This is the age of technology and it’s not the time for you to create a negative buzz on yourself or your company by having a poor online reputation. Most people use social media management and the Internet to background check possible employers or job applicants. This way they will have the chance to know all about the person or the company they are trying to accept or apply for a job.

Bad or good reputation, once your name is searched on the search engine, it will break or make your image. Job recruiters and employers are making full use of the internet to verify one’s reputation. Can you afford to do that to your very own identity? Of course not, so how do you build your professional reputation online?

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#1. Social Media

Who is not into Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Google+ and all other social media sites? Most of us want to show off what we have, rant our hearts out, post pictures in any sort and just about anything that is happening in our lives that most of the time we don’t know the consequence of our actions. Your posts may ruin your image or put you in a good position. In short, be careful of what you post on your social media accounts.

#2. LinkedIn

Since LinkedIn got its way to the Internet as a professional network, professionals create their curriculum vitae online and are visible to job recruiters locally or around the globe.

Not only that, entrepreneurs are also using LinkedIn to reach out to their target markets to widen their reach and be known in their fields and beyond. Be careful when you update your profile and your career history.

Feedback from previous employers can boost your online reputation.
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These social media platforms can help you build an impeccable online reputation when utilized properly. Below are some tips you can use.

• Optimize your LinkedIn profile. Make an effort to appear in the first page of LinkedIn search results.

• Be responsive with a sense of urgency. Your prospects need clear answers and they may need it right away. See to it that you respond quickly and clearly.

• Say what you mean and mean what you say. No matter how short, your social media status should reflect your actions as well.

• Share a recommendation. Your readers will appreciate it if you could share helpful sources and tips on your social media channels.

#3. Build a professional looking website

If you are just starting your business, create a simple one if you are on the budget or have a web developer design the website for you.

The most important things that your website should have are – updated products and services, upcoming events, links to your blog and all of your social media accounts.

Companies and business owners build professional looking and highly searchable websites that reflects their products, service and brand. Simple as it may sound but it plays an impact to your business and reputation.

#4. Build your blog

When you have finally determined your niche, write about a topic and link this to your website if you have and to your social media accounts. Ask people to follow and share your post to their social media accounts, too.

If you don’t have time to do this, look for help online. A blogger virtual assistant can write articles that showcase your expertise and targeting a specific audience. Who knows, your future employer or client might read one of those posts.

There are instances that even if you have deleted a certain blog, you never know who copied and shared your post to another site or blog sites. This will give you more exposure as it takes time before it will finally leave the Internet.

Write an article with interesting & informative content.
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#5. Forums and Social Media Posts

Yes, you love to join and post on forums and the social media in general. Be mindful of what you post because the internet never forgets what you have shared online specially the ones that is bashing someone, negative comments, filthy words and one that will eventually damage your online reputation.

Even how angry you are, keep in mind, everything shared online can be read by people from around the globe, regardless if they know you or not.

If you want to have your own forum that will host a series of opinion from your audience, you can have a web developer virtual assistant design the website for you. Forums are one of the oldest and biggest high-traffic platforms used by businesses and enthusiasts online.

You are the mirror of who you are and it’s only you who design, create and build your own reflection. Be the most of who you are and build your professional online reputation the positive way. Take note that on the Internet – no stone is left unturned.

Now, you can focus on your core, income-generating functions and leave all of the repetitive work to your VA.

But wait. You need some planning in advance in order to totally leverage your virtual assistant’s time and talents. Simplifying tasks through tools, templates and systems are some of the ways to smoothly transition to working with a virtual admin assistant and enable them to succeed.

Here are some pointers on how professionals like you can work best with your chosen outsourced staff.

#1. Establish your kind of workflow

Since you will be meeting with your assistant virtually, the first thing to consider is your online availability. Discuss with your virtual assistant as to when you want to be online and available so you can reach them when you need them the most.

• Do you expect him or her to be available at certain hours of the day, everyday?
• Or can they mostly work on longer tasks and just give weekly updates?

Give a potential task list. Go through the list again after you’ve hired them.

Ask them to send you a daily (or weekly or monthly, depending on the number of hours you’ve booked) task report and the time they spent doing each task.

#2. Make communication a priority

Give your contact information and tell your virtual personal assistant how you prefer to be reached. It can be by phone or IM, email, Skype, or whatever communication you prefer.

Once you have a good workflow going with your online employee, and you’re confident they understand your needs, you can have less detailed instructions and throw in faster communication methods into your workflow.

“When Dorie and I started working together, for the first week or two, we would check in by phone each day to go over assignments. Feeling comfortable on the phone with Dorie meant I could more readily suggest time-saving systems or flag potential issues. – Sue Williams

For longer project-like tasks, written instructions are better in terms of reference.

#3. Try different tasks in the beginning

Gauge your assistant’s strengths and weaknesses by trying different tasks. You may find that he or she can accomplish more than you expected. If that’s the case, you may assign higher level tasks that require some thinking, and choose to hire a lower cost one to do data entry or admin work.

Virtual personal assistants can basically do any repetitive task but there are also tasks that they specialize in like blogging, SEO, or web design. Make sure you clarify the different skill sets that you require before choosing which VA to hire.

#4. Share your expectations

Knowing your virtual office assistant’s hours each week can help keep you both focused, and it also establishes expectations in terms of contact times.

“Dorie always knew when I’d be available to have a quick phone conversation or to complete tasks that arrived out of the blue. Shared expectations are also helpful in terms of overall goals and priorities. A skilled assistant will be smart about prioritizing, but it helps if you communicate your vision explicitly.”

If you have an overall goal, sharing this to your VA can help her prioritize accordingly. – Sue Williams
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#5. Create shared records

At the start of your working relationship, it pays to create shared records. Keeping all your passwords and log in details in a shared Google Drive spreadsheet or Dropbox folder can save time and stress.

Your virtual executive assistant can also store new passwords in the same document when they open new accounts. A shared, ongoing project list is a good idea, providing a spot where updates and feedback can be gathered for reference.

As the project advances, you can indicate what tasks need to be done, and the deadline for each, and he or she can note the ones that have been completed or are in process.

#6. Give very detailed instructions or create a system

Make it a point to give instructions that contain step-by-step explanations. One of our clients here at Virtual Assistant Talent developed an “assistant’s manual” prior to his virtual employee starting the job.

He wrote down a step-by-step guide for the most common tasks he needed done and he put all the relevant information, such as social media logins and website passwords.

You can also instruct your remote worker to write up the procedure and include it in the manual, so that it could become an ongoing reference tool for both of you. Show an example of the finished task if possible. Or give them an example to follow.

Making templates is good too. The goal is to enable an easy transition and avoid having to reinvent the wheel when there’s been a long gap in between performing a particular task.

#7. Ask the VA to verify that he or she understands the task

Asking for a confirmation that your online worker understands your instructions up-front lessens the chances of wasting the time you’ve paid for doing the wrong thing.

Make sure he or she acknowledges and understands the task before they start working on it.

You can ask one of these:

• Explain the task back to you
• How long the task will take in estimate
• If there’s anything unclear at all or if he/she has any questions

#8. Roll in about 10-20% on the task

If you expect a task to take 10-20 hours, ask them to come back after 1-2 hours with their progress. This will allow you to:

• Check their work to make sure they are on the same page with you
• Update instructions if needed, or
• Cancel the task if it turns out to be a bad idea

#9. Allocate more time for the task

If you can do the task in an hour, expect your remote employee to take 2-3 hours.

At the start, when you are just getting used to each other, it might take 3-4 hours. But once you’ve gotten into a good working relationship, it may only take the 1-2 hours depending on the task.

But regardless, they will never be as fast as you. Don’t expect miracles. Even if you hired locally, the smartest college student you pay minimum wage won’t be able to complete your tasks to your specs at your speed.

The benefits of outsourcing come once you’ve found the right remote worker to do the tasks you assign. Keep the long-term benefits in mind, and don’t ever give up after the first few tasks.

If you stick it out, you’ll see significant cost savings over the next 10,000+ hours. Take our tips for working effectively with your VA and don’t forget to share!

And for those who are having second thoughts about outsourcing, take it from jennyblake.me:
“For those of you considering hiring a virtual assistant, I cannot recommend it highly enough — this is easily one of the best things I did for my life and business.” – Jenny Blake

References:
www.americanexpress.com
www.forbes.com
www.entrepreneur.com
jennyblake.me

Public speaking is one of the best ways to genuinely engage your audience and a perfect opportunity for you to be seen as an authority in your industry and promote your brand or company.

Whether these gigs are short talks, conferences, or large formal presentations – if you speak to the right audience and have the message they needed to hear, your listeners will walk away with more awareness and a renewed level of trust in you and your brand.

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How to get started – and what to talk about

1. Focus on your expertise and what you are passionate to speak about

Take a closer look on your expertise and passion and focus on what you’re actually knowledgeable to talk about. It would be beneficial for you and your audience if you speak about a very specific area of expertise than to present a general topic on which you have less to offer.

2. Join events that you would be interested to speak at

Get to know the organizers of the events that you usually attend and the kinds of people who speak. As people get more familiar with you, chances are, you’ll be invited to speak, or more likely be accepted if you ask to speak. If you are just starting locally, look for opportunities to speak to colleges and universities – they are always looking for experts to come share their experiences and knowledge.

3. Create thought leadership content in your blog

Start out by writing as much as you could about your company niche and share it on your blog, industry publications, etc. If you consistently write about specific subjects and establish yourself as a unique voice, you will be eventually regarded as expert in that field. When this happens, speaking, networking, and publishing opportunities will naturally arise.

4. Do things that show what you’re good at

What do you know better than anyone else? Host a workshop in person or virtual like a webinar where you can do some demo or share about a topic. People will take notice in what you do, and you can then set up a squeeze page on your site or blog where they can register for your next speaking engagement.

Always remember that if people are paying for your presentation, they are not there to listen to your sales pitch. You should mention what you do at the beginning and end of the presentation and how to reach you. But keep in mind that your audience is there to learn, so you need to deliver.

How to find speaking engagements (where to look online and offline)

1. Start local to go global

 You can approach your city’s organizations or clubs that meet regularly – everything from Lions Club, Rotary, to Chambers of Commerce. Connect with the programming chair and offer to speak on your specialty or ask your friends and colleagues who participate to connect you with these groups.

2. Business networking groups

Popular groups such as Business Networking International (BNI) and Local Business Network (LBN) are groups of people from diverse businesses who share opportunities to each other. Join in and let the members know that you’re interested in speaking opportunities.

3. Local business publications

Local business news will often list industry events. Check out the periodical’s Events page listed either in print or online, then contact the organizations listing presentations and pitch them for speaking.

4. Other professionals who speak

Look at the websites and LinkedIn profiles of your fellow professionals and competitors who target the same audience you do and see where they’ve spoken. You can then contact those same groups and pitch yourself, too. Or, you can collaborate with a like-minded speakers to share opportunities and refer each other.

5. Just Google it!
   

Search for events in your industry.

“Call for Speakers” AND “[Your topic]” “Call for Presenters” AND “[Your topic]” “Call for Speakers” AND “[Industry]”

You can hire a virtual assistant (VA) for a few hours a day to search for speaking engagements, take note of all the important details, and prepare a dashboard for you to review and choose from. You can sit back on a weekend while viewing your dashboard and preparing your speech.

6. Social media – Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn

You can search for events by topic and geographic location using Facebook Events. During your presentation you can take questions via Twitter and even share your slides using Slideshare.net or other material to help multiply your leads.

Online sites such as Meetup.com and Eventbrite.com also lists marketing events. Again, a VA can do all of this for you so you can focus on your most important task – delivering your message.

7. Online tools and directories

• BuzzSumo.com, Topsy.com, SocialMention.com, Twitter’s search feature
• InsideInfoMarketing.com – offers up-to-date listing of events hosted by thought leaders in Information Marketing. If you sell online programs and information products, this is your site!
• Online conference directories
  – AllConferences.com, Lanyrd, Plancast, Conferensum and Conferize are online directories, exclusive for conferences.
  – EventsinAmerica.com – find events, trade shows, meetings, conferences and conventions in America’s Top Trade Show & Conference Directory
  – Lanyrd.com – suggests events for you based on those attended by people you follow on social media and keywords in your profiles.

Choose one or two of these tips to get more speaking engagement opportunities. Always make contact, present your credentials and your proposed topic. There’s a whole lot of people who NEED and WANT to hear what you’ve got to say!

6 ways speaking engagements benefit you, your brand, and your business

How it benefits YOU

1. Present yourself as a go-to expert

Nobody will know about your pool of knowledge unless you demonstrate it. Position yourself as an authority within your industry by speaking publicly on matters within your niche.

2. Grow your network and build connections

Engage with the audience at the event in a meaningful way by encouraging participation from the crowd. If you have an opportunity for a Q&A session, take note of the questions and valuable insights that the attendees might offer.

How it benefits your BRAND

3. Boost your brand visibility

Speaking engagements help increase your or your company’s brand visibility. By giving a talk at industry conferences and other events, you will have the opportunity to market your knowledge and skills, and attract more traffic to your website, increasing your online presence.

4. Define your reputation as a thought-leader

As you reach a wider and bigger audience, your speaking gigs will help establish your brand as a go-to source in your field. Talking about what you learned from past mistakes and sharing your expertise on how to avoid them in the future is a positive way to present your company as a thought-leader and a reliable source of information for other like-minded professionals.

How it helps grow your BUSINESS

5. Connect with existing clients AND prospective ones

Speaking engagements are a good way to increase your network of clients, both existing and prospective. You will have the opportunity to reach out to new prospects by answering their questions; and reconnect with your existing clients by interacting with them during the events.

6. Make content accessible online and offline

You can use online tools such as GoToWebinar to document speaking events and post the video online using Vimeo or YouTube. Not only that, you can use SlideShare.com to share your presentation slides. All of these contribute to your portfolio of valuable marketing materials. Later on, you can repurpose them to promote your company online and as giveaway materials.

Public speaking, whether in person or virtually, is a great way to establish your credibility, generate a consistent stream of leads, and educate your audience as a thought-leader in your field of expertise. If you don’t provide increased awareness to your target market, your competition surely will.

PS. If you need any help on searching for quality speaking engagements within your target audience, please contact Virtual Assistant Talent today.

References:
famousinyourfield.com
99u.com
www.huffingtonpost.com
www.axiapr.com

Running a successful business is hard work, but following an ideal blueprint will make things easier and profitable. We all want a successful online marketing strategy or product launch in 2018.

Related: Achieving Goals & Better Work-Life Balance: Virtual Assistants to the Rescue!

With marketing constantly evolving, here are five tips you can do in order to begin the New Year with a bang:

1. Get a Plan of Action

Gather your team together and iron out a plan. If you run the business solo, then know you will have to wear different hats.  The main point here is develop a plan and stick to it.  For instance, you can use a simple calendar for your online marketing campaign. It is one of the best tools to lay out your project plans for all the blogs, ebooks, emails and other marketing materials for the entire calendar year.

Be sure to include due dates for each action, when the rough drafts are needed, when they should be approved and when they should be scheduled for distribution. Delegate each of the task to members of your team.  Hold each other accountable for their contribution to the process.

2. Improve Mobile Accessibility and Optimization

According to eMarketer, mobile marketing is predicted to surpass $100 billion in spending and account for more than 50% of all digital spending for the first time,. In fact, there are some predictions being made saying that mobile will completely overtake desktop next year.

More shoppers are now using their smartphones and tablets to make a purchase, look for a product, compare deals, or find a retail outlet. As people become more attached to their mobile devices, you can…

Make your website mobile friendly-turn visitors into lifetime customers.
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3. Do a Little Bit of Research & Refine Social Media Presence

A little bit of research can go a long way. Figure out what topics your buyers will find interesting. Just like other virtual assistant companies, we often connect with our clients. We ask them questions – what blogs and online resources they turn to? What are some of the topics they are sharing in their social media accounts?

Talk to the individuals in your company that deal directly with your customers or conduct a survey directly on them. What concerns do they have?

Be proactive in promoting your content.  Send email notifications out to your database letting them know about the newly published. Notify your social media audiences.  Reach out to peers in your industry and let them know about the content you’ve created and why they might want to take a look.  Don’t be shy.  If you are not the top expert in your field (most of us are not), that is okay.

For every 1 person who knows 2x as much as you, 3 don’t know a fraction that you do.
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Having a refined social media presence is vital to the survival of the business. Building a Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn page is essential. Companies need to always keep in mind that social media is a way to engage users and build brand trust, not just for self-promotion.

4. Brands Must Get Personal

According to the Direct Marketing Association, 76% of consumers will share personal information with a brand if they believe it will improve their experience and interaction. By collecting key data from consumers, such as past customer purchases, newsletter sign-ups, discount offers and social media, companies are able to build profiles offering targeted content and incentives to purchase.

Related: Online Reputation Management and Brand Monitoring

Personalized one-to-one marketing will be a requirement to acquire and retain loyal customers. Getting personal with consumers equates to more emotionally connected customers who will help drive word-of-mouth referrals and online reviews.

As the co-founder of concierge business Ten Group says,

“Focus on what makes you different – not what is generic.” -Alex Cheatle
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This allows your team, customers and suppliers to all “buy in” to why your business matters, and why it is worth joining, and staying and working with. It also means that everyone is better focused on your competitive advantage and unique proposition.”

Talk about what makes your business what it is. In addition to building brand trust and increase user engagement, businesses need to make sure their websites are up to date. Competition is tough and more businesses are using videos, photos and illustrations to stand out and attract more customers.

5. Accept That You Can’t Do Everything

As an entrepreneur, you’re going to get used to do different duties – bookkeeper, sales agent, customer rep – but that doesn’t mean you can or should do everything yourself! If you want your business to grow, you need to accept that you can’t do everything all of the time.

Look for help from talented individuals who share your vision and values and can help you grow your business.  You can outsource repetitive admin tasks or technical tasks to virtual assistant online services or personal assistants so you can free up some time to do important things. After all, you are only one person.

Plan the Year Ahead

You might not be able to make all the progress you’d like for your business in the next few days, but you can definitely plan for it. As a business owner, you are responsible for your entire online marketing strategy – from conception, to development, to implementation. If you want your business to be successful you need to get your plan working and keep your doors open for customer feedback and trends that will benefit your brand.

Be sure to keep these strategies in mind as you head into 2018. Make your bigger and bolder business year to date!
P.S. If you need help with hiring experienced virtual assistants, CONTACT US at our main number 1-866-596-9041 (510-400-8006 local). We have client representatives on standby from 8am to 9pm EST to assist you with any questions.

References:
www.salesforce.com
www.bbc.com
www.forbes.com
www.smallbiztrends.com

The number of online shoppers has increased to 793 million to 1.12 billion from 2011 – 2014. More than 280% of online population has used Internet to purchase anything from books to home appliances to computers to cars to real estate to — you name it. A website has no geographical limitation. It’s like having a super dynamic, well organized sales force available to your customers or clients 24/7.

Why Consumers Prefer Shopping Online:

• time saving
• more variety
• easy to compare prices
• no crowd
• less prices
• spend less on gas
• less taxes

So, have you ever asked yourself: Do I really need a website? What are the ways that a website can help my business?

7 ways how having a website can help improve your business.

1. Open All Day, Every Day
   Your website is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so your customers can conveniently interact with your business. Buyers really appreciate the ease of finding what they need without having to stop, call, and ask. They can fill in a form, sign up for a newsletter, browse your products or services, read your blog, book online, download e-book, all in their OWN time!
2. Expand Customer or Client Base
   Your website puts your business out there to be seen by everyone. But the goal is to be found by anyone anywhere who is already looking for what you offer. There is definitely no other way to maximize your geographic reach, and internet usage continues to increase year after year. If you don’t have a well placed website someone else will get your business.
3. Interact and Communicate with Your Customers Regularly
   People tend to keep you in mind if you keep in touch. It’s proven that customers who already know and trust you will more likely buy from you again. Regular email newsletters and updates to your website will help you better communicate with your them. Set up your online profiles on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, etc – these are a low cost way to get more of YOU online
4. Opportunity for Lead Generation and Feedback
   A webpage can help you generate the right kinds of leads that will turn into customers, rather than to just a large group of people. Those who are interested in your product or service will go the extra mile for your updates and sign up for a newsletter. Now you have a handful of great leads you can follow up.
5. Share Your Expertise
   It’s not enough to provide just sales information about your products and services. Your expert advice may give you an advantage over the competition and even make the sale. Presenting your customers with help and knowledge about your company’s area of expertise is a plus.
6. Strengthen Your Credibility
   Showcase yourself and your message online. A simple and professional web design will add credibility to your business and strengthen your brand. By providing customers with information in an organized manner, you can set an excellent impression for all transactions to follow.
7. Save on Marketing Spend
   With website content, you don’t have to spend money on printing, shipping, or postage expenses. Updates are quick and easy. Every web design can be tailored to suit the size of your business and your budget.

Having said that, your website needs to be:

• Engaging
• User-friendly
• Search Engine Optimized (SEO) for Google page ranking
• Connected with your social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc)

Abundant, fun to read content is the key to success. It is important to create a compelling site that can help convert visitors to followers, customers and clients. Taking your business online can help buyers, clients, potential employees, business partners and even investors quickly and easily find out more about your business and the products or services you have to offer.

Reference:
statistica.com
cpcstrategy.com

John Davern, Jr., MBA, President and CEO of Virtual Assistant Talent, LLC, joins top talent thought leaders in the upcoming Executive Next Practice (ENP) forum, titled Global Strategy – Markets, Talent & Implementation Challenges 2014, to share best practices in overcoming outsourcing obstacles and workforce management issues using the latest tools and technologies.

In the recently released Global Online Employment Report by leading freelance marketplace, eLance, the 2013 numbers revealed a steady increase in the number of businesses that have adapted online outsourcing as part of their business strategy. Many reports have been released that share similar sentiments on the predicted growth of the outsourcing industry this year and for years to come.

“The recent advancements in technology have allowed outsourcing – particularly online outsourcing – to be available to anyone.” John shared, “This has made outsourcing available to, not only big businesses, but to start-ups and small to medium enterprises – the ones that could really benefit from outsourcing.”

As the founder of Virtual Assistant Talent, LLC, an outsourcing company that provides a variety of professional services through the use of Virtual Assistants, John has had significant experience in working with online outsourced workers and will be sharing best practices on how he and his clients have overcome obstacles in working with a virtual team.

“The common obstacles in workforce management can be narrowed down to these 3 areas: Communication, Connectivity and Collaboration.” John stated, “But these can be easily resolved through the use of the right tools and resources.”

John will discuss the Emerging Trends in Virtual Markets and Workforce Management as a guest speaker at the ENP forum on January 29, 2014 at the Academy of Television, Arts & Sciences in North Hollywood, CA.

The event features thought leaders representatives from over 35 global companies including Disney, Taco Bell, Dex, World Vision, B of A, Turkish Airlines, Experia, GALLUP, Mattel and many others.

Interested parties may visit the ENP events page for more information about the forum: http://www.enpinstitute.com/events.

About Executive Next Practices

Executive Next Practices Forum is a unique organization comprised of mid to large market C-level to functional leaders and trusted advisors (Board members, CEO, CFO, HR, CMO, COO, and ICO). This ongoing collaboration, conducted in a non-traditional format, is focused on the latest “Next Practices” leadership and business strategies.

Conducted in major corporate and academic “safe havens,” the sessions are non-solicitation and formatted to deliver fresh, innovative and relevant approaches to leaders and their executive teams.

About John Davern, Jr., MBA

John Davern, Jr., MBA is the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Virtual Assistant Talent, LLC (VAT), a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) ­­company that provides professional services to businesses, entrepreneurs and professionals through the use of Virtual Assistants (remote & home-based workers).­­­­­­­

With over 18 years of experience in corporate human resources, working for Fortune 500 companies such as General Electric (GE), Harris Corporation, The Home Depot, and a Toyota/GM Joint Venture, John has acquired extensive knowledge and hands-on experience through the various human resources and recruitment positions he has handled. In his career, he has recruited and trained thousands of office-based employees and hundreds of home-based/remote workers.

John holds a M.B.A. in Human Resources from Duquesne University, an internet Technology Webmaster Certification from Illinois Institute of Technology, Certificates in Business Practices/Problem Solving & Toyota Production System, and a B.A. in Labor & Industrial Relations from Pennsylvania State University.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/01/prweb11526662.htm

What a virtual assistant can do for you this holiday season?

1. Taking online orders from customers – If you are selling online and can’t catch up with the holiday orders, a VA can help you take and dispatch orders.
2. Manage year-end inventory – Companies are busy with their year-end inventories. Many companies outsource third parties to help them out with the records.
3. Product marketing and promotion – Businesses are turning to social media to promote their product and service. A social media marketing VA is one who knows the ins and outs of promoting a product or service in various platforms. The VA can help you reach your target market in no time.
4. Newsletter campaign – One of the ways a business can be visible is through newsletter. Newsletter is not only an avenue to promote your products and service but to educate on how to use the products and what your service is all about.
5. Buying gifts for family and friends – You may be too pre-occupied with work that you don’t have time to look out for gifts for family and friends. A VA can assist you find that perfect gift you want to give to your special someone and even reserve or buy said items for you. Just be extra careful in giving out your credit card information to your VA. If you don’t know him or her very well, just have the items reserved and personally pay the stuffs.
6. Travel planner – Yes, you are busy as a bee and have no time to search the internet on where to go, avail of cheap deals from airlines and hotels. Your travel VA can help you find the perfect place to go, find the cheapest deals for airlines, hotels, attractions or anything according to your preference. You just have to give all the details of your travel and you will be in good hands.
7. Email responder – you can hire a VA just to sort out your tons of incoming emails. Respond to tickets and enquiries on your behalf but of course you should educate and guide your VA prior to giving the task of answering inquiries on your behalf as it may do more harm than good to your business.
8. General tasks – In this case, you need a general VA to multi-task for you either for personal or business. All of the above-mentioned tasks and more can be done by a VA but may require more number of hours or a full-time home-base assistant.

There’s a lot more a virtual assistant can do for you and your business. Hiring a virtual assistant this Yuletide season will not break your wallet because you will only have to pay for the hours rendered. By shelling out few dollars, you are giving yourself the luxury of extra time for yourself to spend with family and friends.

Hire your virtual assistant from Virtual Assistant Talent, LLC and see the difference. We have all the services you are looking for and the best and experts in their field Virtual Assistants in town.

We are proud to be a Better Business Bureau Accredited Company (bbb.org).

People are left homeless, no food, sick, no clothes, and lost loved ones. Broken dreams are what are left with most of the people, but life must go on with the living.

There are a hundred and one ways to celebrate Christmas. We can party all we want, buy gifts for ourselves, family and friends, eat all we can and spend as much as we want and more. In this Yuletide season, let’s make our Christmas more meaningful by spending our time and extra blessings to those who were affected by the calamities.

We can share our Christmas in these simple ways.

1. Sharing your extra blessings with the people affected by the calamities by giving relief goods.
2. Organize a relief operation with friends.
3. Be a volunteer in relief operations and gain friends.
4. Organize a feeding program.
5. Spend your Christmas or a day with special children or those in the orphanage.
6. Give time to the elderly people in the home for the aged.
7. Visit hospitals – like for children with cancer, the elderly, etc.
8. Join in the church and other organizations that are having outreach programs.

We always say that Christmas is the time for love, sharing and giving. Children and adults alike are very eager for Christmas time because of the festivity and joy it brings when we remember the birth of Jesus Christ. It’s not only how we put Christmas lights, decorate the Christmas tree and placing gifts under it but it’s also  the real meaning of why we celebrate Christmas.

Giving and sharing our blessings does not mean breaking your wallet but by how heartily we share what we receive from God. Being a volunteer is also a great way to show our care. It’s your calling on how you really want to productively spend your Christmas and share your blessings to those who are in need, not only materially but in thoughtfulness, kindness and love.

Hire your virtual assistant from Virtual Assistant Talent and see the difference. We have all the services you are looking for and the best and experts in their field Virtual Assistants in town.

We are proud to be a Better Business Bureau Accredited Company (bbb.org).

The catastrophe claimed lives of almost 10,000 people and thousands of family homeless and hungry in the aftermath of the typhoon. People are badly in need of food, water, medicines, clothing and shelter.

The typhoon victims are in dire need of help. They are begging for whatever there is that we can share. Let us help the typhoon victims in every way we can. Every penny and little things we share is already a big comfort and aid to the people in need of sustenance.

Organizations and countries from around the world are pouring help and assistance into the storm-battered Philippines. You and I can do our share in every way we can.

You can share your blessings and donations through these reputable organizations:

Red Cross Philippines – is providing a tracking service for family members looking for missing people. The organization is accepting donations on its website (100 PHP = $2.30) and is looking for volunteers to help assemble relief packages at its headquarters in Manila.  Hotline – 143

ABS-CBN Sagip Kapamilya Telethon hotlines – (0632) 411-0013, 411-0014, 411-0015, 411-0182 and 411-0183. For volunteers who want to help in re-packing goods, kindly call 411-4995.

GMA Kapuso Foundation hotlines – (0632) 928-4299, 928-9351, 931-7013.

The management and staff of Virtual Assistant Talent with its CEO and President, John Davern, is one with the Filipino people in this time of catastrophe.

Virtual job interview is done online using Skype and other VoIPs. Some entrepreneurs or interviewers would interview an applicant using voice only but there are some who prefers video call wherein both parties use video camera in addition to voice call to see the applicant.

Just like having a face to face interview, you may be nervous too on phone interview. There is not much of a difference except you are interviewed via phone or video call.

How to prepare for an online interview:

• Job description: Prior to that anticipated phone interview, read and understand the job description carefully. You need to assess the type of person the company is looking for. From there, you can focus your interview and prove to the recruiter that you are best fit for the post.

• Resume: The interviewer might ask you something that’s on your resume so better be prepared than get some surprise questions. You may open your resume from your computer or print it out so you can refer to it during the interview.

• Notepad and pen: You may think pad and pen is not necessary, but having a ready available notepad and pen for taking down notes during the interview is a fundamental to success.

• Disturbances: Choose a room in your house where no one can disturb you and as much as possible no background noise like dog barking, TV programs, loud music, a baby crying or children fighting and screaming. Even though it’s a phone interview you may want this to be as professional as possible so be sure your family is aware so they can at least minimize interruptions. Also, avoid a room that has an echo or makes you sound as though you’re in a well or something during your phone interview.

• At Office: Work isn’t the best place to have a phone interview for a new job but sometimes, the only possible time for a phone interview is during the day when you are at work. You have to notify the recruiter if you’ve preferred to conduct your phone interview in your office about your work situation and the preferable time to call you. Some people use their break time or lunch time to accommodate the phone interview.

• Telephone: Shun the idea of using a speaker phone unless you have a hearing problem. If using a headset, test the sound quality and the microphone if working or not. Have your mobile phone or a battery operated phone fully charged before your interview should your interview last longer than expected.

• Relax: You can get butterflies in your stomach even with a phone interview. Relax and take a deep breath minutes before the phone interview. Find a comfortable chair to sit and not on your bed with your laptop. You want to be calm and relaxed so you aren’t distracted during your interview. This will allow you to give the interviewer your undivided attention during the entire phone call.

• Water: There are times that we really get nervous during the interview and we tend to chew gums to ease the tension. Forget the gums or candies and just have the water readily available once your throat dries out.

• Who leads the interview: Let the interviewer lead the interview – don’t interrupt him, listen to him carefully before answering. Don’t talk much and into details especially if it is out of context unless you are applying for sales and marketing post wherein you are required to talk and talk.

• Be yourself: Yes, you want to get the job but never try to impress the interviewer that you know everything. Be honest about your knowledge and skills. If you do not know something, acknowledge and propose or recommend instead on ways to solve the situation.  If you try to pretend you know something that you really don’t know, it will backfire to you once you are hired.

• Humor: It is not bad to break the ice and crack some humor. Just relax and smile.

Hire your virtual assistant from Virtual Assistant Talent and see the difference. We have all the services you are looking for and the best and experts in their field Virtual Assistants in town. Visit our website and sign up your no obligation request now.

We are proud to be a Better Business Bureau Accredited Company (bbb.org).