Personal Assistant

How Virtual Assistants Can Amplify Your Business Marketing

2011-07-11T10:07:00.002-07:00

Perhaps you've got a small business and it's been thriving with your own marketing and research efforts. But if you want to boost your business marketing, consider the services of a virtual assistant.

Virtual assistants who've been trained and experienced in marketing research and business marketing -- particularly through the Internet -- can be invaluable to growing your business. It would take time for you to learn and do everything yourself, time that you could put to better use by focusing on the aspects of your business that you enjoy and are an expert at.

For example, not everyone is adept at using Web 2.0 for business marketing. Besides, it can eat up a lot of your time every day. Wouldn't you rather use that time to develop your business in other ways or even relax and enjoy your family?

Here are a few marketing and research tasks that a virtual assistant can perform for you:

* Promote your business in social networking sites, a very time-consuming task
* Produce a podcast which will expand your business' web presence
* Look at competitors' websites and report on what they're doing - so you can analyze what your competitors' approaches and come up with strategies to outdo them
* Find information you need to grow your business, such as identify affiliate programs that are relevant to your business and could increase your market reach
* Look for websites or blogs relevant to your business where it might be profitable for you to advertise your products or services

Could you do all this yourself and still live the life you want? Probably not. Yet these things could take your business to the next level and ultimately increase your income. You should certainly be familiar with these processes in order to effectively hire and supervise somebody to do them for you. However, you don't have to do them yourself.

Let a virtual assistant declutter your mind of the minute but essential details of business marketing and research. Then you can focus on work that have greater impact on your business, such as monitoring and evaluating your marketing efforts and those of your competitors, formulating strategies, and mapping out growth directions.

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Author Description :

Stephanie Fish is the owner of Buckeye V.A, she works from her home office in Ohio. After completing her Associate of Applied Business Degree from KSU,she launched her own virtual assistance business. To learn more about the VA industry or how Buckeye V.A. can help your business please visit http://www.buckeyeva.com Reprint is allowed if author information stays intact.

How Virtual Personal Assistants Can Help Your Online Business

2011-07-11T10:07:00.001-07:00

More skills and the art of multi-tasking. These are just some of the reasons why companies are now choosing virtual personal assistants or VPAs over regular employees. Having one stuff do multiple things can surely save you time and money.

Want to know what else a VPAs are capable of? They can help your business generate extra income! How? With the use of your website and the virtual personal assistants online marketing skills.

Business owners are not only getting VPAs to serve as their virtual secretaries. Many owners are also hiring virtual assistants to help them promote their online business. This is because most of them are skilled web marketers. They know how to get your website advertised and be more visible.

Since most businesses today can already be found online, it is very important that they maintain visibility to keep up with the competition. Furthermore, customers can be found searching on the internet first before they ever go to the actual business.

So how can your virtual personal assistant help your online business?

1. Content Marketing.

One article can be submitted to hundreds of article sites in a day. And these articles are republished and pirated by other related websites once they see the usefulness of its contents.

Having your virtual assistant do some simple writing and submission will mean that you get to advertise your website and have it posted around the internet. Before you know it, more people are visiting your website and checking about your business because they have it about it on online articles.

2. Newsletters.

There are still people out there that read newsletters. Most of them own businesses that deal with a specific niche market. Newsletters are a way of keeping in touch with what is currently happening in that market.

Get your virtual assistant to research about recent developments and interesting topics that are related to your business. Then have your assistant compile them into a newsletter to be sent out regularly via email.

Send the newsletters to former and current customers. You can also ask your VPA to look for more potential customers so your newsletter will be emailed to them too.

3. Joint Ventures.

One of the best way to get your business out there is to form alliance with other businesses that are related to your own. A simple search over the internet will provide websites and contact information of businesses that you can form a joint venture with.

Have your virtual personal assistant scour the internet for companies that are willing to go into a joint venture with you. It is also important to check out first the types of customers that the site is catering to and how these people will benefit from what you have to offer.

Need more be said? Your virtual personal assistant can do all these and more. Knowing about the VPAs capabilities is a plus factor for you and your business. If you already have your own website, then all you have to do is take advantage of your virtual personal assistants’ skills.

This is if you want to start generating additional income from your business.

Agents of Value Virtual Personal Assistant is a webmaster staffing company based in the Philippines that provides direct access to motivated agents for cost-effective web services.

Why Outsourcing to Virtual Assistants is a Must

2011-07-11T10:06:00.002-07:00

Introduction

A decade ago, "virtual assistant" might have conjured up some a vision of some sort of real-time robot helper. Today, however, there are professional organizations devoted to virtual assistants, numerous websites supporting the virtual assistant industry, and even a virtual assistant "Chamber of Commerce" on the Web.[i]

Virtual assistants form a core of our company's business. We've commissioned this paper in order to explain what virtual assistants do and where the industry has come from. In this report, we'll provide:

background and definition of the virtual assistant industry
examples of work that has been outsourced to virtual assistants
a case study based on actual use of a virtual assistant
questions for you to consider as you evaluate why outsourcing to virtual assistants is a must

Of course, we'll also provide you with information about how you can contact us to arrange the services of one of our professional virtual assistants. Because you need to focus on the things that are core to your business and lifestyle, and virtual assistants are an essential part of helping you do that.

Virtual Assistant Defined

Simply put, a virtual assistant is an administrative assistant who provides services to businesses, entrepreneurs, executives, or just busy people.[ii] The International Virtual Assistants Association offers a more formal definition:

A Virtual Assistant (VA) is an independent entrepreneur providing administrative, creative and/or technical services. Utilizing advanced technological modes of communication and data delivery, a professional VA assists clients in his/her area of expertise from his/her own office on a contractual basis.[iii]

Virtual assistant assignments are usually communicated through e-mail, phone, fax, or mail-that's why we're called "virtual." Even though we may not be on-site, though, it's important to remember that virtual assistants are entrepreneurs who are invested in their own business. In other words, we make it our business to make your business and life run more smoothly.

The virtual assistant industry has tracked closely with the development of the Web. Email, Twitter, Facebook, even EBay, have created a multitude of ways for business relationships to grow. But virtual assistants are also experienced in business before Web 2.0. A 2008 study commissioned by the Virtual Assistant Chamber of Commerce quantifies how recently the industry has emerged. Over half of the 500 virtual assistants surveyed had started their business in 2007 or 2008.[iv] However, the virtual assistants surveyed were not inexperienced; 72 percent of those responding had over ten years of administrative experience and 27 percent had over 20 years of administrative experience (Figure 1).[v]

Source: Survey of 375 virtual assistants (2008 Virtual Assistant Survey Highlights)

As an experienced administrator, a virtual assistant will typically charge a base hourly rate between $30 and $60, as did nearly 70 percent of the virtual assistants surveyed in 2008.[vi] Of course, rates can be lower-for less experienced or less specialized virtual assistants-or much higher for highly specialized tasks. Most virtual assistants operate on a monthly retainer specifying a certain number of hours worked, while staying flexible to meet additional time demands placed by the client.

For a company of any size to flourish in the kind of virtual environment that has caused the virtual assistant industry to emerge, help is needed to simply manage the daily tasks and relationships involved in everyday business. But virtual assistants aren't just there to help you with secretarial tasks. Let's now take a look at the realm of work that virtual assistants provide through the lens of a case study, based on the actual experience of an entrepreneur who has successfully utilized a virtual assistant's services.

Common Services Provided By Virtual Assistants

Customer Support

Telephone Handling

Medical Billing

Data Entry

Travel Planning

Medical Transcription

Email Handling

Helpdesk

Office Administration

Event Planner

Visio

MS Outlook

Spreadsheets

Research

Power Point

Word

WordPerfect

Word Processing

Alan and the Brainstorm

It began as another one of Alan's great ideas. He noticed that he was getting more and more calls from a particular sector of his client base related to one of the company's products. But he couldn't justify the numbers for a full-blown market research report, and he simply didn't have the time to put together all the information himself.

He had heard about virtual assistants at a sales conference, and he decided to see if he could retain an assistant for three months to do the legwork that help him quantify his hunch. He located a virtual assistant that had administrative experience within his specific industry. He outlined his needs, listened to the assistant's questions, and hired her within a week to begin his project.

Alan knew that the project would interest him too much to simply forward the incoming emails to his assistant, so she handled everything directly to her inbox. She formatted a short survey with questions that Alan had designed, and provided some skilled editing and layout-along with ideas to clarify the questions so he would get the information that he wanted. She handled the arrangements for printing and mailing the survey, took all the phone calls from clients that had questions about it, and received all the hard copies while also summarizing on-line responses. After Alan's initial analysis of the data, she helped him create a Power Point for presentation at his next management meeting.

As the project was finishing, Alan realized that his virtual assistant had done a skilled job and could be valuable long-term asset. He had to focus more of his attention to financial analysis, one of his strongest management skills, and he needed someone to manage his email and help with creating the weekly reports that he sent to the sales and management teams. So he retained the services of the virtual assistant, who had proven herself for the task, for the coming year.

Next Steps

Maybe you find yourself in need of targeted administrative help, like Alan. Or maybe you're in need of an administrative generalist, someone who can simply spend the hours each week "doing it all" that you no longer have time to do. Or, perhaps there's a part of your non-business life that needs more planning-upcoming events, vacations, retreats, community activities. If so, a virtual assistant is essential.

Be sure to keep the following three things in mind as you seek out a virtual assistant. For a more comprehensive list of other considerations, you may wish to surf to a helpful article called "How to Hire A Virtual Assistant," referenced in the endnotes.[vii]

1. A Virtual Assistant is Virtual

Your primary connection to a virtual assistant, and their primary connection to you, is virtual. So evaluate potential assistants based on their virtual presence. Their website should be clean, crisp, and professional. Their ability to respond to your emails, IMs, or other electronic communication during the interview process should indicate to you the eventual quality of their work.

Finally, ask for references or referrals that you can access virtually to see how the candidate's network operates. After all, everyone's heard of (or interviewed) the candidates that seem perfect until the HR person views their Facebookpage....

2. A Virtual Assistant Should Be Highly Qualified

Working virtually is no comment on someone's qualifications. In fact, many employers of virtual assistants find them even more qualified than their on-site options for completing administrative and professional tasks.

Be sure to ask your potential virtual assistant not just about their past qualifications and experience, but also about how they are able to administrate. Does their philosophy of business line up with yours? Is their business experience at a similar level that you're operating? Ask for examples of how they've completed tasks, and how familiar they are with the things that are important to you. Give candidates the opportunity to listen; the best virtual assistants, like the best employees, are superior listeners.

3. Hiring a Virtual Assistant is B2B

Quality virtual assistants are entrepreneurs; they own their businesses, write their own business and marketing plans, and develop their own sales strategies. They're an essential part of helping you do business and organize life; but they've also chosen to work as entrepreneurs. We've found that, like any business relationship, the best virtual assistant-client relationships are built on the sort of mutual trust and respect that is founded between colleagues.

Your Next Step

ThoughtPoint Virtual Assistants, Inc invites you to contact us to discuss how a virtual assistant might serve you. Our team of assistants has already been filtered based on qualifications and experience, and we are prepared to listen closely to your needs to help find the optimal virtual assistant match for you. You can contact us by visiting our website, www.mythoughtpoint.com, where you'll find directions for reaching us at any time. We appreciate your review of this information about our industry and look forward to your inquiry about how a ThoughtPointTM professional might assist you.

References

[i] For example, see the websites www.ivaa.org and www.virtualassistantnetworking.com

[ii] From our website, www.mythoughtpoint.com

[iii] The IVAA claims over 1,000 members. www.ivaa.org/

[iv] Virtual Assistant Chamber of Commerce. 2008 Virtual Assistant Survey Industry Highlights. October 6, 2008, p. 13. Accessed February 2009 at www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/resources

[v] 2008 Virtual Assistant Survey Industry Highlights, p. 11

[vi] 2008 Virtual Assistant Survey Industry Highlights, p. 22

[vii] "How to Hire a Virtual Assistant." http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/how-to-hire-a-virtual-assistant.htm

Virtual Assistant Training - What are the Options?

2011-07-11T10:06:00.001-07:00

Do you need Virtual Assistant Training?

For those who would like to start a Virtual Assistant business, yet are not sure if they have the necessary skills or proficiency level required to run their own business, they can certainly benefit from virtual assistant training. Keep in mind that anyone can create a website and sell a training program to aspiring virtual assistants, but that does not guarantee they are quality or reputable programs. On the other hand, there are some excellent training and certification programs available today which will ensure you have all of the skills needed to start a virtual assistant business.

Training can also increase the knowledge and skill level of existing Virtual Assistants, particularly in the area of internet technology which is continually changing. These programs have been created by seasoned professionals and are specifically designed to give the virtual assistant the skills and business knowledge to run his/her own home based business.

Administrative professionals with many years of experience may not feel additional training is necessary, or may be reluctant to put more time and money into additional training.

Whether or not to get virtual assistant training and/or certification is a personal choice. There are many successful Virtual Assistants that do not have either, however, there are plenty who have found additional training invaluable to the success of their business. The virtual assistant industry is similar to many industries which require practitioners to have certification to be considered reputable. Although certification is not required, it does contribute to the legitimacy of the industry as a whole and increase the confidence level of potential clients. Even with years of experience, you will find running a home virtual assistant business can be quite different from being an employee. Being your own boss also brings a whole new set of challenges which require a different set of skills.

Here are some things to ask yourself when considering virtual assistant training...

Are your administrative skills current and at the level of proficiency needed to work independently in a home office? You won't have a coworker to ask a question if you get stuck. As an employee, you may be able to learn on the job; however, as an independent contractor your clients will expect you to be extremely proficient in the skills you are advertising.
Are your skills proficient enough for you to work quickly and efficiently while not sacrificing quality? Your clients will not appreciate being charged for more time than would be necessary with a more efficient virtual assistant.
Do you have the necessary internet and technological skills to run a virtual assistant business from your home? Since you will be working in a virtual office, you need to be able to communicate with your clients effectively utilizing the modern technology tools available. A virtual assistant needs to understand more than just email. How else will you communicate with your clients? Do you understand internet communication services (VoIP), instant messaging and online fax programs?
Do you have specialty skills you can offer to expand your business? Services such as bookkeeping, web design and marketing are in high demand. Those with experience and certification in real estate, medical or the legal industry are needed today as well. Internet marketing is also a skill that is in great demand particularly with online business owners.
Do you understand how to run and market your own business? You will be self-employed and need to understand how to handle bookkeeping, taxes and payment processing. You also need to market yourself and find your own work.

If you are lacking in any of these skills, you may want to consider a reputable Virtual Assistant Training program. Even with years of experience in your career, there are new skills you will need to acquire in order to run a successful home based business. Keep in mind the internet is a very dynamic medium and change is rapid and constant. Everyone running a business involving the internet must continually learn new skills in this extremely dynamic environment. The successful virtual assistant will keep up with the changing technology and keep their skills fresh.

Virtual assistant training may be just what you need to get started or to acquire new skills for expanding your existing business. Learn more about the available virtual assistant training opportunities and determine what's right for you.

Author Description :

Jan Harris is a veteran administrative professional with over 20 years of experience and currently works at home as a Virtual Assistant. To learn more about starting your own Virtual Assistant business visithttp://www.VirtualAssistantsGuide.com.

Personal Assistant Nanny Finder - How to Find a Great Nanny!

2011-07-11T10:05:00.000-07:00

Families who need to find a good nanny are not always aware of the huge advantages of services such as Personal Assistant Nanny Finder. This tool is the most efficient, hassle-free ways to find a nanny near you. The service offers families the possibility of specifically defining what kind of person they're looking for. Would you like to get useful advices of this service? Read the following short guide.

Seeking for a nanny online

Many families consider Personal Assistant Nanny Finder a simple yet sophisticated solution: the fastest way to track and find a reliable nanny. Up 'til a few years ago, it wasn't at all simple to find the right person without a non-Web-based solution. While finding a nanny is the main goal of this service, a good locator tool will also be able to guide you in other important aspects of hiring a personal helper such as - conducting a caregiver credibility search, help and support on the best way to ultimately choose the right nanny for your family and also provide tips on how to determine the nanny fee.

Online services: The advantages

The advantages of using this service are:

(1) Friendly interface enables families to easily understand how to manage the nanny-search process.

(2) Dramatically increases the efficiency in screening for and finding the best-suited person for your family's needs.

(3) Provides a hassle-free, effective solution for busy families with limited time to search for and find a great nanny.

Locating a nanny: Fast and easy

Personal Assistant Nanny Finder eliminates the tedium and frustration of searching for and finding a reliable nanny. What's more, this service offers many important tools that make it one of the most efficient solutions there is. In order to accomplish the process effectively, it's strongly recommended following the above article tips as you hire the services of any nanny referral agency.

Author Description :

If you wish to learn more about Personal Assistant Nanny Finder

Visit: http://www.online-nanny.com

Personal Assistant Agency Expands To San Francisco Area

2011-07-11T10:04:00.002-07:00

The Greater San Francisco area is fast becoming a market for career personal assistants, as Los Angeles has been for decades. One personal assistant agency has recently stepped-up to accommodate the growing needs of the ultra-rich; and thats The Celebrity Personal Assistant Network (The Network), which places Personal Assistants and Estate Managers in the Bay Area and Silicon Valley: San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Clara, Palo Alto, San Mateo, Napa, and Berkeley. Cities as far south as Santa Cruz and Monterey are not excluded.

The San Francisco personal assistant market has been simmering for years, but with the explosion of wealth in the Silicon Valley, the needs of the rich and famous in Northern California are almost insatiable. Founder of The Network, Brian Daniel, recognized the growing need for personal assistants in the Silicon Valley because this new Internet Generation of tech wizards is traveling with private jets and purchasing mega-mansions. The Network already covers other major U.S. markets like Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Chicago, New York, and Miami.

It takes a very special kind of person to handle the lifestyles of the upper-echelon, says Brian. There has to be a perfect blend of administration skills, as well as that of a personal concierge. Los Angeles certainly has their fair share of celebrity personal assistants, but the Greater San Francisco Bay Area has a shortage of seasoned professionals that are able to keep up with the demands of the wealthy. And Mr. Daniel should know what it takes because he has worked with Hollywood A-list, millionaires, billionaires, and even royalty all over the world!

There is no shortage of candidates who want to do the job, but wanting it is not enough. To be a personal assistant to a CEO, celebrity, high net worth family, sports figure, book author or lawyer, one has to be able to work long hours and work under tremendous pressure. Not everyone is able or willing to make those kinds of sacrifices, says Brian.

What makes The Network so special is that Brian Daniel takes extraordinary care in qualifying the candidates. Its not enough to have worked with a wealthy or famous family before because that just gets you the interview. The standards at The Network are unmatched by the typical employment agency because most of those types of operations are high-volume and commission-driven. Additionally, most employment agencies are staffed with college interns and temporary employees, none of which have actually done the job of a personal assistant, so properly qualifying candidates is very difficult at best.

The Network is a boutique operation that spends an inordinate amount of time interviewing candidates so that a perfect match can be made with potential employers. Moreover, The Network specializes in personal assistants and estate managers only. Other employment agencies are mostly jack of all trades and try to be all things to all people, which says a lot about that kind of operation. In my opinion, says Brian, it is impossible to have the type of quality control I have if you place personal assistants, estate managers, gardeners, privates chefs, maids, nannies, and security personnel. It isnt possible to have a personal relationship with your staff, candidates and clients if you have 500 people youre working with.

The Celebrity Personal Assistant Network currently represents personal assistants that have worked with Paul Newman, Cindy Crawford, Al Pacino, Denise Richards, Britney Spears, Jay Z, Damon Wayons, and Ashton Kutcher to name a few. It goes without saying that The Networks current client list is confidential. This business is all about secrecy, says Brian. Its not only for the benefit of my clients and personal assistants, but also for my business. The other employment agencies are desperate to find out who Im working with and that data is as protected as the JFK assassination files at the CIA.

Brian Daniel rarely grants interviews to the press for fear of damaging his reputation for discretion. Most of the pop culture magazines always want Daniel to name names or to have the article take a gossip-like slant. However, Brian Daniel and The Network were recently featured on the home page of Aol.com in an article titled How to Earn Six Figures as a Personal Assistant.

For more information about hiring a personal assistant in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area, contact The Celebrity Personal Assistant Network at http://www.FindCelebrityJobs.com.

Author Description :

Brian Daniel is a celebrity personal assistant that has worked with Hollywood A-list, billionaires, and royalty. He now owns The Celebrity Personal Assistant Network, located online at http://www.FindCelebrityJobs.com

Personal Assistants: The Best Quality Contenders In The Marketplace

2011-07-11T10:04:00.001-07:00

Transfer the job connected with choosing a good personal assistant that can be really good at a wide array of talents as well as knowledge to the people which have professional employment agencies. Any staffing agencies who focus on personal assistants already have people who are experts in this field. All these personal assistants already have working experience of coordinating an individual's personal and business life. They have got high quality assistants who have experiences dealing with high profile individuals.

The staffing company prides itself with regard to supplying a superior degree of service not to mention ensuring that you'll be matched up with the best personal assistant with your lifestyle. These personal assistants also work really well with regard to working fathers and mothers who would like help with personal tasks when they are at work and also household supervision. Typically the staffing company will assist to select the most suitable assistant for the position at hand.

The personal assistants jobs are definitely the best quality contenders in the marketplace as they have a vast range of abilities. This personal assistant should be hand selected to provide a advanced level of service for the industry and requirements of a client. These types of assistants are actually trained with a broad range of skills to assist with an insurmountable quantity of tasks and work which a very busy executive or even celebrity simply just doesn't have enough time to do.

With a high quality assistant to deal with all of the regular jobs of the business owner or high net worth man or women, they might definitely benefit from their very own leisure time once again. High net worth people are frequently sought after to donate to an aid organization or go to a high class affair. Using a personal assistant, all those phone calls, emails, and invites could be processed and summarized by the assistant before giving them to the employer.

All these personal assistants can deal with many responsibilities. They are able to filter phone calls, emails, and reply to the essential calls. The assistant could maintain the schedule and make sure the person does not arrange two of three meetings or functions all at once. They'll also handle all the incoming mail and outbound communication.

Working hard full time means it is difficult to perform all the personal tasks that need to get accomplished. By simply hiring a personal assistant they will be available to run those errands, pick up the dry cleaning, make deposits at the bank, purchase orders within the shop, or perhaps do shopping for example. It doesn't matter what duties consume the free time, a personal assistant is able to help out.

A good staffing company works together with the prepared assistant to make certain they are reliable and understand how to handle each and every circumstance. The personal assistant should have the ability to match the factors for the position. The skilled personal assistant has obtained a lot of capabilities in a number of fields to handle every factor of the client's lifestyle and requirements.

The staffing companies offer short-term as well as permanent personal assistant staffing. If you want a personal assistant for a short period of time to help with a special event or you want a part time personal assistant on a permanent basis for your needs and profession, these companies currently have quality individuals to complete the hours that you'll require.

Author Description :

The personal assistant industry is one in which you can really work hard and shine. Personal assistant jobs can give you the recognition you desire, and will compensate you accordingly.

How to Become the Perfect Personal Assistant

2011-07-11T10:03:00.002-07:00

I was not flattered when my boss asked me, “What exactly do you do all day?”

Right then I wanted to stuff him inside the cardboard box from the mini fridge that I’d just gone and bought for him; a request he’d made at 4:30pm yesterday. He didn’t seem to realize that it was me and not a magical fairy that lugged that fetish item five blocks from the store to stock it with his favorite drinks.

I got on the elevator steaming from what he’d said. The doors closed and I started the trip down... By the time the elevator reached the bottom, I realized that I’d become the Perfect Personal Assistant. Over the last five years I had become my employer’s invisible right hand.

To be a fabulous personal assistant you only have to do one thing: never leave the boss lacking. Now, granted, that ‘one thing’ actually consists of doing a million other things every day. But ultimately, your boss doesn’t want to be bothered with you, except to know that he isn’t left handling any of the messy details all by himself. Anything that takes longer than five minutes, (unless it’s golf) and involves some repetition is going to land on my shoulders.

MY NAME IS X To do my job well, I realized then, means to be quietly efficient and ignored. The whole time I exist outside his office working for him, answering emails, shielding him from people who waste his time, arranging travel itineraries, meetings, making dinner reservations, housecleaning, buying gifts for his clients, stocking his cabinets, taking care of his pets, picking up dry-cleaning, and shopping for everything from specialized balsa wood for his son’s model airplanes, to winter tires for his Aston Martin, is so he can focus on the end results, and completely ignore the journey.

HIGH TECH SHOPPING SECRET Of course, I’m always available any time he needs me, and that’s a tricky balance too. I rely heavily on technology to accomplish my tasks faster and make my life easier. LOCAL SEARCH – I impress everyone in the office with my speed and accuracy using Poynt. You can get it by adding ‘poynt@live.com’ to Microsoft® Windows Live Messenger™ or ‘Poynt’ to AIM®. Wherever I happen to be in the city, at the airport, or at the office supplies store, I can type keywords into Poynt to find the closest venue, and the service lists phone numbers and plots the business locations on an easy to read Microsoft Virtual Earth map. Poynt is my own invisible right hand.

WE BUY ME GIFTS Mr. Executive does appreciate me, in spite of his sometimes gruff demeanor. In fact, he bought me a fabulous designer handbag for my birthday a few weeks ago. Okay so I was actually the one who went out and made the purchase. “Arrange these birthday gifts,’ he said, then added, ‘include one for yourself”, and he gave me a generous budget. Later that day when I typed “fashion accessories” into Poynt it brought up all my favourite stores in the downtown area, and some I didn’t know existed that were remarkably close to work. One was only a block away from where I had to drop off a package - so I made a stop. Wouldn’t you know it, they were having a sale!

THE SECRET JOY OF THE INVISIBLE PA Personal assistants everywhere have been struggling to find the balance between too much and too little face time with their boss. When in doubt, too little is probably better. If you’re always available he or she will definitely know that you’re keen to take instructions; but if you’re always standing there waiting instead of running around and doing stuff, it sends a clear message that you’re under utilized. The key is to be there without actually being present. If you ever go out of the office, make sure to leave evidence of your excellence behind. Stack some recently completed work on your desk or leave his dry cleaning draped over your chair. Make a pyramid shaped pile of packages ready to be mailed, and or even having a wall calendar full of scribbled notations regarding the jobs for the day is enough to satisfy anyone that you are gainfully employed. Check in when you return, and try not to be empty-handed. Finally, you should always, always be carrying a PDA or at the very least, a pen and notepad whenever you work in close proximity to senior staff.

Follow these tips to executive status – someday you’ll have your own assistant. Now when he asks me, “what exactly do I pay you for?” I just smile and say, “To make you look perfect.”

Why You Need a Personal Assistant

2011-07-11T10:03:00.001-07:00

Successful real estate agents are experts at multitasking—juggling open houses, taking calls from clients, and coming up with innovative marketing strategies—all while trying to maintain a balanced personal life. For some agents, the demands on their time become too great, and certain tasks fall by the wayside. In order to restore efficiency and ease the pressure, many realtors today hire personal assistants.

Is a personal assistant right for you? If you're a real estate agent who has yellow sticky notes and to-do lists blanketing your desk, then you might need a personal assistant. If you can't find important paperwork within a minute or two, then yes, you need an assistant. If your family can't remember who you are when you walk in the front door, then you definitely need a personal assistant.

What kinds of things can personal assistants do for you? If they have their real estate license, they can handle many of your regular responsibilities such as showing properties, hosting open houses, advertising the business, going over contracts with clients, and accepting payment.

An assistant that does not have his real estate license is more limited in what he can do for you, but he can still make your life much easier. He can see to the daily administrative tasks such as handling contact leads, answering the telephone, responding to email inquiries, as well as general office jobs such as faxing documents and filing papers. These chores often require focus and attention to detail, which can quickly eat up your time; if someone else can take care of them for you, you can devote that time to generating more income, or to spending quality time with family.

If you like the idea of hiring a personal assistant, but only need help on occasion, consider getting a virtual assistant. VA's can help you with appointments, phone calls, and time management. Some virtual assistants can even help with the maintenance of your website. VA's are independent contractors, so you don't have to worry about offering benefits and taking off taxes from their paycheck. You also don't have to furnish them with office space and equipment because they perform their work offsite, from their home office.

Make sure that if you decide to hire a virtual assistant you check out their references before handing over critical information such as credit card numbers and website passwords. You want to know the person as well as possible, so that you can feel good about entrusting them with your business.

A personal assistant isn't just for celebrities or the very wealthy; it's for anyone who has a successful business and limited time. If you hire an assistant, you not only rid yourself of some of the more menial tasks associated with the real estate profession, but you can also use your newly acquired free time to garner new business, or simply to take some much needed down time. A personal assistant can help your real estate business run smoothly, and enable you to use your time in a more productive way.

Author Description :

Joshua Keen is an experienced and professional Atlanta real estate agent. With a focus on customer service, The Keen Team has become one of Atlanta's elite real estate companies. For more information, contact Joshua soon or visit the Keen Team as www.realsourcebrokers.com

Efficient Working with A Virtual Personal Assistant

2011-07-11T10:02:00.002-07:00

For hundreds of businesspeople and professionals, hiring a virtual personal assistant has indeed made their work and careers a lot easier to manage and care for. Outsourcing has never been easier and more organized, leading into the rise of virtual assistants and employers who gets excellent results and good work done.

Since outsourcing and virtual assistance might be new to some people, many may wonder how best to interact with their virtual assistants and how they can establish good rapport with them. Well, there are a lot of different types of virtual assistants just as there are a lot of different types of bosses and employees. Working in a “virtual office” just made it a lot easier and a lot more straight-to-the-point.

The basics? When getting a virtual personal assistant of your own, be mindful of a couple of things to get work done more efficiently and smoothly.

Be specific.

You have a virtual assistant and you have specifically chosen him/her for the task you want. Now it is best to be specific what he or she ought to do in working it. Expect the questions that will be asked beforehand and get ready to answer them. When orienting your virtual assistant, you can either talk to him/ her by phone or write down your instructions. Either way, a clear definition of the purpose and the work will help your assistant tremendously.

Establish good communication.

Checking up with your assistant daily is not really that difficult. All it takes is just an email away. Some clients and their virtual assistants require a progress report, but it ultimately depends on your management style. A good thing to establish early on is rapport and good communication. Have an effort to know your virtual assistant and what times are convenient for him or her. Again, you can do this through phone call or through a chain of emails, your choice.

Define and expect a goal.

Set goals and standards that your assistant should follow. It is actually helping your assistant into creating or developing the kind of work you have in mind, the output that meets your expectations. Voice out these goals and lead your virtual assistant in your headed direction. Eventually, often soon, your assistant will be able to know what you want and present the work that you like ahead without you even telling them. This is what good rapport does for you.

Be open for suggestions

As a good plus, your virtual personal assistant has probably had previous experience working for other clients and accounts, making him or her a seasoned and skilled person at his or her work. Keep your mind open for suggestions and techniques you may not have heard before. These ideas only serve to produce better work. Its quite alright if you do not like them anyway, you have the final say what goes.

Provide feedback.

It is quite helpful when you provide feedback every now and then. Your evaluation points out what needs to be done and how your assistant is doing. Just be constructive and all will fall into place. Praises and a pat in the back are also good in boosting up morale.

Agents of Value Virtual Personal Assistant is a webmaster staffing company based in the Philippines that provides direct access to motivated agents for cost-effective web services.

Personal assistant right hand of businesspersons

2011-07-11T10:02:00.001-07:00

Personal Assistant is must for the big business persons who have busy schedule and require a person to handle the schedule and make schedules for them as per the requirement. Meetings, board meetings, appointment with important persons, everything is being handled by the personal assistant of business persons. Personal assistant referred as PA is required to be more active and quick to handle everything efficiently. He/she should be active mentally also to handle the situation in case any problem arises due to any reason. While hiring a personal assistant few things have to be kept in mind like suitability of the person as PA personality wise as well as knowledge wise.

Personal assistant must be enhanced with few qualities. While selecting the PA it should be noticed that how much well organized the person is, whether he/she will be able to handle and maintain the schedule as per requirement. The person who has applied for the post of PA must be detail oriented i.e. must know the procedure consisting the detailed information regarding any particular individual, company or matter. The PA should be trustworthy so that one can assure the maintenance of secrecy of confidential matters. Priorities in arranging the schedules must be understood by the PA to ensure the scheduling as per importance of the particular.

Personal assistant should be responsible as he/she has to handle number of responsibilities together, without missing a single responsibility. Mishandling of a single responsibility can create messing up in the complete schedule. PA should be professional completely that he/she be able to deal with every kind of professional personnel’s. Professionalism is an important factor; as if PA is not professional completely it will be difficult for him/her to deal with professional persons. Personal preferences, matters, feelings are required to be kept apart while dealing in professional world. The Personal assistant should be resourceful, as some information is required to be taken out from sources like information of competitors etc. Many times issues have to be settled internally, for the purpose one requires resources to do the job.

Businesspersons look forward for the personal assistant, on whom they can rely and depend. PA must be dependable in case of handling the meeting arrangements, document arrangements, scheduling meeting etc. Businesspersons avoid maintaining such records and therefore hire PA’s to do the needful for them in a better way. Many a times PA’s represent the meetings or individuals on behalf of their boss, in this case they are required to be capable of delegating in different matters. At times it is required to be resilient in some matters as aggressiveness can spoil the matter more. Being resilient till is also a quality of personal assistant, as no businessperson will be requiring a PA who is aggressive and talk even not being asked. PA has the right to speak only when being asked. A self- starter PA is demanded the most as they start the work by themselves and with the permission of their boss. They don’t bother their boss in deciding schedule or handling matters.

Personal assistants are the chosen ones with lot of responsibilities being shouldered on them.

Author Description :

"Pankaj Modi Says:" We offer plans to fit their exact needs – whether it’s booking a motel in Montana, or engaging the entire floor of a hotel in London. With over 350 thoroughly trained concierges and personal assistants located in some 85 cities around the world. http://www.goxpacs.com

Primary Duties of a Personal Assistant

2011-07-11T10:01:00.000-07:00

Movies are creation of fantasy but they often have their roots in reality. The truth of this statement is evident from the portrayal of personal assistants in the movies. More often than not, we see the personal assistants (PAs) as efficient and composed people. They are portrayed as individuals who are extremely efficient with a very shrewd approach towards one's duties, while the boss is shown as a person who is utterly dependent on the helper for the completion of ordinary chores.

The job of the assistant is easy to describe but very difficult to perform. The person generally works in a pressure cooker environment and the actual tasks depend on the nature of the industry in which the person is employed in. Confidence, clarity of thought and alertness are very essential requirements for the assistant.

So What Does A PA Do?

Movies are often accused of exaggerating reality. However, they have accurately portrayed the tough duties of the PA. The core duties may include:

a. Administrative Assistance

The most important duty is to provide support and assistance regarding daily tasks. These tasks are the ones which take a lot of time and effort and yet seem very unrewarding in return. Ignoring such basic tasks can cause a lot of problems.

However, it just does not seem right to take time out your busy schedule to perform these tasks. This is where the assistant helps. He or she performs these tasks on behalf of the boss and enables the boss to remain focused on his core duty.

Tasks like booking the flight or coordinating appointments may not be very important but are unavoidable. The PA is best for performing this task.

b. Secretarial Duties

These duties include the performance of tasks like:

Taking calls
Screening the calls that come to the boss
Keeping track of correspondence
Taking care of visitors
Arranging meetings and taking care of cancellations
Taking minutes, dictation and other such tasks.

c. Other Tasks

The job includes a lot of discretionary powers. When the boss is not available, people look up to the PA to decide on administrative and secretarial matters. The helper may have powers even to consider the overall budget of certain events and promotions.

Many a times, the person is even required to keep track of purchases and storage of office supplies. These tasks may seem unimportant but the office can come to a stop if these tasks are not taken care of in a proper and planned manner.

d. Personal Assistance

The helper is also appointed to assist the boss in the office. However, the PA soon assumes the status of a friend, philosopher and guide and is often relied upon to perform important personal tasks as well.

Your boss may require you to keep track of birthdays, anniversaries and other special dates in the family of your boss and make arrangements like ordering flowers and other such gifts on such occasions.

Further, you may be asked to perform tasks like reserving tickets for movies, concerts and even making booking at restaurants. These tasks go beyond the original job description. However, you will enjoy additional respect and benefits if you go out of your way to help your boss.

Author Description :

Advance with Personal Virtual Assistant services today at: http://www.ohiohelpgroup.com - - visit the links to sign up for a free newsletter packed with tips! Thanks!

Personal Assistant Service and Its Benefits

2011-07-11T10:00:00.002-07:00

If you prefer having a home-based business with a minimum capital, you may want to put up a personal assistant service business. People engaged in this business provide personal assistance to other people with their daily life activities. You may also serve an institution or business company as their personal assistant. In this way, you help the company with increased efficiency and productivity.

Providing a service to a private individual, celebrity, politician or to anyone normally requires you to do errands for them such as managing a calendar or schedules, making travel arrangements, shopping, communicating with other people on their behalf, researching, event planning, and other errands that they need to pass on to an assistant.

On the other hand, giving a personal assistant service to an institution or business company requires you to be an administrative expert. Some of the duties that may be required for you to accomplish are as follows: answer phone calls from clients, manage and respond to emails, sort out important messages from spam, manage calendar, do online research, prepares written documents, manage social media, travel arrangements, book hotels and flights, prepare company profiles, and so many other duties.

Before starting this service, you have to consider some factors. First, decide on what services you will offer. You may limit your services during the first few months, then expand it as soon as you get used to the ins and outs of your business. Next, compute on your price. You need to check your fees on every service type that you provide. Also, determine on how you wish to be paid. You have the option to charge clients via hourly rate, flat rate, or even mileage rate which may be applied when you go out for an errand to be accomplished. Lastly, set up your own website. This will serve as your marketing arm in finding clients. Furthermore, it serves as your profile portfolio. In this way, your accomplishments will be recorded that may help convince your future clients to get your service.

Providing personal assistant service does not only mean business. But you greatly help other people in need. Doing this will give you a sense of fulfillment. Also, if you do great things for others, they will surely spread the word. Hence, gaining more clients is so much possible. Remember that life is easier having a personal assistant around.

Author Description :

Know how you could hire a Personal Assistant Service for your benefit. Visit us at rajpromotions.com.

Career Of A Personal Assistant

2011-07-11T10:00:00.001-07:00

There are many different jobs out there in the market as there are different types of people. Starting from cooking to cleaning, office jobs to outdoor careers, there are so many different careers that you can choose from to make sure you get the perfect one for you. If you do not have a regular job, why don't you consider becoming a personal assistant or PA? A personal assistant is responsible for planning and scheduling meeting, updating your calendar and helping to the person's schedule focused and to the point. A personal assistant is considered as a successor to the role of secretary and has a high reputation attached to it.

Looking for personal assistant jobs on the internet will offer you hundreds of pages that will tell you just how to find the perfect placement for you. It's good to note though from the off that being a PA is a demanding, hard working job and that good clerical experience as well as any previous work in administration will go a long way to preparing you for the workload given. Most PAs tend to work for traditional businesses, although in recent years celebrity personal assistants have cropped up in the media, usually to reveal intimate details about the person they were previous employed for.

While most personal assistant jobs are on the premises of the company in question, with the advent of freelancing sites like Elance and oDesk, it is possible to hire one over the internet as well as work from home rather than in an office. This is a great benefit for those who have PA experience and are wanting to get back into their career, but maybe have a family or child to care for. A quick search into sites like the ones mentioned will offer you plenty of oppertunities to get into the business. Don't expect a great deal of pay at first unless you've got a wealth of experience at hand. With many employers looking for a few years of experience if the necessary qualifications are missing, it's best to either have one or the other at hand if you want to make the tast just that little bit easier. Some employers though will take the chance on hiring new recruits and train them so they will be effective in their role.

As mentioned before, celebrity personal assistants have become famous in their own right in the last few years due to the press focusing on their troubles with former famous employers. One of the latest headlines focuses on Steve Wig who was the former PA for Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich. He is currently suing his former employer for unpaid overtime as well as bonuses which he alleges haven't been paid by the drummer. Headlines like these are reasonably common as the press looks for juicy stories on the stars to help sell their newspapers.

Career as a PA is certainly very promising, although keep in mind there are many thousands heading towards the same career. Having some experience and some great grades will do you credit in the eyes of the employers. In addition, you may just get the perfect job you were always looking for.

Author Description :

Looking for assistant to help with you daily routine? Hire a Virtual Assistant and your Virtual Assistants will take care of daily work to make your life much more easy and stress free.

Want to Get More Out of Your Time? Hire a Personal Assistant!

2011-07-11T09:59:00.002-07:00

Before, a personal assistant AKA "Girl Friday" or "Man Friday" was only common to the people in the business world, especially to business people who had high positions in a certain company. For instance, a personal assistant was hired by a prominent businessman or businesswoman to assist him or her in everything that he or she needed to do.

However, today, personal Assistants are being appointed for busy executives and all other persons who do not find time for taking care of their routine chores. PA's are no longer considered a status symbol. Rather, they have become an essential requirement for the proper functioning of the person.

Duties Are Not What They Were Before

The workload of the personal assistant now covers:

Scheduling meetings
Accepting and declining phone calls
Taking care of mails and correspondence
Filing, documentation and other secretarial activities
Taking care of booking and reservations
Taking care of domestic and international travel arrangements.

The appointment of a personal assistant is no longer restricted to the corporate world. Today, PA's are being employed on all industries across the board. Further, the term personal assistant is no longer restricted to the traditional sense.

Today, even those persons who are appointed to take care of sick persons and other persons who are incapable of taking care on their own are being called personal assistants. The term personal aide is also used to describe such persons.

Over the years, the meaning, duties, responsibilities and remuneration paid to the personal assistant have undergone a change.

Pa = Secretary And Secretary = Pa

In the field of communications, personal assistants have taken over the duties of the 'secretary.' Today, such persons are called 'PA' as an abbreviation for the phrase. Time is short and responsibilities are more. Hence, be prepared to be called a 'PA.'

If truth be stated bluntly, PA's are appointed to take care of those tasks which the employer deigns to be below his status and position.

People feel that performing tasks like scheduling meetings, making reservations, ordering and picking up food, ordering gifts and doing other such chores can be done easily by persons who are less competent than them.

Of course, the truth is that organizing even ordinary tasks and chores on a regular basis without any hitch is not an easy task. The PA is not inferior to the employer. Even the smartest persons can get lost in the confusing world of appointments and schedules.

The employers are recognizing this aspect and are employing persons with better qualifications as their personal assistants. The PA's are expected to be good enough to perform the duties of the boss in times of emergencies.

PA's are appointed because some people feel that their time is very valuable and they feel that it should be wasted on performing menial and routine chores. The employers pass on the routine duties to their PA's so that they can focus on other 'important' tasks.

You need not be a high flyer to employ a personal assistant. Simply ask yourself whether you stand to gain by delegating some routine and unimportant tasks to another person. If the answer is yes, then you need to appoint an assistant.

Author Description :

Advance with Personal Virtual Assistant services today at: http://www.ohiohelpgroup.com - - visit the links to sign up for a free newsletter packed with tips! Thanks!

What is the difference between a Virtual Assistant and a Personal Assistant? Which one would you prefer?

2011-07-11T09:59:00.001-07:00

There are a lot of similarities between the two but which one will best suit you? A lot of times, it’s your personality that would help in making the right decision. Let’s see if we could figure this thing out.

The major thing that a PA and a VA have in common is their understanding of office and clerical tasks as well as the knowledge of a daily business practices. Also, they both have the capability to do tasks at the same time.

Both of these kinds of workers will be educated and trained to use both office tools like PC, fax machine, multi line telephone system, printer and copier. They both offer services such as marketing, website maintenance, website design, entry of data, customer service etc.

So where does the similarities end? Let’s talk about the VA first. The Virtual Assistant has the freedom to do his/her tasks from any place that is convenient for him/her. Of course a lot of them work from their homes but they are able to perform their work anywhere that they have the right to use all of the equipment needed.

The Virtual Assistant doesn’t have to deal with their customers’ face to face or even their customers’ associates, family, and friends. They can do their job even with their nightwear or whatever. These freedoms are maybe why others prefer to be a VA rather than a PA.

The Personal Assistant, even as performing a lot of the same tasks as a Virtual Assistant, they are often obliged to be actively involved in their customer/client’s business. They can be asked to do more personal stuffs like walking the dog, bill payments, and a lot of other things.

So which job would you prefer? Normally it boils down to the personality and personal preference. If you favor a more flexible schedule that will allow you more time in your house and you will not deal with you customers face to face, then maybe being a VA is the right course for you.

If you’re comfortable with being actively involved with your customer’s life and following their calendar as well as dealing with their personal lives, then perhaps being a PA is just right for you.

Author Description :

"Written by OnDemandVA.com , the best place to hire a virtual assistant. OnDemandVA.com is the global leader in providing Virtual Assistant Services to busy professionals and SMB. Visit www.ondemandva.com and Hire your Virtual Assistant straight away at the price which no one in the industry can touch. www.ondemandva.com Skype - ondemandva Email - Sales@ondemandva.com"

Top Qualities of a Personal Or Virtual Assistant

2011-07-11T09:58:00.000-07:00

Personal assistants also often known as virtual assistants today, are indispensable for people in all walks of life. The importance of these assistants is not restricted to a particular industry. They are essential for the functioning of many systems.

The duties, responsibilities, remuneration and working hours of the personal assistant depend on the industry in which they work and the employer under whom they work. The challenges faced by the assistant are seldom standard and constant. They are ever changing.

Communication skills are indispensable - If a personal assistant does not have good communication skills, then he or she would be a liability on the employer instead of being an asset. The job profile of an assistant requires constant interaction with people.

Meetings have to be fixed, schedules have to be drawn up, appointments have to be made and messages have to be relayed. Since the assistant would be acting on behalf of her boss, it is important that his or her communication skills be excellent.

A Pleasing personality is a must - There is no such thing as a perfect day in the life of the personal assistant. There will always be something that does not go as per the plan. In times of crisis, the employer will not benefit if the secretary loses his or her cool.

Delays will take place, appointments will be missed and plans will go awry. The assistant may have to deal with irate persons unhappy with the sudden change of plans. He or she must be bright, attentive and pleasant.

Focus on solving the problem is an indispensable skill - In the life of a celebrity or politician or busy executive, problems and emergencies crop at the drop of the hat. The onus is on the assistant to solve the problem before it goes out of hand.

This requires clarity of thought and good understanding of the requirements of the employer. This will help the secretary judge the seriousness of the problem and determine the course of action.

There is no alternative to hard work - A common joke is that the only person who works harder than the boss is the personal assistant of the boss. The job of an assistant is not a cushy one. The assistant will always be in the thick of the action.

Procrastination, delay and laziness can be fatal to not just the job of the assistant but also to the job of the employer himself. It is common for assistants to be summoned to work on holidays as well. Get used to the routine & you will shine in your career.

Just as the boss can never expect to take his eye of the game, the assistant too cannot afford to relax and forget about the office and all its challenges.

A person who has these skills can easily succeed in winning the trust and confidence of his or her employer. A person who does not have these skills will have to develop these skills if he or she wishes to make a mark in the job.

Author Description :

Advance with Personal Virtual Assistant services today at: http://www.ohiohelpgroup.com - - visit the links to sign up for a free newsletter packed with tips! Thanks!

Personal Assistant Nanny Locator - What You Need to Know!

2011-07-11T09:57:00.000-07:00

Considering hiring a childcare provider? Personal Assistant Nanny Locator is the fastest way to access a nationwide database of caregivers looking for positions. One of the most amazing things about this simple solution is that it provides parents the ability to conduct the childcare provider-screening process themselves. Would you like to get useful tips of this matter? Read the following article.

The free nanny placer tool

Online services such as Personal Assistant Nanny Locator are based on a family < > nanny matching mechanism that meets the needs of families looking for a nanny and childcare providers looking for a position. In order to perform the process accurately, the tool first requires seeker input. Based on these inputs, it narrows the search and presents your optimal results. If we examine the other services this online solution offers, a reliable placer tool will also be able to assist you in other important aspects of hiring a personal caregiver such as - running a caregiver background search, help and support on the best way to ultimately choose the right nanny for your family and also provide guides on how to clearly define her responsibilities.

Web-based search tools: The benefits

Let's examine the main benefits this service provides:

(1) Ideal for families who need to find the best nanny for their children in minimum time and effort.

(2) Provides parents the ability to conduct a fast online nanny reliability check.

(3) A simple way to access a nationwide network of great nanny candidates looking for positions.

Simplifying the nanny hiring process

Personal Assistant Nanny Locator eliminates the tedium and frustration of searching for and finding a reliable nanny. Likely there are numerous other benefits this advanced nanny-screening service offers, as it enables parents to skip several time-consuming steps in hiring a helper. At this point, it's mostly recommended following the above article guidelines as you start using the services of any placement agency.

Author Description :

If you wish to learn more about Personal Assistant Nanny Locator

Visit: http://www.online-nanny.com

What is a Personal Assistant?

2011-07-11T09:56:00.001-07:00

During a particularly stressful day, week or month have you ever thought of what a lifesaver it would be have a personal assistant Even if you’re a manager or an executive who has an administrative assistant, asking that person to attend to personal matters can often be uncomfortable or even inappropriate. With the busy lives we lead, it’s often impossible to keep on top of career and family responsibilities while attending to the tedious but necessary details that help keep life running smoothly. Stressed out people from all walks of life can have their day to day tasks and responsibilities made more organized and efficient by personal assistants. A new breed of US companies has emerged that utilizes large, motivated, college-educated workforces in places like India, where English is spoken as a second language, to create a win-win situation for Americans looking to get arduous and time-consuming tasks off their plates. Their aim is to reach a broad swath of the population; everyone from busy professionals to soccer moms to executives to video gamers. They offer the stressed and overcommitted, at many different income levels, access to high quality concierge services. If your work life and social life are too hectic for you to attend to the items on your to-do list, these companies have virtual assistants standing by to help.

A personal assistant is just what the name suggests – a support person you can conveniently access– by phone, email or Blackberry. They give you the support you need in a friendly, prompt manner and often check in daily to confirm tasks you’ve requested and inquire about new ones.

Like a concierge at a hotel, these virtual concierges are often available 24 hours a day with the goal of getting you what you want, like hard-to-get concert tickets and reservations at hotels that are booked, when you want them. If what you really need is a helper for everyday tasks like picking up dry cleaning, shopping for gifts, making doctor’s appointments and travel arrangements, these tasks can generally be accomplished in an average of only 20 minutes.

A personal assistant can even help with more personal tasks like arrangements for vacations, meetings, banquets and even your wedding. Still single? More and more people are putting their personal assistant on the task of managing their online dating accounts. Once the perfect match is made, your assistant can send the object of your affection a beautiful bouquet of flowers, find a romantic restaurant, schedule a weekend getaway – whatever your romantic heart desires. Need a tutor for child? Your virtual assistant can find a highly qualified virtual tutor, often for a fraction of the cost in the U.S.

With the limitless possibilities of the internet and the burgeoning workforce in Asia, the global marketplace has grown to meet the needs of busy Americans who are in search of the elusive concept of free time – or at least the quiet satisfaction of a completed to-do list.

Personal assistant right hand of businesspersons

2011-03-18T05:09:00.000-07:00

Personal assistant is must for the big business persons who have busy schedule and require a person to handle the schedule and make schedules for them as per the requirement. Meetings, board meetings, appointment with important persons, everything is being handled by the personal assistant of business persons. Personal assistant referred as PA is required to be more active and quick to handle everything efficiently. He/she should be active mentally also to handle the situation in case any problem arises due to any reason. While hiring a personal assistant few things have to be kept in mind like suitability of the person as PA personality wise as well as knowledge wise.

Personal assistant must be enhanced with few qualities. While selecting the PA it should be noticed that how much well organized the person is, whether he/she will be able to handle and maintain the schedule as per requirement. The person who has applied for the post of PA must be detail oriented i.e. must know the procedure consisting the detailed information regarding any particular individual, company or matter. The PA should be trustworthy so that one can assure the maintenance of secrecy of confidential matters. Priorities in arranging the schedules must be understood by the PA to ensure the scheduling as per importance of the particular.

Personal assistants are the chosen ones with lot of responsibilities being shouldered on them.

Author Description :

How to Choose a Personal Assistant

2011-03-18T05:08:00.000-07:00

Hiring a personal assistant can be a tricky process involving much trial and error. Not every employer is the same, and a personal assistant should not only fit the employer's needs but also his or her personality. This article offers a few ideas on how you can eliminate some of the stress of hiring a personal assistant (PA).

When you are first looking for an assistant, it is important to equally weigh all the facets you will look at. Although skills and employment history are important factors, employers must also consider an applicant's personality and life experiences. Chemistry, an intangible quality most often discovered during an interview, is the most important factor in determining the success of this employer-employee relationship.

Qualified applicants should be

organized
detail-oriented
confidential/private
able to prioritize
responsible
professional
personable
resourceful
dependable
prompt
able to delegate
resilient
a self-starter
motivated
loyal
a team player
honest
trustworthy
able to anticipate and plan ahead

The fastest and easiest way to get the applicants you are looking for is to write a descriptive and detailed job description. To you as an employer, a job description helps you to clearly define the type of person you would like to hire. Not only will you decide what qualifications and previous work experience your PA should have, but writing a job description will also help you to develop some of the questions you will ask during screening and interviewing. From the perspective of the applicants, the job description serves as a guide in helping them to know exactly what you are looking for and to make them understand that this is a serious position. A clearly written list of needs tells applicants that you, the employer, have your head together and know what you need and that all the PA has to do is follow your directions and provide the help.

When writing your description, consider how much time you want to spend training your new hire. If you write a well-defined job description, you will make it easier on yourself in determining how much experience a person really has.

When written for a PA position, a comprehensive job descriptions has at least six standard parts: (1) Job title; (2) Nature of work; (3) Qualifications and qualities of employee; (4) Duties to be performed; (5) Work schedule and comments; and (6) Salary.

Not every PA will be ideal. But following the above suggestions will see you better on your way to finding a personal assistant who fits your needs and can give you the help you're looking for.

Author Description :

Temporary Personal Assistant (http://my-tpa.com) offers part-time personal assistants in Los Angeles who work closely with busy individuals to provide personalized service. Rachel Spohn is a freelance writer.

Career Of A Personal Assistant

2011-03-18T05:07:00.000-07:00

Author Description :

Looking for assistant to help with you daily routine? Hire a Virtual Assistant and your Virtual Assistants will take care of daily work to make your life much more easy and stress free.

Independent Business & Virtual Assistant.

2011-03-18T05:04:00.000-07:00

A Virtual Assistant typically will perform services for independent professionals, sole proprietors, and home or small businesses that do not need or have a budget for a full-time secretary. Virtual Assistants are highly skilled and make their services available to clients on an as-needed basis or retainer basis. In all over the world Virtual Assistant is a personal assistant that works from a remote location. Virtual Assistant can offer generalized services or specialized services like Information Processing, Personal Assistance, Web Site Services, Desktop Publishing and Bookkeeping Services. You will save time by allowing your Virtual Assistant to take care of time-consuming tasks such as data-entry, sorting through emails, managing contact databases, proofreading documents, writing letters and other important administrative tasks. You will also save energy by allowing your Virtual Assistant to handle the details such making sure your calendar is up to date, internet research is done, and phone calls have been returned.You will reduce stress and stay focused because you'll be confident that all of your minor and major chores are being taken care of by your Virtual Assistant.

To know more you can visit our site http://virtual-assistants.outsourcing-services-india.com to have better idea about us.

Hiring Virtual Assistant Services

2011-03-18T05:03:00.000-07:00

What is a virtual assistant? A virtual assistant is a trained and skilled individual who works in the comfort of home or their own office. Virtual assistant services is to report and work in collaboration with small and big business owners and entrepreneur providing administrative support without being physically present in the office.

In the recent times, we have seen high growth of this job due to the fast phase of technology. One can now work in remote place while reporting to some other countries. Many big and small companies across the world are now hiring virtual assistant services. You can check online for the list of all the companies providing service VA, you can choose the company and country of which you would like to work with. Companies can save more when they get a services because VA's are sub contractor and they are not entitled to employee benefits nor pay any tax like those working inside the office. Though VA's do not have the same privilege like those working in the office, the good thing is that they have their own advantage like they can do their job anywhere as long as there is an internet connection.

Most of the service provider assisting you to get virtual assistant have flexible terms and you can take the service for an hour or a day or a month as per your need. While companies get benefited by paying only for the job done unlike regular employee, the candidate get help by doing the job in part-time or full-time as per the requirement.

Considering the importance of VA's, you have multiple options to hire one, however it might take a time to select one and there are high chances that you might pick the wrong candidate and they will fail to deliver your expectation. So you should always prefer to hire professional services that are in this business from long. They take care of screening the candidates, teaching them the skills and they always perform well.

Hiring a professional virtual assistant services has become more popular especially for those with small and home business. It is very efficient to keep the business working smoothly. It is also a viable option for those businesses who wants to cut their operating costs. Having done that, the company will save a lot from simple office supplies to paying off the electricity. A company, small or big has the option to hire a virtual assistant as a regular full-time employee or a part-time employee.

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Become A Virtual Assistant

2011-03-18T05:02:00.000-07:00

He or She works from home and provides professional, technical, administrative, or creative assistance. Virtual Assistants work as independent contractors. They are hired by other agencies or organizations that need assistance, either for a particular job or even on a long term basis. The money they earn by becoming a Virtual Assistant is dependant on the performance of the person. Virtual Assistants are similar to those who perform outsourced work.
How does the process of making money work for a Virtual Assistant?
VA is a business entrepreneur and in order to be successful must provide good service. This is predominantly a work from home job and therefore requires discipline, focus and dedication. Virtual Assistants make money by working on tasks delegated to them, through e-mails, telephones or fax.
What resources or skills does one need to be a Virtual Assistant?
To be a Virtual Assistant, one needs excellent communication skills, ability to coordinate research, and to organize the process efficiently. One should also be skilled at canvassing and marketing products or services if required by the company or individual they work for.
How can one acquire these skills?
A Virtual Assistant may be required to do many things including writing articles, researching or even creating a website. With a little direction and training it is possible for VAs to excel in this field and make a lot of money. There are many short term courses offered to help fine tune skills.
How much investment is required?
The person who wants to earn money by being a Virtual Assistant can kick start with ease as this does not require high investments. Apart from learning the course, VAs needs a good computer with internet connectivity. The person who is engaged in this business does not have to rent a separate office. Sitting at home, equipped with excellent communication skills, VAs have to communicate with clients and deliver online.
Who are the competitors?
Competitors for Virtual Assistants are others who work in a similar field. If you are good at your job and skilled in organizing and communicating, then companies will definitely offer you great opportunities. You can either advertise your services independently or be a part of VA service providers to access good opportunities.
How difficult is it?
For those who are disciplined, committed and skilled, being a virtual assistant is not difficult at all. As this is a work from home job, you can work on it as an additional source of income, at a mutually convenient time. Once you establish your reputation in the market and find a few reliable clients, your job becomes easier and money starts rolling in.
How much can one earn?
Virtual Assistant pay depends on the skill, training and type of job. It also depends on how efficient, quick and useful the assistant is. The more skills one offers to clients, the more money they can make.

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virtual assistant