A deaf job opportunity worth exploring

The old adage goes ‘do what you love and the money will follow’. A friend of mine loves organising, managing events, and scheduling appointments. Being asked to make lists and colour coordinate files make her giddy with excitement. She would love nothing more than being a personal assistant or office administrator, a humble yet fulfilling career.

My friend is almost completely deaf. She’s unable to get a job as a PA because managers don’t want to take the time to clearly communicate with her. They believe that taking notes, answering phones and making their jobs easier is her responsibility, not theirs.

Equal opportunity employment for hard of hearing and deaf people has always been a struggle. Even though many would say you should focus on your ability and not your disability, the truth is the job you get is dependent on whether hearing employers hire or reject you.

The easiest way to avoid this is by cutting out the middle man and becoming your own boss. Many deaf and hard of hearing individuals have ventured into the landscape of self-employment, most recently the profession of Virtual Assistant – opting to work online from home, instead of in an office.

A virtual assistant is in essence an administrative assistant with more flexible working hours and better pay. If you love helping others succeed in their business, while building your own, then this might be the deaf job opportunity for you.

Virtual assistants function as independent entrepreneurs, providing technical and administrative assistance to clients using an internet connection. As long as you have good grammar, appropriate computer skills and a reliable internet connection you can become a virtual assistant, no hearing required.

For a deaf or hard of hearing person the advantages of becoming a virtual assistant are numerous, but by far the best one is never having to use the phone. Any phone calls can be booked as a Skype group call and we can caption the call for you, paid for by the Access to Work scheme in the UK.

If, for some reason, you want phone services you can use a remote PA service to answer all calls and relay them via email and/or SMS. Access to Work will pay for this. The typical costs for such a service are around £200 per month. You can also employ a CSW (communication support worker) or admin assistant to make phone calls on your behalf. Access to Work pays for this too.

Virtual assisting can be an extremely satisfying deaf job, using your skills and expertise to help professionals run more efficient and profitable businesses. Other advantages of virtual assisting include:

• The freedom to choose the types of clients you work for.
• Flexible working hours.
• Determining your own hourly rate and because businesses don’t have to pay many of the costs associated with on-site staff, they’ll benefit too.
• Working from home, a huge plus when you still have small children.
• Never being bored. You’ll work with a variety of different industries, doing an assortment of jobs, no two days will be alike.

First of all, identify what it is you really love doing and what you’re naturally talented at. A virtual assistant has an entrepreneurial mindset, always on the lookout for opportunities to increase their value to a business.

A great virtual assistant has a thirst for knowledge, is constantly learning new things, shares that knowledge with his or her clients by making recommendations to enhance the client’s business.

– Janet Barcley, Founder of Organized Assistant and Golden Horseshoe Virtual Assistants Group.

Depending on the specific services you’re wanting to offer, you’ll at least need basic administrative training to be proficient at typing, word processing and creating PowerPoint presentations. Other skills which you probably already use on a daily basis might include social media promoting, writing articles and conducting online research, answering emails and making travel arrangements.

If you have difficulty focusing on tasks, completing them on time and tend to procrastinate, then becoming a virtual assistant is not the business for you.

#1 Decide on the sort of services you want to offer

Here are a list of virtual assistant services you might want to offer your clientele:

• Email management/filtering
• Setting up autoresponders
• Data entry
• Online research
• Desktop publishing
• Graphic design
• Book keeping
• Billing
• Booking appointments for clients and managing their calendars
• File management
• Social media reputation management
• Website design and management
• Filter and reply to website comments
• Blogging
• Newsletters
• Report writing
• Transcribing
• Creating and editing templates and guides
• Creating slideshows

#2 Register

If you’re located in the UK, then you should register at HM Revenue & Customs, informing the Government that you are now your own boss.

#3 Get the right equipment

Make sure your computer is able to install the software many businesses use, you might need to manage their schedules, itineraries and do accounting. A stable internet connection is essential.

#4 Choose an appropriate business name

Think of something simple, that’s easy to remember and won’t be spelled incorrectly. Pick something that describes what you do, but keep it short and to the point.

#5 Create a website

Make sure the business name you choose can also be registered as a domain name. If you’re going to be a virtual assistant, operating online, then you need to market yourself online. A website is essential.

Find potential clients who are looking for your particular skills and market yourself to them. Freelancing sites like Odesk.com and Elance.com have a large pool of remote workers offering their skills online.

Utilise virtual assistant networks such as VaNetworking.com and connect with like-minded individuals willing to exchange resources and provide advice.

Market yourself via social media, using groups such as Deaf Small Business Network on Facebook and create a professional LinkedIn page offering your services. Be sure to connect and network with other virtual assistants and clearly state that you’re looking for work virtually assisting clients.

You can’t fake being an entrepreneur. If you’re passionate about being your own boss and utilising your skills to help businesses improve their bottom line, then becoming a virtual assistant is a viable deaf job opportunity for you when you’re career planning. Especially if you’re looking for a deaf job where the barriers to communication can be obliterated.

Don’t wait for the perfect client, they may never be perfect – just get out there and start networking and advertising yourself.

To find out more about live captioning Skype calls for your virtual assistant business, click here or check us out on Tipped.