How to Hire a Virtual Assistant
Every business has mundane everyday activities. These are tasks that require time and energy but, frankly, are better handled by someone else so you can focus on the core business of your company.
As an entrepreneur you may not be able to afford a full time employee, but at some point the routine tasks may become overwhelming. This would be the time to start thinking about hiring a virtual assistant.
Hiring a virtual assistant has can have its advantages. You’ll gain valuable skills that will help you manage a team. Hiring a virtual assistant will also reveal which tasks you can delegate to employees in the future and which you must continue to handle yourself. Finally, a virtual assistant can help you stay organized and on top of your work, which is essential for any growing business.
Where to & How to find a Virtual Assistant?
There are a number of places to find good quality virtual assistants. You can looked on linkedin, do a google search, contact a virtual assistant agency or go on a job posting sight. You will need to do some interviewing to find the right match for you.
Getting started
Decide what tasks you would like to outsource to your Virtual Assistant.
Virtual assistants are available for almost any task. Virtual assistants can help with data entry, calendar management, bookkeeping, social media management, correspondence, research, marketing, and so on. You must know exactly what you want your virtual assistant to do from the beginning. Otherwise, finding the right person will be impossible. but
- Know what qualities and skills you would like to VA to have or are willing to learn
- Create a list of tasks and proritize it
Know your budget for Hiring a VA
Depending on the number of tasks you have a VA a may get pricey, that’s why having a list of tasks helps this process. If your list is long, you can have the virtual assistant focus on the higher priority. A lot of virtual assistants can scale the package or hours to best fit your needs.
Interview process of VA
The interview could consist of asking candidates a few simple questions over text messages or it could be a phone call or video chat.
Ask for References
Looking for references and testimonials from previous employers is a simple yet effective way to assess a prospective virtual assistant’s skills and qualities. Take note of what their previous employers have to say about their work, personality, and skills.
Can they take responsibility for mistakes
A professional virtual assistant is never afraid to accept responsibility for mistakes made at work. This quality makes it easier for you to collaborate with them. Taking responsibility for mistakes demonstrates accountability, which is an excellent quality in a virtual assistant.
Do they ask questions
When a virtual assistant asks questions about the job role and responsibilities, it demonstrates an interest in meeting your needs. Valid questions can also assist you in developing well-defined job responsibilities.
Do your personality and work style match
Given how closely you must work collaboratively with your virtual assistant, it is critical that you find someone whose personality and work style is compatible with yours. Look for free personality test that the VA can complete before the interview.
It’s vital to set realistic expectations when hiring a virtual assistant. There will be a learning curve as the VA adjusts to your working style. However, you should expect to see improvements over time until the work you receive is what you wanted.
Expect tasks to take longer and the quality to be lower if you hire a VA with little or no experience. The best virtual assistants are not cheap, but the work will be a better quality. If you can only afford someone who charges a few dollars per hour, you may need to dial down your expectations.