By India Jordan
Virtual Assistant job opportunities are out there, you just haveto know how and where to find them. Here are some ideas to getyou started:
1. Your Current and Former Employers
The first place to start is your current and former employers.If you are currently working or have worked for someone, letthem know about your company and what you are doing. A plus to"advertising" with them is that they already know you, yourqualities, your personality, and the quality of work youprovide. Draw up a proposal. Let them know how utilizing yourservices can benefit their company.
2. Job Boards and Search Engines
Careerbuilder.com, Monster.com, and HotJobs.com are examples ofjob boards. Google.com and Yahoo.com are examples of searchengines. You can use both to find clients who are looking forhelp by using specific keywords.
Keywords are what you type in when you are searching forsomething on the internet. The more specific your keyword is,the more relevant the results will be. For example, a generickeyword like "work at home" will more than likely return a lotof scams. Most legitimate companies don't post job leads usingthose phrases. Here is an example list of keywords you can usewhen searching for clients.
Example Keywords:
* "remote contractor" * "must have home office" * "independentcontractor" * "freelance" * "freelance job/s" * "1099Contractor" * "Virtual Assistant" * "remote office" * "1099employee" * "must have home computer" * "virtualworker/employee" * "online work" * "telework"
You can also use these keywords with search engines like Googleand Yahoo.
Note: Make sure to put the "" marks before and after the phrase.Surrounding your keywords with quotations shows more specificresults from the search engines. The search engines will onlyshow the results with that exact phrase. If you don't use them,it will look for either/or.
3. Fee-Based Websites
Fee-based websites have already completed the hard work for you.These sites have searched the internet, job boards, etc., andfound the legitimate jobs for you. All you have to do is apply.Buyers beware, however; not all fee-based job sites arelegitimate. Make sure you do thorough research of the company.
4. Freelance Websites
You can also browse some freelance job sites like Guru andElance. These sites allow freelancers to bid on projects postedby individuals or companies. If your bid is accepted you will beawarded the project. Most of these projects are short-term, butare a great way to build your clientele and your portfolio.
5. Work At Home Websites
There are also some free work-at-home websites that you can useto find clients. This has its pros and cons. Most of the timethe job leads are unresearched, limited, and old. Also you canbe sure that they have been applied to many times by othersseeking work at home jobs. The upside is that someone has kindlysearched for and posted these job leads for you. You will stillneed to research these job leads for legitimacy.
6. In Your Neighborhood
Well...not literally in your neighborhood, but you know what Imean. In other words, in the area you live. Why not have someflyers made and pass them out to local vendors? You can alsohave them posted in local grocery stores. Have some businesscards made and leave them with local business owners andmanagers.
Have your business cards handy to pass out when you meet people.This is a good networking strategy as well. Be prepared toexplain what you do when someone asks. I remember when I startedmy Virtual Assistant Business people would ask me what I do andI found it hard to explain. So be prepared and keep it simple.
7. Networking and Word of Mouth
Networking and word of mouth is an excellent way to get yourname and company out there. Get to know fellow VirtualAssistants. Sometimes they will have an overflow of work andwill subcontract or outsource the work to another VirtualAssistant (VA).
Joining associations and organizations is another way tonetwork. There are several organizations out there just for VAs.Some VAs have found success in locating clients by joining theirlocal Chamber of Commerce.
So now you know how and where to find the virtual assistant jobopportunities and clients. Go get them....
Article Source: www.ArticlesBase.com
