How to become a virtual assistant with no experience

You must get the proper training, create an online footprint for yourself, and apply to jobs in order to become a virtual assistant with no experience. For a more detailed description of these steps and others you can take to become a virtual assistant with no experience, reference this guide:

How to get a virtual assistant job

To get a virtual assistant job, research the position, assess your skills, search for job openings, create a tailored resume for each position, and continue building your skill sets. A virtual assistant is a remote administrative professional who provides a wide range of administrative and support services to clients from remote locations. In an ever-digital world, the need for virtual assistants is growing.

What companies hire virtual assistants?

Companies in the E-commerce, real estate, and technology industries hire virtual assistants. Virtual assistants have become extremely popular in these industries and many others, due to the fact these industries have a lot of remote work opportunities and also have a need for a variety of virtual assistant services, such as:

How To Become A Virtual Assistant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a virtual assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Anne McConnell Ph.D.

Virtual assistants are distant workers who coordinate with customers that require assistance. As a virtual assistant, you will typically perform managerial or clerical operations like making appointments and handling calendars. You would have to also organize soft copies of a record and write email letters.

For this role, you have to handle the email of your customers and reply to inquisitions and other messages. Besides replying to email, you must always respond to phone calls, dial for customers, and take messages. You may have to take care of jobs related to traveling for your customers, like making flight and hotel reservations, among others. In addition to these, you are required to keep the organization's social media account and online website up to date.

To qualify for this role, you must display excellent communication, interpersonal, and writing skills. Also, you must have a bachelor's degree in communication or business. Having an associate degree could also be used as an alternative depending on the employer. As a virtual assistant, you will earn an average of $24,864 annually or $11.95 per hour.

What general advice would you give to a Virtual Assistant?

Anne McConnell Ph.D.

Professor, West Virginia State University

I would say it's important to be very attentive to the way you communicate with your employers, managers, and co-workers. Even sending an e-mail can be an opportunity to demonstrate your professionalism and communication skills. Some people think that no one knows how to write anymore, or how to communicate in a professional way. I don't think that's true. But we don't always think about how our writing can be a tool to communicate our competence and seriousness. If you know how to write and communicate professionally-which college grads do-then make sure to demonstrate that in the workplace.

ScoreVirtual AssistantUS Average

Salary

3.1

Avg. Salary $39,915

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.0

Growth Rate -8%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.73%

Asian 3.80%

Black or African American 9.11%

Hispanic or Latino 15.96%

Unknown 3.87%

White 66.52%

Gender

female 87.55%

male 12.45%

Age - 52

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 52

Stress Level

6.0

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

4.4

Complexity Level is basic

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

7.6

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a virtual assistant

Explore virtual assistant education requirements

Most common virtual assistant degrees

Bachelor's

53.8 %

Associate

21.6 %

High School Diploma

8.7 %

Start to develop specific virtual assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Data Entry	9.31%
Customer Service	7.83%
Email Management	7.62%
Booking	6.77%
Website Maintenance	6.45%

Complete relevant virtual assistant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New virtual assistants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a virtual assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real virtual assistant resumes.

Gain additional virtual assistant certifications

Virtual assistant certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific virtual assistant certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for virtual assistants include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT).

More About Certifications

Research virtual assistant duties and responsibilities

Organize and manage client's social media using Hootsuite.
Manage payments and receipts in QuickBooks, manage bank deposits.
Manage the LinkedIn account and network of a human resources professional.
Assist in managing client accounts via twitter, Facebook, and link in.

Prepare your virtual assistant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your virtual assistant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a virtual assistant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Virtual Assistant Resume templates

Build a professional Virtual Assistant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Virtual Assistant resume.

Apply for virtual assistant jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a virtual assistant job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do virtual assistants rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Virtual Assistant reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2022

Pros

Writing a message,Organizing receipts and expenses and sending them out when needed

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020

Pros

It my passion to help people in need. It makes me feel good to see people the Youth do well in the life

Cons

I don't like to see anyone stuck in between and not being helped.

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020

Cons

phones - because of my accent

Pros

everything except phones : Meeting,greeting, customer service, interviewing, on boarding, recruiting, presenting, etc.

What is a virtual assistant and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a Virtual Assistant?

Virtual Assistant career paths

Key steps to become a virtual assistant

Explore virtual assistant education requirements

Most common virtual assistant degrees

Start to develop specific virtual assistant skills

Complete relevant virtual assistant training and internships

Gain additional virtual assistant certifications

Research virtual assistant duties and responsibilities

Prepare your virtual assistant resume

Choose From 10+ Customizable Virtual Assistant Resume templates

Apply for virtual assistant jobs

How Did You Land Your First Virtual Assistant Job

Average virtual assistant salary

How do virtual assistants rate their job?

Virtual Assistant reviews

Virtual Assistant FAQs

How to become a virtual assistant with no experience

How to get a virtual assistant job

What companies hire virtual assistants?

Search for virtual assistant jobs

Virtual Assistant jobs by state