As a new VA, have you thought about looking for Associate VA work? Working as an Associate VA is a great way to boost your confidence and help establish yourself within the VA community.

Many established VAs are actively looking for Associates to take on some of their client work to help ease their workload and expand their business.

It’s essential to know from the outset; An Associate role is not a training role (or an easy option!). You do still need to have started your own business and be actively promoting it.

But if you’re looking to boost your finances whilst you’re getting up and running, whilst also honing your skills and gaining testimonials, it’s an excellent route to take. You can work with more than one VA at a time and look to offer your specialist skills to help you stand out – as mentioned in the blog Working as an Associate VA.

But if you’ve never worked as an Associate, how can you reach those VAs that are looking for help?

Raise your profile

Start by actively raising your profile. Don’t be shy about sharing your areas of expertise and promoting your own VA business. Be visible on social media, post consistently and always be professional in your approach and with your content. And make sure your personal profile is set up correctly to make it easy for potential clients and other VAs know what you do!

Be active in the VA Community

If you’re looking to work with other VAs, be an active participant in VA groups and memberships (such as our very own paid for VA Membership or our free community the VA Help Desk). There are so many benefits you can glean from networking with other Virtual Assistants. Take the time to raise your profile within those groups by getting involved in conversations, answering questions whenever you can and offering support and encouragement whenever it’s needed.

Build relationships with other Virtual Assistants

The VA community is a close one, so you must build relationships with other VAs. Look to mix in the right circles and network with other VAs. This isn’t just about being around in case there’s a potential for Associate work – it’s about getting to know other VAs and building those relationships.  Tessa Hull shares some great ideas for this in her “Connections that Count” Training she delivered as part of the VA Membership (available to Members.)

Let other VAs know you’re looking for an Associate role

If you’re looking for an Associate role, make sure you’re asking for the work! Put out requests for Associate work and share what work you’re looking to take on. Ask if anyone is looking to fill an Associate role and what criteria they’re looking for in an Associate.  You can do this freely in any of the VACT paid communities but in the free communities, this needs to be done on the designated threads to save the groups getting messy and overwhelmed.

Get comfortable with promoting yourself and your skills

As mentioned earlier, you need to be comfortable with promoting yourself. Talk about the skills you have that help you stand out from other VAs. Talk about your experiences – both in previous roles and in your present VA one. Share your wins and client testimonials. Talk about what you’re looking to achieve with your own VA business and the goals you have.

Working as an Associate VA is a great way to boost your confidence and help establish yourself within the VA community. If you’re looking for Associate work, follow the tips above to help get the message out to established VAs. Soon, you’ll be on the road to being an established and much sought after Associate VA and a valued member of the VA community.