The 25 Best Virtual Assistant Jobs For Beginners In 2024
Updated Oct 9, 2024 | Published Dec 6, 2023 | 13 min read
The best virtual assistant jobs for beginners cover many skills to help potential clients manage their schedules and respond to customers.
Whether you’re working through an agency or freelancing, there are thousands of businesses looking for virtual assistants to help them hit their goals.
In this guide, we’ve outlined the full range of jobs demanding various levels of experience, from data entry roles to working as an executive assistant.
Whether you have a background in the corporate world or are fresh out of college, there’s a beginner virtual assistant job you can apply for.
We’ve compiled a comprehensive selection of virtual assistant services to help job seekers focus their efforts on the best clients for their skill set.
So, with our criteria established, here’s our list of the 25 best virtual assistant jobs for beginners in 2024:
If you’ve researched the difference between a solopreneur vs entrepreneur and settled on becoming a virtual assistant, email management is a good entry-level position.
Email management is one of the first tasks clients hand over to a virtual assistant to help them save time.
The role will require you to filter through their inbox and prioritize the order of responses while highlighting any urgent messages.
There are many entry-level positions for email management; all it requires is a good sense of organization and communication skills.
Becoming a virtual assistant is among the best solopreneur business ideas, with calendar management an easy service to offer.
It’s a similar role to email management, and virtual assistants work to help clients keep on top of their schedules and appointments.
You may be expected to use a platform such as Calendly for scheduling appointments and creating meeting documents for your clients.
This can include the type of meeting, such as in-person or video chat, and providing details on the topics up for discussion.
A more in-depth variation on calendar management is working as a virtual assistant scheduler to help clients with their daily duties.
Organizing schedules is one of the most important virtual assistant tips for success, so applying it to your role is essential for success.
In addition to appointments and corporate events, you’ll be tasked with helping clients manage their other duties and meetings with colleagues.
You can find virtual assistant jobs for beginners that involve scheduling on many job listing platforms that offer competitive hourly rates.
Transcription work is among the best service business ideas for virtual assistants with an eye for grammar and spelling.
There are many virtual assistant jobs for beginners that involve transcription work in which audio files from meetings require converting to text.
Your clients will send you the relevant files and instructions on how they want it presented, such as the correct formatting and notes.
If you’re looking for your first virtual assistant job and have a keen eye for spelling and grammar, transcription work is worth considering.
One core role when learning to become a virtual assistant is data entry, which involves converting physical documents into digital files.
Data entry clerks are tasked with processing client’s data and updating it to include the latest information on the company database.
They are also expected to help maintain these databases and can be asked to help with the security and confidentiality of this information.
Thousands of data entry clerks work remotely, making it an excellent role for a beginner virtual assistant just starting.
Virtual assistants with exceptional organizational and time management skills can launch their virtual assistant business as a planner.
There are many subcategories of virtual assistant jobs in this field, from working as an event planner to helping with financial obligations.
Other types of virtual assistant planners include working as career planners for clients to help them with professional goals and training.
With plenty of Fiverr jobs for beginners in this category, becoming a planner is a great way to launch a successful virtual assistant career.
Another virtual assistant job that demands a deeper knowledge of language is working as a proofreader to edit and approve documents.
With potentially flexible hours and just a laptop required, proofreading roles involve detailed fact-checking and highlighting errors.
Potential clients will expect a high degree of accuracy and an understanding of the subjects being discussed when they hire virtual assistants.
Working as a proofreader is one of the best small business ideas for people who want flexibility and the option to work remotely.
While many virtual assistants work in the corporate world, you can apply your skills in other industries, such as teaching.
As a teaching assistant, you’ll work closely with educators to support their goals and assist their students with their learning process.
An aptitude for collaboration and good communication skills are a must for the role, as well as the flexibility to fit your student’s schedules.
With a median pay of over $30,000, it may not match the national average salary, but it is nevertheless a great way to earn money on the side.
Another popular way to make money on Fiverr performing basic administrative tasks is by working as a virtual receptionist for online companies.
This position draws on various virtual assistant skills like in-person reception work to help manage communication and schedule appointments.
You’ll be taking incoming calls, relaying messages to staff, and helping their customers with queries and support.
Additional logistical problems and marketing new product and service releases are also tasks that virtual receptionists may handle.
Virtual assistant jobs for beginners often demand strong interpersonal skills for dealing with customers and handling their complaints.
There are various roles in customer support designed to help clients handle all interactions with customers in a timely manner.
You’ll be trained in their communications platform and the products or services the customers will contact you to discuss.
There are many virtual assistant jobs for beginners in the customer support field on the best freelance websites offering competitive salaries.
Freelancers with a background in graphic design can apply for many virtual assistant positions that allow them to use these skills.
Understanding software such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator is a must, along with a grasp of the core principles of design.
Virtual assistants specializing in design can be tasked with revamping company websites or helping with new assets for marketing initiatives.
If you’re setting up a limited company as a VA specializing in design, choose a powerful business name that captures your artistic flair.
There are thousands of organizations looking to hire virtual assistants to help them manage their e-commerce operations online.
A grasp of the functionality of an e-commerce website builder is a must, as you’ll be managing inventory and processing orders.
The role is usually flexible, and virtual assistants will liaise with the marketing team of an online business and share insights into sales.
This includes breaking down analytics and data on website traffic, as well as producing reports based on feedback from the client’s customers.
With the human resources department a ubiquitous feature of all companies, there are many opportunities for virtual assistant jobs in this field.
Working as a human resource assistant is one of the best side hustles to pay off debt, with similar duties to virtual receptionists.
Most virtual assistants have the skills needed for the role, such as setting up meetings and preparing documents for review.
You’ll also assist with audits and employee reviews and be expected to maintain accurate records and help onboard new hires.
Virtual assistants who enjoy diving into complex topics for their clients can offer services working as research assistants for businesses.
The role involves gathering data and other information relating to the business and providing a summary of their findings to clients.
Interviewing clients or customers may also be included in the researcher’s duties, as well as assisting with financial projections.
The role also requires understanding how to identify bad research and the role peer reviews play in boosting the credibility of findings.
With the rise in the popularity of podcasts, many business owners have begun to use this form of media to strengthen their brand awareness.
As a podcast assistant, you’ll work with clients to schedule guests and compile information for podcast discussions.
This means you’ll need good communication skills for interacting with guests, creating show notes, and editing promotional sound bites.
It’s one of the best freelance business ideas for virtual assistants who are savvy with how podcasts play a crucial role online.
Freelancers who are good with figures can set up a virtual assistant business offering their services as a bookkeeper for their clients.
The role involves helping business owners manage and administer payroll, record transactions, and maintain financial records.
Filling out tax-related documents and ensuring everything adheres to local and state regulations and laws are also tasks that may be required.
If you have a background in finance, make sure you detail this on your freelancer portfolio to attract the best clients for your services.
More experienced virtual assistants looking for freelance jobs that draw on their corporate background can pick up work as operations assistants.
Working closely with business managers and operations assistants will help with administrative tasks and enforcing organizational policies.
Understanding new technology is fundamental to the role, such as how cloud computing affects business operations and performance.
Operations assistant VA jobs can be incredibly well paid for those with prior managerial experience and industry knowledge.
Editing is a virtual assistant job for those who want to move on from proofreading and take a hands-on approach to content creation.
The role begins before any writing takes place and includes helping determine topics for content and any search engine optimization requirements.
A familiarity with how to use a blog website builder is essential, and prior experience editing within a specific industry may be expected from clients.
Editors are also expected to double-check any facts and verify their accuracy, evaluate the quality of content, and make judicious rewrites.
With all businesses requiring an online presence to function, there are plenty of virtual assistant jobs available for web development.
This can include website coding, assisting with developing the core architecture or working in a design capacity.
A grasp of coding languages such as HTML and other web development skills is necessary, as is the ability to collaborate with other tech professionals.
If you’re struggling to pick up work, research creating a virtual assistant profile to ensure you stand out from the competition.
If you’re a freelancer who can speak two or more languages fluently, there are many remote jobs for beginners working as a translator for clients.
Bilingual virtual assistant jobs for beginners typically pay higher than standard roles, giving them an advantage when applying to international companies.
They will expect you to translate text and audio files from one language to another and help with the localization of marketing campaigns.
If you’re learning how to become a freelancer and speak a second language, make sure you include this information on your profile.
One of the best solopreneur ideas for beginner virtual assistants is working as a copywriter and providing marketing content for companies.
As a copywriter, you’ll be expected to write blog posts and other marketing material for the company to help them promote their products and services.
This content will be set to specific SEO requirements for keywords to help ensure it ranks highly on search engines and generates optimal traffic.
As such, you should have strong writing skills, the ability to persuade readers, and a keen grasp of the core principles behind marketing.
Copywriters will also collaborate with marketing professionals on social media posts and the production of branding assets.
As with copywriting, social media management is one of the best virtual assistant jobs for beginners, for those with a gift with words.
The role draws on a range of skills to help businesses build their online presence and spark conversations with potential customers.
A social media assistant will work on scheduling social media posts and implementing strategies to improve engagement and performance.
Additional duties will likely include interacting with comments and queries on each post and helping to grow the number of followers on the account.
Becoming a social media assistant is one of the best Upwork jobs for beginners, with many job listings available for all experience levels.
If you have a bachelor’s degree in law or previous experience in this field, there’s great potential for high earnings working as a virtual legal assistant.
A solid grasp of what a legal assistant does will give you the foundation to build your profile and share your services with attorneys and law firms.
You’ll work remotely and help your clients prepare for court cases and provide them with administrative support before a trial.
The role may also require you to assist with basic tasks such as scheduling and calendar management and making necessary travel arrangements.
Helping with producing legal documents, contracts, and affidavits may also be included in the duties expected of a virtual legal assistant.
As with web development, there are thousands of roles in the virtual assistant industry for those with technical knowledge.
Becoming a technical support specialist is a popular virtual assistant job for those with a background in information technology and computers.
This can be understanding how to maximize the best tools for freelancers or in-depth knowledge of software used in a given industry.
It can also revolve around developing company apps, testing them for issues, and troubleshooting technical faults.
In addition to understanding computing and related topics, technical support specialists are expected to have strong communication skills.
One of the most common roles in virtual assistant agencies is a personal assistant dedicated to working closely with executive clients.
A personal assistant works with clients on a daily basis and assists with managing their schedules and appointments, along with other tasks.
While some virtual assistant jobs for beginners are flexible, a personal assistant’s role can be demanding and require constant availability.
This is especially the case when working as a personal assistant for a high-level manager within a company who has strict deadlines to meet.
You can discover new PA jobs through some of the best virtual assistant services and apply online for a position.
So, there you have it, our complete guide to the best virtual assistant jobs for beginners you can apply for today to earn some extra money.
These roles cover all experience levels, including basic duties such as answering phone calls and more complex tasks such as digital marketing.
As you develop new skills over time, you can update your virtual assistant company description and find jobs working with high-profile clients.