Generally speaking, office managers and administrative assistants are still expected to be somewhere near the people they support in order to be effective in their work. But just as the Internet has revolutionized other lines of work, enabling workers to do their jobs wherever they may be, is transforming the world of administrative professionals.
For one thing, it has created a whole new job category: the "virtual assistant."
Virtual assistants (VAs) are, in a sense, the freelancers of office administration. Rather than reporting to an office where they work for a single employer, they are independent contractors who negotiate agreements with clients for the performance of services.
VAs can take the place of physically present office staff, or they can supplement the services of the regular administrative staff. Ordinarily, VAs do their work remotely, usually from home. However, where client-VA relationships are especially strong, VAs can often enjoy a job perk usually unavailable to office staff: Travel as part of the job. Clients have been known to fly their VAs in to their offices to help with important projects requiring their physical presence.
The VA's skills can also be applied to non-office settings. Busy families and singles can contract with VAs to perform those household management tasks they themselves don't have the time to do.
And VAs report that they enjoy something many office professionals say is lacking in their workplaces: Respect. The client-VA relationship is often more of a partnership than an employer-employee relationship. That's partly because of the contractual nature of the work - VAs can fire their clients, too - but it's also because each party to the contract is looking for someone they can work with to accomplish things.
For skilled VAs, the pay can be quite good: according to an article in OfficePRO, the magazine of the International Association of Administrative Professionals, experienced "generalist" VAs can make as much as $65 an hour for their services, and niche players even more. Of course, out of that high hourly rate must come taxes, including both the employer's and employee's Social Security taxes, but even after factoring those out, it's a decent living. (There's also the issue of benefits; a future blog post will cover resources independent professionals can tap to meet their personal support needs.)
For those looking for more control over their working conditions and the professional respect they deserve, becoming a VA is an increasingly viable option.
Could your administrative career use a lift? Find one at AdministrativeJobs.com.
By: Sandy Smith
Sandy Smith is an award-winning writer and editor who has spent most of his career in public relations and corporate communications. His work has appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia CityPaper, PGN, and a number of Web sites. Philly-area residents may also recognize him as "MarketStEl" of discussion-board fame. He has been a part of the great reserve army of freelance writers since January 2009 and is actively seeking opportunities wherever they may lie.
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