In fact, it’s rather rude. What? you say.
I’m talking about those who beg for work at Virtual Assistant forums. They join and then start sending PMs (Personal Messages) to members at the forum, or email them, or ask on the forums itself for work.
This is not what the forums are for. They are about learning and sharing information and over time people get to know each other. It’s what networking is really about – developing relationships.
When you’re at a face-to-face networking event you wouldn’t just rush up to someone and ask them for work would you? I hope not! And neither should you at an online forum.
Spend time getting to know people, and the culture of the group. And better yet, join in the conversations and allow others to get to know you. Then, if the occasion arises for them to outsource work to another VA, they might just call upon you for help. But they won’t if they don’t know you and haven’t had the opportunity to get to know you.
So, stop asking for work and start networking instead!
Steve says
I couldn’t agree more.. Yes it’s very rude and most likely these people will have zero chances at getting employed. There’s a proper place for that, and instead of sending unwanted PM’s, they should use the forum as a place to learn and make friends. Finding work at other places while building networks at forums is the way to go. The things they learn in forums will come in handy when they do find a job, and if they do get offered with work from somebody in the forum — then it’s be a bonus 🙂