcase your own skills. Do not short-change yourself in the work at home market, make sure you highlight and show all different types of work that you do.

8.) Keep accurate records: When you working from home, always spend at least 1 hour per week to organize receipts, organize invoices or payments and make sure you have everything in order. To prepare tax and business related finances at the end of the year or even at tax time, is almost always so ‘close for comfort’ as far as keeping records straight and correct and do not forget the lost receipts that you can never get back. Yes, most of us get an accountant and I even recommend getting a professional to do your federal tax filings at the end of the year, but they charge by the hour and why pay them to organize and compile your information and spend endless amounts of money that takes away from your earnings if you could have taken just a little time to do it throughout the year.

9.) Prioritize, Prioritize, Prioritize… I can’t say it enough. Prioritize, organize, and keep a calendar. Deliver work and keep every in a smooth running order to not fall behind or take on jobs that you cannot deliver. When you have agreed upon a job work on it diligently until it is finished and delivered. Encourage meetings with employers and keep communication lines open to them about projects that you have delivered.

10.) Build trust: Prove through prioritizing work schedule, acting in an efficient and professional manner and providing great quality work to employers that working from home is a great benefit for any employer in need of a talented pool of dedicated workers.