Virtual assistants have taken the world by storm. These days, you can find virtual assistants working for businesses of all types and sizes. They are a convenient and cost-effective way to manage day-to-day tasks and administrative duties. Read on for some helpful tips if you’re ready to take the plunge into hiring a virtual assistant.
Personal virtual assistants can effectively streamline business operations, making it easier for you to focus on your core business activities instead of having to deal with clerical tasks and administrative duties. However, finding the right virtual assistant isn’t as simple as it may seem.
It takes time to vet prospective candidates, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and match them with the right job opportunities before making an offer.
This guide walks you through every hiring process step, so you don’t get tripped up.
First and foremost, you want to hire a virtual assistant who is right for your business. This means finding someone with the skills necessary for the job and a personality that meshes well with your own.
Virtual assistants come with a diversity of skills and experience that is quite broad. You want to find someone who can help you with various tasks but who also seems like a good fit for your team. What you’re looking for in a virtual assistant is someone who can assist you with specific tasks.
You don’t necessarily need an assistant with administrative or managerial skills. Instead, you might want an assistant to handle essential office duties like scheduling meetings or managing email inboxes.
Depending on your needs, you might also want an assistant who can help you with more complex assignments, such as documenting meetings, creating reports, or drafting proposals.
Now that you have a basic idea of what you’re looking for in a virtual assistant, it’s time to start researching potential candidates and their experience. The first place to start your search is with a virtual assistant job board. If you’re looking for a virtual assistant who is based in the US, you can search by state.
Popular boards include VA Staffing Agency, Flexjobs, Craigslist, and Upwork. If you’re looking for a virtual assistant who is based outside the US, you can search by location.
Next, you’ll want to go through all the applicants and screen them. While hiring a virtual assistant is quite convenient, it is a bit misleading because you will probably not have the opportunity to meet and interact with them as you would with a face-to-face hire.
If you’re hiring a virtual assistant, you must screen them thoroughly, especially if they are working remotely. When screening potential hires, begin by looking at their online portfolio or resume. You want to ensure that the person you hire has experience working on projects similar to what you are looking for help with.
Next, you need to ensure that the person you are hiring can meet the skill requirements of the position. If you need someone to manage your email inboxes and schedule, you will want to ensure they have the necessary skills.
Virtual Personal Assistants are a great resource and can free up your time. When interviewing and hiring a virtual assistant, follow these tips. First, when interviewing potential hires, look at how they present themselves online.
If you're hiring a remote candidate, ensure they can work remotely according to your schedule. Next, look at the person’s resume and online portfolio. You want to ensure that the person has the experience that matches what you are hiring for.
When hiring a remote candidate, set them up with an online skills test. Make sure the test has a lot of data and functionality, similar to a real-life test.
Now that you have all the screening done, it’s time to meet with your potential hires and interview them. When interviewing virtual assistants, you want to ensure a structured interview process. The most important thing to remember when interviewing virtual assistants is to ensure they mesh well with your team and personality.
You might have an assistant on your team who can help schedule meetings and manage the calendar. However, they might be a bit too strict with meeting times and attendance. In this case, you may want to hire a virtual assistant who is more relaxed about meeting times and attendance.
Keep in mind that virtual assistants are often hired on a contractual basis. You want to ensure that the person you are hiring is a good fit for your team and that they have the skills necessary to help your team with daily tasks.
Finally, you’ll want to make an offer and negotiate a contract for your virtual assistant. If hiring a remote candidate, set up an interview with a compensation expectation.
The interview should be structured to get the person to evaluate their skills against the position and what the salary expectations should be. If you are hiring a virtual assistant on a contract, make sure you negotiate the salary expectations.
It may be worth giving the person a lower salary expectation at first to see if they fit in with your team and if they have the necessary skills. If you are hiring a virtual assistant on a contractual basis, make sure you have a written contract.
Freeing time for managers to focus on more important activities can be an excellent way for businesses to streamline day-to-day tasks. However, finding the right virtual assistant isn’t an easy task.
You’ll want to make sure you are hiring someone with the skills necessary for the job and a personality that meshes well with your own. When interviewing virtual assistants, make sure you screen them thoroughly.
Follow these tips for virtual assistant hiring, and you will be one step closer to streamlining your business operations.
We work with clients in any industry or niche. In the past, we've staffed hundreds of virtual assistants for real estate professionals, insurance agents, marketing agency founders, SaaS CEOs, podcasters, authors, and even business coaches.
We're confident that, regardless of your niche, we can help you work less, grow faster, and be happier than ever.
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