While formal education and training to become a personal virtual assistant isn't usually required, you do need to have the necessary experience and skills. At least a year or two of office experience on site would be preferred. You should also have some experience working for clients on a telecommuting basis. If you want to become a personal virtual assistant, you should be well organized and be able to communicate professionally at all times.
Personal assistant recruitment companies may have virtual-based positions available. You could contact some of these agencies to find out what skills their clients are looking for in personal virtual assistants. Good computer knowledge and communication skills are most important, but clients may prefer you to have a working knowledge of certain software. If you have experience using that software, this can put you above other candidates for the job.
Marketing your services as well as applying for telecommuting clerical or assistant jobs is important if you hope to become a personal virtual assistant with a large workload. You should place ads online frequently. Another way of finding business prospects is to view small, one person business websites and contact them to offer your services. Be prepared to let each prospect know how your virtual assistant services can help him or her and for what cost. In order to become a personal virtual assistant who's in demand, you'll have to proactively market your services to your prospective customers on a regular basis.
Attending small business workshops or events in your area can give you an opportunity to hand out your business cards to prospective clients. Local businesspeople may want to meet with you in person occasionally rather than just having a personal assistant on a completely virtual basis. This can be a good way to make business contacts for future references. It's important to have good business references and a group of satisfied clients if you want to become a personal virtual assistant.
You should keep your fee competitive but avoid going too low in price, as it may be difficult to raise your fees after you've already established a considerable client base. Determine how much time client work is likely to take you to complete before you quote your price. If you focus on providing excellent value for your services right from the time you first become a personal virtual assistant, you can build client trust and get referrals.