The first thing you have to understand is that the profession of virtual assisting is very, very competitive. This is a career that has practically exploded onto the scene over the course of just a few short years, and as a result there are plenty of people out there who are trying to make their way as a professional virtual assistant. The good news is that the demand is high. The business has always been there in the form of small businesses, entrepreneurs, and even corporations, and they are really beginning to understand how beneficial it can be for them to have a virtual assistant on the payroll that they can trust.

One of the easiest ways to find clients as a virtual assistant is to make a website for your services. This will serve as a home base for all of the traffic that you attract through other methods, and will center your business plans around something tangible (so to speak). It’s incredibly easy to make a professional looking website these days, even if you have no experience with HTML or Javascript coding. Hosting costs for websites are often as little as $3 per month, and domains cost between $10 and $20, depending where you register the domain. Most will allow you to install something simple like WordPress as a content management system, and with this you can install free templates that will give your website flair and professionalism.

The next step is to get the word out, and this can be done by connecting with potential clients through social media networks. Facebook and LinkedIn are especially beneficial to freelance professionals, and if you can build up a rapport with some of the members of these sites you may find that most of your business comes through qualified referrals. Also, don’t be afraid to ask any of your clients to refer a few of their friends or business associates. You can even go so far as to offer a discount if they refer someone to you.

This builds a working trust and ensures that you attain clients who are serious about using your services. Bringing in organic traffic through Google or Adwords is great, but it leaves a lot of chaff that come to the site, look around, and in the end don’t want to hire you.

Michelle O’Barbara is a certified virtual assistant trainer and also she runs a Virtual assistant business. If you would like to know more about Michelle’s virtual assistant services or her assistants, please log on to her website.

Your freelancing profile is very similar to a formal resume. This will often be the first impression a potential employer gets of you and your skill sets. If your profile is found lacking, potential employers will likely move on to the next candidate.

The following are eight ways you can make your freelancing profile dramatically more appealing to employers:

1. Demonstrate your skills with past projects. Don’t simply list the skills you feel you are proficient at; instead, demonstrate your proficiency by providing a synopsis of past projects and how you were invaluable to the projects’ successes. If you have links to your projects, include them.
2. Quantify your past successes. If you were able to bring a past project in under budget or to completion ahead of schedule, put that information in your freelancing profile. Show potential employers how you’ve gone above and beyond a project’s call of duty.
3. Include your certifications. If you’ve been certified in a particular field or to properly use a specific piece of technology, tell employers about it! These certifications help build your credibility before an employer even talks with you.
4. Include a profile photo. Use a professional looking headshot, typically a photo in which you’re dressed formally. Employers like to have a sense of who they are going to do business with. Profiles that include a photo will attract their attention over non-photo profiles.
5. Be sure to include keywords. No matter what freelancing profession you’re in, your employers are likely to be looking for very similar keywords in a profile, such as certain skill sets and technology proficiencies. Be sure to include these in your freelancing profile.
6. Include references. When an employer hires a freelancer, it’s a risk. Often, the only chance they have to get to know you and your work is through your profile and perhaps a few short emails. Include references to past clients in your profile and you’ll eliminate some of that risk for the employer.
7. Write a creative title. The first thing an employer will notice on your freelancing profile is your title. A catchy and creative title is far more appealing than a boring one; however, you’ll still want to keep it professional.
8. Proofread, proofread, proofread. As mentioned at the beginning of this post, your freelancing profile is your chance to make a great first impression. A profile rife with misspellings, grammatical errors, and awkwardly worded sentences will make you seem less than professional and reflect poorly on your ability to provide quality work.

Randall Davidson, a co-founder of ProofreadingServices.Us, knows how hard it can be for freelancers to stand out among the crowd. He reviews the profiles of freelance proofreaders on a daily basis. Randall’s company offers English proofreading services that many freelancers use to ensure their profiles are as good as can be.

Finding good freelancing jobs, however, is not always easy. To make it as easy as possible, below is a list of my favorite freelancing sites, places that are excellent for finding high quality freelancing jobs:

1. vWorker.com – vWorker.com has more than 170,000 clients looking for freelancers for a variety of projects. For clients, vWorker.com offers a money-back guarantee facilitated by its AccuTimeCard system, ensuring clients are billed only for the hours freelancers actually work. That takes one of the biggest sources of risk out of freelancing, which helps attract top employers.
2. Elance.com – Elance.com is one of the top sites for freelancing jobs. There are thousands upon thousands of clients looking for freelancers across numerous service offerings, including programming, logo design and proofreading. They offer a paid-on-time guarantee for freelancers.
3. Guru.com – Guru.com is one of the longest running freelancing sites. They offer more than 8,000 freelancing opportunities monthly from clients around the world (which means clients distributed across nearly all time zones).
4. Freelancer.com – Freelancer.com boasts that it has more than three million employers and freelancers from more than 234 countries and regions. Job listings include, but are not limited to, opportunities in software development, writing, proofreading, data entry, engineering, accounting, legal services and sales.
5. ScriptLance.com – Founded in Toronto, Canada, ScriptLance.com offers freelancing services primarily to small, online businesses. ScriptLance.com focuses on freelancing jobs primarily in programming, Web design, writing/editing and marketing.
6. GetACoder.com – GetACoder.com services more than 200 countries. With thousands of satisfied clients, GetACoder.com offers a forum style job-posting service.
7. Jobs.SmashingMagazine.com – Smashing Jobs is a freelancing jobs website catering to Web design and programming, but featuring a variety of other freelancing positions as well. Freelancers deal directly with the client, and Smashing Jobs does not handle payment nor take a fee from the freelancer.
8. Jobs.ProBlogger.com – The ProBlogger job board is dedicated solely to freelance blogging jobs. ProBlogger does not manage these projects, nor guarantee freelancer payment, so due diligence should be done before accepting a position.
9. 99Designs.com – If you’re artistically talented, 99Designs.com may be just the place to find your next freelancing job, from logo and banner design to website design. Freelancers complete the required design, and the client pays for the one they like the best.

Randall Davidson knows that finding freelancing jobs is not easy. He was not only once a freelancer himself, but he also now interviews a number of freelancers every day, as a co-founder of ProofreadingServices.Us, a service that serves as an online proofreader. Among other clients, Randall’s company offers professional proofreading services to freelancers who would like to improve their job applications.

However, it is easy when watching someone on a screen, rather than speaking with them in person, to become distracted by physical aspects of a person. Therefore, when utilizing Skype for business, whether an interview or a meeting, it is necessary to keep physical appearance and body language in mind. You want the party at the other end of the Skype call to pay attention to your abilities and knowledge, rather than the strand of hair falling in your face or the glare coming off your glasses.

Communication scholars often herald the fact that audiences make judgements about a person long before they open their mouths. This is true even when we are broadcasting ourselves on the Internet. Here are some tips to look professional when using Skype for business purposes:

1. Wear a complete outfit–While it may be tempting to dress professionally on the top half of your body and dress for comfort below the waist, it is impossible to know what situation may arise that would cause you to have to stand up. More than likely remarkably little other than your face, shoulders, and perhaps torso will be visible on screen. But you may have to get up for a number of reasons–locating information that you don’t have directly beside you or receiving an emergency phone call or an unexpected visitor at your door.

2. Simple not stylish–Wardrobe choices should be as straightforward as possible. Stick to solid, dark colors as those will be less intense on screen. Avoid fabrics that have a sheen to them to avoid glare; keep jewelery to a minimum. Anything that will distract focus away from what you’re saying is to be avoided. The person on the other end of the Skype session should pay attention to your presentation or answers to their questions, not your neon pink sweater or gold cuff links.

3. Create the illusion of eye contact–Position your web cam so that it is a few inches above eye level. If you are using a lap top with an embedded web cam, you may have to prop up the computer on a few large books to accomplish this. This position forces you to look slightly up, creating a better angle for faux eye contact. There will be a lot happening on your screen, and it is incredibly tempting to look elsewhere from the actual web cam. Many new to Skype will want to look at themselves as they speak or attempt to make eye contact with the other person’s image on the screen, but this will create an angle where you are looking off to the side or looking down, respectively. Both of which do not create the appearance of eye contact and by proxy give off a body language cue that you are not interested in the conversation at hand. Therefore, keep your eyes glued on the camera itself while you are speaking (of course, you will need to look at the person who is talking when THEY are speaking).

4. Ladies, use makeup to your advantage--Because the camera is positioned at eye level or above, it will create the appearance of dark circles under your eyes. Stay away from heavy eyeliner that will draw attention to them and instead focus on brightening and widening your eyes with eye shadow and mascara. Besides bright eyes and well placed concealer, keep other makeup simple and avoid extra glossy lips.

5. LIGHTS, camera, action–The room you are going to use should be well lit. Natural light is the most flattering, if possible. If sunlight is unavailable, place an extra lamp behind the web cam/computer so that its light shines on to your face. What will be visible in the shot behind you should be as neutral as possible, free of clutter, and void of distractions for the viewer. If you’re attending this Skype session from your home, as opposed to an office, you want the background to appear as professional as possible (so keep that pile of laundry and unmade bed out of view). Try to avoid fluorescent lights at all costs–they will make you look washed out.

Whether we like it or not, even in a professional setting we are being viewed and judged superficially. As a result, it is increasingly vital for your physical appearance to correctly coincide with your professional experience. Simply put, even though you may be miles away from a potential employer or business clientele, it is impossible to be professional when you look like a slob.

Savvy businessmen and women use the best possible technology to deliver superior results, to that end this article was proofed and enhanced using Grammarly grammar checker. Grammarly is a complete resource center to polish writing from casual to technological and professional.

If you have poor ergonomics in your workspace, it could be diminishing your work capacity. If things were designed just a little better, you might be able to get more done. Also, poor ergonomics can lead to health problems such as arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, back and neck problems, chronic pain, and more ailments. If you have a home office, it’s important to pay attention to the ergonomics of its design. Here are some ways that you can improve the ergonomics of your home.

Feet

When sitting at your desk, which you probably do a great deal in your home office, your feet should be touching the floor, with your legs bent at a 90 degree angle. If you can’t touch the floor with your feet from your properly-adjusted desk chair, use a footrest.

Chair

You can purchase an ergonomically designed chair, and you should make sure that your desk chair follows certain characteristics. It should be adjustable so you can get your legs at the proper angle. The back should be large enough to support the natural curvature of your back and your lower back, and so that you are sitting with proper posture. The seatback should be at a 90 degree angle. It is recommended that the chair have armrests that are adjustable, also, so your arms can rest comfortably, close to your body and without additional strain on your shoulders. It should have wheels for easy movement. Overall, you should be comfortable sitting in it for long periods of time.

Arms

Your arms should also be held at a 90 degree angle, also. You should get a chair with adjustable armrests, so your arms can be supported close to your body and with no additional strain on your shoulders. However, you shouldn’t use your armrests while typing or using the mouse.

Wrists

When you are typing at your keyboard, your wrists should be straight. Adjust the height of your chair, and use a wrist rest pad in front of the keyboard to help elevate your wrists to a level position. If your arms are at the proper angle, it will be easier to find the correct alignment of your wrists.

Computer Monitor

Your face should be at least 20 inches away from your computer screen, and it should be about 15 degrees below your eye level. If you have a desk with adjustable shelves, it will be easier to achieve this.

Lighting

Your office should be properly lit to reduce eye strain while you’re working. Use a combination of natural and artificial light, and invest in a quality desk lamp. Also, reduce the glare from your computer monitor – you can put a glare filter on it if necessary.

Terry Ford loves her home office and is always looking for solutions to work better and have improved results. In addition to ergonomics she selects great web tools like Grammarly grammar checker.