Work from Home As an Administrative Assistant
Administrative assistants help coordinate company activities, and manage and distribute information to other employees and clients. Assistants who work from home are sometimes called virtual assistants. Providing support services to a company executive or department from a distance often involves making phone calls, typing documents, reviewing reports, conducting research and participating in conference calls. Here are some strategies for working from home as an administrative assistant.
Contents
Steps
Understand employee versus entrepreneur pathways.
- Decide if you would like to work as an employee or an entrepreneur. Some companies hire administrative assistants as permanent employees who work from home. Starting your own virtual assistant service means being self-employed and in charge of your own marketing, tax accounting and health benefits.
Identify your ideal industry.
- Financial services companies typically require administrative assistants who are comfortable with quantitative data. Working in the medical industry usually requires knowledge of medical terminology. Administrative positions in the entertainment industry often require the ability to build relationships from a distance in both verbal and written communications.
Learn administrative skills.
- Obtain administrative skills.
- Learn how to type. Typing and 10-key are essential skills for working at home as an administrative assistant. Gain typing speed and accuracy to increase your chances of securing a position. Some employers also ask that you take an online typing test and submit your score along with your application.
- Practice speaking professionally. Especially in a virtual position, it's important to clearly communicate facts and details using the right terminology and with a professional tone.
- Strengthen your writing skills. The work of administrative assistants, particularly when working from home, involves extensive written communications in the form of emails and reports. Take a business writing course if necessary.
- Learn word processing. Most employers require proficiency in word processing, spreadsheets and presentation applications. A virtual assistant often spends a large majority of time creating and editing these documents. Some virtual assisting certificate programs offer instruction in computer applications.
Gather home office equipment.
- Equip your home office with the necessary electronics. A computer with Internet access is the primary requirement. If proceeding as a self-employed virtual assistant, you might need to invest in productivity software to create documents, spreadsheets and presentations. A printer, scanner, fax and telephone are other common requirements.
Search for open positions.
- Search for administrative assistant positions.
- Contact prior employers. If you left a position on good terms, this is often a good way to work from home as an administrative assistant. As a trusted and productive employee, prior employers might offer work that can be performed from home.
- Search job websites for virtual positions. Many employers post administrative assistant positions using words like "telecommute," "remote," "virtual" or "work at home." Filter jobs by using these keywords.
- Join virtual assistant discussion groups. Potential clients sometimes post open positions on these forums.
Apply for positions.
- Apply for virtual assistant positions.
- Tailor your resume to the specific job posting. If the job is for a short duration, a functional resume that highlights your administrative skills is preferable to a chronological resume. If the employer needs a reliable assistant who will stay in the position long-term, a chronological resume that shows longevity in past positions is ideal.
- Write a strong cover letter. Telecommuting positions tend to generate larger numbers of applications. To stand out, craft a cover letter that follows the instructions of the job posting and speaks directly to the needs of the employer.
Prepare for job interviews.
- Prepare for the interview.
- Create a professional home office environment for the interview. The employer might wish to speak with you over the phone, making it important that there are no barking dogs, loud music or other noises that might give a less than professional impression.
- Download Video Conference software. Some employers interview virtual assistants online in a video format. Test the video and audio equipment before the interview to avoid any malfunctions or troubleshooting during the interview.
