Nearly 80% of college students have some sort of side hustle or part-time job to help them both pay for books and bulk up their resumes before heading out into the real world. Due to the rise of mobile technology, young professionals are finding that they’re presented with more freedom, flexibility, and opportunities to earn money while tending to their studies. An online job during college is, after all, a great way to earn extra cash but also to enhance your resume and amp up your professional office skills in order to jumpstart your career.
Market Your Natural Skills
Growing up in the 21st-century has likely benefited you in many ways, as most young professionals possess entry-level data entry skills, know how to perform basic administrative tasks, and can find their way around a few social media accounts. This is great, as these are the basic skills needed to land a virtual assistant job. Try to market your natural skills on a resume by ensuring you highlight the fact that you know how to format documents, manage calendars and handle high volumes of emails.
Use Your Own Assistant
No, you don’t need to hire your own remote-working assistant. We’re talking about taking advantage of the smart technology available to you in order to increase your remote working efficiency. Consider investing in a voice assistant such as Google Home or Amazon Alexa in order to help you stay on top of deadlines, meetings, and tasks. If you plan on working remotely in any capacity, it will be important to ensure you have the right tech and electronic gear needed to perform your job to your highest capacity. Look for a lightweight, portable laptop or tablet that you can carry around with you, that will also connect to gadgets like your voice assistant.
Take it Slow
As with any job, even the remote kind, it takes time to build your resume and skill set. Try to keep this in mind and start by applying to perform basic administrative or supportive tasks for a small company or entrepreneur in order to gain valuable experience. Over time, you’ll want to hone in on an industry that interests you and will help you gain access to the contacts and experience you need to translate your virtual assistant work into a big career move after college. During your time as a virtual assistant, focus on increasing your professionalism while also enhancing the marketable skills that are hot in the current job market. Currently, those skills tend to be more focused on coding, project management, digital marketing, and web development, so if you can incorporate these into your experience, the better.
Make Your Job Work for You
While it’s important for most college students to earn money on the side in order to pay for books or help pay off loans, it’s also important to learn how to gain valuable experience before heading out into your long-term career. When taking on a job as a virtual assistant, it’s important to learn how to make that job work for you in terms of the experience you’ll gain and the skills you’ll leave with.