How Skills Got Me Shortlisted for a $4K Remote Job!

A few weeks ago, I had a thought: how long will it take me to find a fully remote job with a full-time monthly salary?

What will it take? And how easy or hard will it be, considering I don’t have a degree—I only have a college diploma?

I decided to give it a test and see, even though I have zero intention of taking a full-time job.

I went to Canva and created a CV with this introduction/summary:

“Experienced Virtual Assistant and YouTube Content Creator with expertise in administrative support, project management, and client communication. Proven track record in enhancing efficiency and productivity for diverse clients.”

Now that I’ve got my CV in order, the next step is to start sending it to potential employers. I’m not going to use Upwork since the majority of clients on Upwork are looking for a virtual assistant, not a full-time employee. So I thought I needed to get on a job board.

I looked at Indeed.com, but I wanted something different. I remembered seeing an ad for FlexJobs, so I checked it out—and it turns out I need a subscription in order to start applying for jobs. So I went ahead and signed up on FlexJobs.

I sent 5 applications within 2 days, and on day 4, I received a response from one application. And the response started with:

“Congratulations! You have made it to the next stage of the recruitment process for the…”

Now, even though I’m not going to take the job, I felt happy that I was shortlisted for a $4,000 per month remote job.

I did a little research on the company to learn more about what they do, the size of the company, etc.

I considered going through with the next stage of the application process, but I decided I didn’t want to waste the recruiter’s time.

Remember, this wasn’t on Upwork or Fiverr, where I have client reviews and some credibility badges. I didn’t have a fancy degree, but I have one of the most important things many high-level companies are looking for: skills and experience.

This experience reaffirmed my belief that skills and experience are the most important assets in building a career.

And since most skills can be learned through YouTube and hours of practice, if you’re not skilling up every day, what are you doing?

I strongly believe most beginners in the Virtual Assistance industry are struggling due to a lack of skills and experience.

If you’re not happy with where you are in your career, you need to spend all the extra time you have skilling up.

Find volunteer opportunities, take on personal projects, look for an internship—whatever you can do to improve your skills and gain some experience to put on your CV should be your focus.

And if you do that, you’re giving yourself the best chance of progressing in your career.

Be willing to do more than what most people are doing, and you’ll have the best chance of reaching the level that most people will never reach.

Cheers 🥂