First, about us… 

Hey there! I’m Jess. I started this business, but I didn’t really mean to. I was in between jobs and I started working as a Virtual Assistant with only one client. I thought it would be a good idea to have a referral program, so I set that up. My client referred clients who referred more clients, and soon I needed to bring on help. I hired my sister, and then my cousin, and then my mom. Six years later we are a team of 15 with over 70 clients, and still growing.

This is an amazing job. I mean it.

Call me lazy, but I just can’t imagine working in an office anymore. I want to work in my pajamas, set my own start and end time, and hang out with my dog all day. The biggest perk is that I can travel whenever I want, as long as there’s internet. I’ve brought my work with me across the United States, into Canada and Mexico, and even all the way to India.

Here’s how it works: all of our clients are assigned to connectors (or managers). The connectors handle the client communication and set up the projects that the clients need done. The creators on the team use a google calendar to request how many hours they want to work each day (which can vary depending on what else you have going on, how you’re feeling, how the stars are aligned…whatever floats your boat) and then we delegate the projects to the creators who asked for work that day.

The creators get a variety of projects (anything from building website pages to writing social media posts to cancelling Netflix accounts) but we try to find projects that they enjoy and fall within their skill set. We have a back-end project management system where creators can ask questions, save their projects, and log their time. Once the creator submits the projects they go through our editor to check for mistakes, and then back to the connector to send to the client. Then on the 1st and the 16th of every month, money is deposited directly into the creator’s bank accounts (at $15 per hour) and that’s it! Easy as pie.

About the Internship 

The MOCA Internship is an unpaid training program. This not only serves as a way to make sure that potential creators have the skillset required to keep up with the work and that it’s a good fit, but it also provides valuable training experience that you can use in a variety of occupations.

Working at home may sound like a dream job… and to be honest, it mostly is. But that doesn’t mean it’s for everyone! Some people find aspects of the job to be difficult. Here are a few things to consider before you decide this is the job for you:

Some people can’t sit in front of a computer for very long. 
It sounds funny, but this has come up more than once. This job does require using a computer. How long are you comfortable sitting in front of your computer? How long are you comfortable sitting in front of your computer when it’s a sunny day outside and you technically don’t have to work?

Some people struggle working at home.
It’s true. It sounds like a dream come true, but then some people find it to be a bit of a bummer. It can feel isolating since you don’t have much contact with the team at all and when you do, it’s not in person. Do you need to have social interaction at work?

Some people find it very difficult to manage their time. 
I’m pretty sure this has been a struggle for every person who has ever worked at MOCA, including me. Having complete freedom with your schedule can be challenging. Two hours of work can quickly turn into four with bathroom breaks, snack breaks, and puppy breaks. Are you able to organize your time and stay disciplined? Or at least, are you ready to have that as a challenge and work on it? I have tips on how to conquer it!

We are a team of problem solvers, and we are constantly learning new things. 
It’s true! This isn’t a job for people who prefer clear cut, easy instructions. There is always going to be a new program to learn, a new client voice to master, a missing piece of instruction where you have to do your best to fill in the gaps. Questions are always welcome, but a lot of this job is teaching yourself and googling how to videos. We are looking for go-getters, problem solvers and people who like to learn.

Think these points over carefully. It’s better to be honest with yourself about these areas now than to find out later. If you still think that this job might be for you and / or have a desire to pick up some valuable virtual assistant skills, then let’s continue.

Here’s what the Internship includes:

Work experience through real client projects.

In-depth training exercises to develop new skill sets.

One-on-one meetings with Jess to refine your training.

Trough the internship you will gain experience and skills including virtual assistant services, social media marketing, basic website development, graphic design and more.

Getting Started

Keep in mind that this is an unpaid Internship. The program is set up so that you can move at your own pace. Find more information below! If you have any questions, please let me know.

PROJECT 1: Facebook

Facebook, as I’m sure you know, is a social media platform.

At MOCA, we use Facebook primarily for business goals rather than personal. We manage business pages and Facebook groups, post social media content to get followers and engagement, etc. This video will walk you through the different features that Facebook has to offer from a business perspective.

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Once you have watched the video, please review the PDF on “Getting A Feel For Facebook”, then complete the following assignment.

Estimated project time: .25

Write a Facebook post for this page: https://jesshershey.com/how-it-works/

You can choose to focus on any aspect of the page you’d like, as long as you’re linking back to the page and getting people to visit.

To submit: send a new email to hello @ jess hershey with the subject line “(Your Name) Internship: Facebook”

 

PROJECT 2: Instagram

Instagram is a mobile-focused social media outlet focused on images and relies on the use of hashtags.

At MOCA, we schedule social media content to Instagram business accounts. This video will walk you through an introduction to Instagram.

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Once you have watched the video, please review the PDF on “Getting A Feel For Instagram”, then complete the following assignment.

Estimated project time: .25

Write an Instagram post for this page: https://jesshershey.com/how-it-works/

You can choose to focus on any aspect of the page you’d like, as long as you’re linking back to the page and getting people to visit.

To submit: send a new email to hello @ jess hershey with the subject line “(Your Name) Internship: Instagram”

 

 

PROJECT 3: Mailchimp

Introducing Mailchimp, a service for collecting subscribers and creating newsletters.

At MOCA, we use Mailchimp primarily for building lists of contacts and sending newsletters to those lists.

Please watch the Introduction to Mailchimp video below, then watch these additional videos:

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Once you have watched the videos, please complete the following assignment.

Estimated project time: 1 hour

Login: please create your own free Mailchimp account

Login to Mailchimp and go to campaigns and create a new campaign (from scratch rather than using one of their branded templates). Then please:

– Name the newsletter draft “Practice Project (your name)”

– Write the subject as “Introducing (your name)”

You’re going to write a newsletter about YOU. Please follow the specific notes below, and then you can create the rest of the newsletter as you please to be all about you!

  • Please add a section at the top with a colored background and add one of your favorite quotes.
  • Please write an intro paragraph about yourself
  • Please add a button below the paragraph, in your favorite color, that links to a website you love
  • Add a photo of you and 3 fun facts about you to the right of the photo
  • Add social media icons at the bottom that link to your social media accounts

To submit, please send a test of the newsletter to hello @ jess hershey

 

 

PROJECT 4: Canva

Introducing Canva, a service for creating graphics (and materials that use graphic elements such as business cards, flyers, etc.).

At MOCA, we use Canva primarily for creating graphics that are used in social media, but we also create flyers, business cards, media kits, ebooks and more (Canva is really fun!). This video will walk you through Canva, covering:

  • Creating a new graphic
  • Copying an existing graphic
  • Available tools
  • Downloading images

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Once you have watched the video, I’m going to have you watch some more videos 🙂 and then do an assignment!

Estimated project time: 2 hours

Go to www.canva.com and create your own account. It’s free, no billing information should be required.

You can find a database of Canva tutorials here: https://designschool.canva.com/tutorials/

Please spend 1-2 hours going through the tutorials and practice creating graphics, to get used to Canva. You can choose whichever tutorials sound interesting to you. These videos are particularly relevant to how we will typically use Canva:

  • Everything under “Getting Started”
  • “Consistent Branding”
  • “The Art of Alignment”
  • “Working With White Space”
  • “Design for Social Media”

Please come up with a couple of designs of your own that you can send to me using the principles from the videos.

To submit: send a new email to hello @ jess hershey with the subject line “(Your Name) Internship: Canva” and attach the images and PNG files

 

 

PROJECT 5: Writing in a Client’s Voice

The work we do involves a LOT of “being the client” – you’re writing in their voice, you’re using their branding, you’re trying to look, sound and feel like them. It can be difficult. It’s important to think like the client whenever you are doing a project for them. Look at past examples of our work and try to mimic the format and style. Read their website and posts so that you can use their voice. Always adhere to their colors and font choices so that everything looks like their brand. These are important elements in our projects, even when they are not specifically called out in the instructions.

HOMEWORK

Estimated project time: 1

The entire purpose of this project is to test your ability to learn to write in a client’s voice. Writing in the voice of the client can be a difficult thing to master, and it’s something we have to do day to day as a Virtual Assistant. They want their social media, newsletters and blog posts to sound like THEM, not us.

Read a little bit about each client and try to imagine you are them – what kinds of things would you care about? How would you write them? What message would you want your audience to receive?

You are going to work from this short paragraph:

Through the years in my business, I’ve realized that I am a very different type of entrepreneur. I love the work that I do with my clients. My experience with 100’s of businesses has taught me that starting a business isn’t easy. In fact, running a business isn’t easy – no matter what stage we are in. But it can be a little easier than it’s feeling now. Skip some of the mistakes that other entrepreneurs make and find out where you should be spending your time.

For each client below please copy the paragraph, list which client it’s for, and modify it to sound like the client is saying it.

Try to pay attention to the types of words they use, the types of punctuation they use and their overall tone. I do think this is going to be challenging, and most likely you’ll end up with very minor changes for each one, so, to help with the process, please tell me WHY you changed what you did and how you think it fits the client (and what the client’s voice is like in your mind).

You can change words, add parts in, take parts out, etc. depending on the client. Feel free to rewrite. Use their website as a sample for their language and style.

  1. Michelle Lederman https://michelletillislederman.com

  2. Jessica Shepard https://www.jessicaruthshepard.com

  3. Elysa Ellis http://www.genpink.com

  4. Aaron Teich https://aaronteich.com

To submit: send a new email to hello @ jess hershey with the subject line “(Your Name) Internship: Client’s Voice” and awrite each of these (and your explanation as to why)