Hi, there! Since you clicked on this article, it’s probably safe to assume that you’ve been working as an executive assistant or some other similar role for some time. And that you’re looking to leverage your skills and experience as such to land an online job.
Well, that’s understandable. It’s not exactly unheard of for office workers to seek side hustles. With so many bills to pay and with less certainty in the job market, an alternative source of income makes for a good plan B.
On average, here are the salary ranges for admin support roles.
I mean, how hard can it be, right? You already know how to draft emails, schedule meetings, and carry out other administrative tasks. You can probably even do those in your sleep. It shouldn’t be that hard to carry those skills over to a remote job as admin support for other clients, right?
Um, not exactly. While an executive assistant and an online admin support worker have plenty of tasks in common, there are some key differences too. If you hope to make it as both while retaining your health and sanity, you’d best understand them well.
Role Description: How An Online Admin Support Differs From a Virtual Assistant
Surprise! While they’re related, an online admin support job is not always the same as a virtual assistant job.
Huh? How so?
Well, the term “virtual assistant” is more broad, for instance. There are several kinds of virtual assistants. Some specialize in event management, others provide eCommerce support, a handful do mostly transcription work, and so on.
Thus, the role of an online admin support is actually a virtual assistant niche. The best part is, it’s a great place for newbies with little to no online job experience to start. Most seasoned virtual assistants actually started out as online admin support before they niched down. As you’ll see, it’s perhaps the VA job that’s closest to a traditional executive assistant job.
As a client’s online admin support, your daily tasks could include any or a combination of the following:
- Handling inbound and outbound communications (emails, calls, etc.);
- Arranging a client’s schedule (booking appointments and meetings, making reservations, etc.);
- Performing light bookkeeping;
- Carry out basic HR functions.
Skills Required
Here’s the thing. Your hard skills as an office worker might not always translate well into the virtual world. Basic computer competency is a given, sure, but working virtually will require an additional set of skills:
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- Time management skills. This is especially important if you will be keeping your day job while working as an online admin support. You can’t really afford to dawdle or procrastinate much if you hope to get things done.
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- Familiarity with online project management platforms. Do the names Jira, Asana, or Trello ring a bell? Your prospective clients will likely have their own preferred project management platforms, so you need to learn the basics real quick.
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- Chat tool experience. Online admin support clients are typically abroad, so you’ll likely communicate over chat applications. Skype or Hipchat are just some of the most popular ones.
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- Wicked organizational skills. Your clients need you to keep their lives and/or businesses or organized, after all.
- Genuine curiosity and a willingness to learn on the job. As mentioned earlier, an online admin support job is a likely starting point, so expect to cut your teeth here if you want to explore a career online.
What Should Your Resume as an Aspiring Online Admin Support Look Like?
Here’s a pro-tip. Do NOT send in your old resume or CV as an executive assistant as is. Most online clients will not care about your shiny degree from So-and-So University. They will, however, be looking for someone who can actually do the job.
So, how should your resume reflect that? Here are a few examples of good resume entries for this position:
- Scheduled and maintained onsite and offsite meetings and appointments;
- Prepared and processed timesheets for payroll processing and client billing;
- Updated and coordinated all accounts payable and receivable records using QuickBooks;
- Regularly made travel and transportation arrangements;
- Generated expense reports using Concur;
- Developed onboarding training programs for new and existing employees.
If you can somehow mention the programs or software applications you’ve worked with, that’s even better.
Furthermore, should you consider quitting your day job and going full-time as online admin support, there are a few things to consider before you take the plunge. For starters, be prepared to spend lots of time at home. Sure, there are some who work in coffee shops or co-working spaces, but you’d be on call during working hours, so it’s more practical to stay home.
Lastly, working full-time as an online administrator might mean that you’ll have to take care of your own government benefits. As an independent contractor, you may also have to file your taxes manually.
However, the good news is that Remote Staff can take care of those things for you. So, if you’re ready to take the next step, click here to apply on our platform today!
