Are you looking for ways to make money outside of your full-time job? Are you a registered dietitian, in your dietetic internship or dietetic student who is looking for work experience (or just a lifestyle change)? If so, then becoming a virtual assistant may be the perfect opportunity for you! It’s flexible, allows you to network with dietitians outside of your school or internship program, and allows you to learn a ton of new skills!

But, starting your own virtual assistant business from scratch can seem a bit overwhelming. Don’t worry: we’ve got you covered!

In this blog post, we will discuss what virtual assistant skills are needed and how to get started in this exciting career field. And if you’re an RD entrepreneur already, we’ll cover why hiring a virtual assistant (or even just a virtual social media manager) can be beneficial for your business.

Let’s dive in!

What is a virtual assistant?

A virtual assistant (VA) is a self-employed individual who provides a wide range of services, such as administrative, creative, or technical support to their clients from a remote location. Your office is wherever you can connect to WiFi. While it may be a job title you are not as familiar with, it is so much more than an administrative assistant.

Virtual assistants typically work with dietitian small businesses, in private practices with dietitians in the United States, entrepreneurs, or solo-preneurs and can perform a variety of tasks. There are so many aspects to running a small business and VAs can lighten the load. A VA might support their clients with tasks including:

Virtual assistants typically work with dietitian small businesses, private practice dietitians, entrepreneurs, or solo-preneurs and can perform a variety of tasks. There are so many aspects to running a small business and VAs can lighten the load. A VA might support their clients with tasks including:

• Social media management
• Marketing
• Customer service
• Content creation
• Data entry
• Blog writing
• Billing
• Insurance verification
• Appointment scheduling
• Podcast management
• Guest post or LinkedIn Live guest coordinator
• Email management
• LinkedIn Newsletter writer
• LinkedIn Company Page administrator

As dietitians continue to expand in the unconventional work that is possible, so too are the opportunities for VAs to be a part of the success story.

“A VA can do many tasks, but it is important to focus on the strengths of the individual. Not everyone can take dictation, design skills, presentation slide formatting, digital resource creation, research, email list management, blog writing, social media posting, video editing, course creation support, and many more tasks.” - Alicia Connor MA, RDN & Chef

Who can be a Virtual Assistant (VA)?

The beauty of being a VA is that there are no strict educational or experience requirements. However, some VAs may have previous administrative experience or training in specific software programs. In addition, excellent communication and customer service skills are essential for success in this role.

As a VA to dietitians, it might be helpful to be in a program to become an RD as that will help you to better understand the kind of work that your client is doing, the lingo, and more. However, anyone can become a VA.

So, how to get started? Let’s explore.

How to become a Virtual Assistant?

If you’re interested in becoming a VA, the best place to start is by creating a list of your skills and experience. Once you have an idea of what you can offer, start networking with small businesses or entrepreneurs who may be in need of assistance. You can also search for virtual assistant jobs on job boards or freelancer websites.

“In order to get started, we recommend first becoming familiar with the common services that dietitians are looking for. Then you can create a portfolio of your work examples to send out. We also suggest creating a business email and professional social accounts so you are able to communicate with clients. A website is not needed right from the start! If you are planning to do virtual assisting as a long-term job, you could get an LLC and bank account for your virtual assistant business. After that, you can set your rates and start looking for your first client!” -Kat Durston, dietetic intern and founder of Flourish Virtual Assistants (also known as Flourish VA).

If you would like a more formal training course, there are a few options to choose from:

• Make Money as a VA
• Fully Booked VA

Successful VAs do need to have discipline and drive. It is hard to start your own business, especially while working from home! If you’re feeling less-than-focused at home, check out these 22 Work From Home Tips To Boost Your Productivity.

Discipline is a great starting point. What other skills do you need to work as a VA? Let’s explore.

What skills do I need to be a virtual assistant?

In order to be a successful virtual assistant, you will need a variety of skills. First and foremost, you should have excellent written and verbal communication skills. You will also need to be highly organized and detail-oriented. You also will need excellent time management skills as you will be likely juggling multiple task for different business owners.

Additionally, it is helpful to have previous administrative experience or training in specific software programs. Finally, excellent communication and customer service skills are essential. Working with solo-entrepreneurs means that you’re having a direct impact on the growth and success of their business.

Depending on the type of work you do as a VA, you may benefit from having any of the following skills:

• Using Canva*
• Writing social media posts and captions
• Blogging
• SEO
• Video editing
• Using an email service provider, such as ConvertKit or MailChimp to schedule emails
• Using Trello or ClickUp, or other project management tool
• Using Later or Hootsuite, or other social media content scheduler
• How to use WordPress so that you can publish blog posts
• And more!

Don’t feel like you have to know all of these things to get started…or even at all. Start with a few skills, gain some experience using those skills and grow from there.

So…how can you find those first few clients? Let’s explore!

Job opportunities as a VA?

There are a growing number of job opportunities for virtual assistants. You can find work as a VA in several places. You can search for virtual assistant jobs on job boards or freelancer websites.

“There are many Facebook groups for RDs where dietitians post job postings for wanting a virtual assistant to do work for them. We run a Facebook group called Virtual Assistants for Dietitians where RDs post VA job postings weekly! Other places we have found jobs are through word of mouth/referrals, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Make sure your social media accounts indicate that you are a virtual assistant looking to hire clients! Some VAs have success with sites such as Upwork and Indeed as well.” -Kat Durston, dietetic intern and founder of Flourish Virtual Assistants

You can also look for job postings on:

• NutritionJobs
• LinkedIn
• Upwork

And: don’t underestimate the power of networking. Make sure that your LinkedIn profile is up to date and clearly communicates the skills you have to offer. Having a fully optimized profile attracts your clients directly to you! I show you exactly how to do this with confidence in my LinkedIn course. Check it out!

How to promote your VA business

Three tips for promoting your VA business:

1. Be present where your ideal clients are. If you want to work for RD entrepreneurs, join relevant Facebook groups and post valuable content on LinkedIn.
2. Have a portfolio; this can be on a website, Instagram, or on LinkedIn. You don’t have to have “all the things” to get started!
3. Ask for testimonials and referrals. As you have happy clients, ask for testimonials that you can post on your own social media channels and website (if you have one).

Why hire a VA?

Have you heard the quote, “I left the 9 to 5 and now I’m working 24/7”? Well, we didn’t start our business to be working all the time.

And if we’re honest, we aren’t actually the best at every single skill that contributes to having a successful business.

“I am in my creative genius when I have a VA typing and editing a Google Doc or draft or slides, or resource. My being able to see it and not have to do the typing at the same time helps me to do my best work.” -Alicia Connor MA, RDN & Chef

Holly Larson, MS, RD, and founder of Holly Larson Writes adds:

“Having a VA allows me to have more space in my brain to do the work that I do best. With fewer tasks to keep track of and manage, I have more bandwidth to do the deeper, more important work of my business. Plus, having someone counting on me for a few hours of work each week keeps me accountable for the growth of my business. It takes the right mindset to see having a VA as an investment instead of an expense. I highly recommend having one!”

One of the main benefits of having a VA? More time (and focus) outside of work.

“I decided it was time to finally delegate when my kids had a shortened summer break from school. I wanted to be really present with them but not let little things fall through the cracks. I knew there were plenty of things in my business that didn't need to be done by me specifically and bringing someone on to the team would keep things running smoothly without dividing my attention, as well as add some new perspective. I opted to pay a set monthly rate so there was a clear budget for both of us, plus a predictable workload. Many of the projects are recurring and ongoing, but this allows flexibility with individual tasks that pop up from time to time.” -Heather Neal, MS, RD, LDN, CLT, founder of Dietitian HQ and the RD Entrepreneur Symposium

And speaking of investments, how much will a VA cost you?

How much can I make?

Typically, VAs are paid on an hourly basis, charging an hourly rate.

“VAs can work at between $15-40 or more per hour in the U.S.; at the higher salary, they can be like an executive assistant, part or full time or as needed. There are VAs who work for $4-5 an hour in the Philippines. I've heard some RDs hire them.” -Alicia Connor MA, RDN & Chef

“Pricing will differ depending on the VA's experience, qualifications, and level of schooling. Dietitians and VAs with a bachelor's or master's can charge more money than dietetic students. You can also charge more if you have more experience with the services you are offering. Pricing can be done both hourly and through package rates. We recommend charging hourly at first and then transitioning to package rates as you gain value and experience. I've seen hourly pricing anywhere from $18-$90/hour but a more typical range is $20-$45/hr.” --Kat Durston, dietetic intern and founder of Flourish Virtual Assistants

Key takeaways

Training to become a registered dietitian is an intense and expensive chapter of your life. Becoming a Virtual Assistant is an opportunity to cover your bills, gain relevant experience, and network in the field. And you can do it all from the comfort of your own home.

Are you interested in learning more? Check out our LinkedIn course to polish your profile and learn how to find quality clients who will appreciate your skills. We hope this article has helped shine some light on the world of virtual assisting and that you feel inspired to take the next step in your career…all while working in your PJs on your own schedule.

About the Author

Stacey Dunn-Emke, MS, RDN, is the Founder Owner of NutritionJobs and an established dietetic career expert. She helps steer dietetic and nutrition professionals to a successful job search process with the top-ranked dietetic job board platform, NutritionJobs.com. Stacey is the author of The Dietetic Resume Guide and numerous dietetic career action-ables. She gives the tools to create a modern standout dietetic resume to land that job interview, help with job interview prep, and with creating Compelling LinkedIn profiles. Stacey has interviewed and hired many dietitians. Since running NutritionJobs in 2000, she has reviewed thousands of dietetic resumes. She works closely with dietetic hiring managers and recruiters to know the standout elements on a resume that land a job interview. Stacey speaks on successful compensation negotiation at professional conferences and frequently consults with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics at FNCE and co-created the webinar series, Dietetic Career Hack: The Complete Networking and Resume Guide and Dietetic Career Hack Part II: Interviewing Tips and Tricks. Her previous dietitian jobs have been in clinical, nutrition support, and research.

Affiliate Links

Please note: This page may contain affiliate links. If you choose to purchase a product using my affiliate link, I will receive a small commission or bonus. This will in no way impact the price you pay. Affiliate links on this page are denoted with an asterisk (*).