When I started my business, I couldn’t afford to hire an assistant. It was just me and my laptop. Now that my company has grown, though, I’ve had the opportunity to hire a few virtual assistants (or VAs). While it’s not as easy as it might sound, there are steps you can take to make sure you get the best help possible from this valuable tool. Here are some tips for hiring a virtual assistant:
Define your needs.
To hire the right virtual assistant, you need to be able to define your needs. Here are some questions you can ask yourself:
- What are my business goals?
- What are my personal goals?
- What are my time constraints? (e.g., a certain amount of hours per week needed)
- How much flexibility do I have in terms of budget, and how much money am I willing to spend on this project? (Remember that a great VA doesn’t always cost a lot!)
- What skills do I need help with? Do I just want someone who can take care of some small tasks for me or do I need an expert who can handle big projects or get things done quickly/efficiently when faced with roadblocks such as time constraints or other obstacles on site (e.g., an internet outage).
Decide how the virtual assistant will be paid.
You can pay your virtual assistant one of two ways:
- Fixed-rate. You set a specific amount of money for each task and you pay them that amount regardless of how much time is spent on the project. This is best if you have a lot of smaller tasks to complete, or if you don’t know how long the job will take.
- Hourly. The amount due varies by the hour and can vary based on what type of work they do—some assistants may be able to charge more than others depending on their degree of expertise, but at least in theory this method should protect both parties from unforeseen circumstances like delays caused by bad weather or slow internet service (a common cause for delays). However, if you’re not careful this method could cost more than it should, especially if your VA takes longer than expected! Make sure you compensate accordingly!
- Flat fee per project (or any combination therein). This means that once an agreement has been made regarding payment terms we’ll agree upon beforehand then all subsequent invoices will include these same terms going forward until otherwise agreed upon via email correspondence between both parties involved within reason given certain situations arise such as exceeding budget limits etcetera…
Determine what you can do yourself.
You can’t do everything. That’s why you need to determine what you can delegate, outsource and automate.
You have your own limits – what they are is not important here, but it is important that you know them. You also need to know what you can delegate and outsource.
If there are tasks that can be automated with a virtual assistant (VA), this is great! Automating tasks frees up more time on your plate so that you have more time for yourself or other things in life.
Find a VA through word-of-mouth referrals.
It’s not too difficult to find a VA through word-of-mouth referrals. A friend or family member might have a personal assistant who is good at working with small businesses, and they may be willing to recommend this person to you.
Or perhaps you know someone who works in the same industry as your business and has hired a virtual assistant before. This person could potentially refer their former assistant if they are satisfied with their work and would consider hiring them again in the future.
In addition, when you hire people through referrals, your chances of finding someone who is a good fit for your company are much higher than if you were simply searching for VAs on websites like Upwork or Fiverr (which offer generic freelancers).
Post a job opening and ask for candidates’ ideas on how to improve your business.
To get the best candidates, you should ask virtual assistants to submit their own ideas on how to improve your business.
When posting a job opening, including a section that asks “what’s one thing you would do for us if you were hired?” or something similar. In addition, make sure your virtual assistant application form asks for candidates’ ideas on how to improve your business. This way, even if someone isn’t qualified for that particular job opening now (maybe because they don’t have the specific skills or experience), they can still apply and show off their creativity and thoughtfulness by offering suggestions about how they would help out if hired instead of just listing all of their previous work history and experience—a common mistake among many job seekers who haven’t had much success finding jobs in the past without having any idea why no one has hired them yet!
There are several reasons why this strategy works so well:
- It gives potential hires an opportunity to showcase their knowledge of what makes good customer service while also showing off their ability to think outside the box with new ideas and concepts which could potentially lead towards improve both customer satisfaction AND revenue generation within any given field/industry sector where such work might be done remotely through online collaboration platforms like TeamViewer Remote Access Software Platforms (in which case there wouldn’t necessarily need be someone physically present at all times during working hours).
Make sure they’re tech savvy.
The first step is to make sure your VA can use a computer and the internet. If they don’t know how to do that, then they’re probably not going to be very helpful. They should also be familiar with email, calendar management programs like Google Calendar or Outlook Calendar, word processors such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs (or even more basic text editing software like Notepad), spreadsheets like Excel or Google Sheets (or even more basic spreadsheet software like OpenOffice Calc), and customer relationship management systems like Salesforce or Hubspot.
Ask what their other clients are like, but don’t vet them too deeply.
After you’ve got the virtual assistant’s resume, ask for references. However, don’t rely too heavily on them. References are usually just as good at lying as anyone else. Ask for a portfolio of their work and what skills they can bring to your business. Also, it never hurts to ask about their weaknesses and strengths—it may be that they’re excellent at everything but Excel spreadsheets (that’s my case). Finally, ask what their goals are—this will show you how much they want this job!
Hire someone who is self-motivated, creative and proactive.
To hire the right virtual assistant, you need to look for someone who is self-motivated, creative and proactive.
You need to trust the VA to use their own initiative and be able to do the work you have asked them to do. You also need to trust that they know how you would like it done so that there are no misunderstandings on your part or theirs.
Trust your gut.
Trust your gut. You know instinctively whether or not someone is a good fit for your business. Don’t be afraid to ask for references and samples of work, but don’t feel pressured into hiring someone just because they seem qualified on paper. If you have any doubts about an applicant, let them go and move on!
Ask for a trial period first before making any final decisions about whether or not this virtual assistant is worth hiring long-term (or at all). This will help ensure that there aren’t any issues down the line once you’ve made the commitment—and it can also give both parties time to see if they’re compatible with one another professionally as well.
It’s never too early in the process to get yourself covered legally by putting together a contract for future hires who will work remotely with your company. Make sure that everyone understands what their responsibilities are from day one: what tasks will be performed by whom; how often those tasks should be completed; how much time each party has available to dedicate toward these efforts every week; what kind of support exists between clients/employers versus contractors/employees; etcetera etcetera etcetera…
Virtual assistants can take the stress out of running a business, but you have to make sure to hire the right one.
Virtual assistants can take the stress out of running a business, but you have to make sure to hire the right one.
To do this, it’s important to understand what your needs are and how they will be met. You should also be sure that your expectations match up with what you’re paying for. It’s always best to have a plan before starting the hiring process.
The first step is figuring out what kinds of tasks you want your assistant(s) to help with. Are there certain projects that need more attention? Do certain processes take too much time? Figure out which areas are most important for your business and prioritize those tasks first!
Once you’ve got an idea of where things stand, start looking at potential replacements (virtual or otherwise). The more specific information about each person’s experience/skillset/availability etc., the better – it’ll help narrow down those initial search results 🙂
If you’re nervous about hiring a virtual assistant and want to make sure you don’t make any mistakes, start by defining your needs. What tasks are most important to you? What tasks could you do yourself instead of delegating them to someone else? Once you know what kind of role this person will be filling, it’ll be easier for them to find a job that matches their skillset.