Overwhelmed by the growing needs of your business? It’s time to hire a virtual assistant! Virtual assistants are the new business on-demand service that can take care of all the tasks you don’t have time to do while growing your business. Hiring a virtual assistant can allow you to spend more time on expanding your business, but it’s important to choose the right one. Here are 10 tips for hiring the perfect virtual assistant for your business.
1) Conduct Research
You’ll want to learn as much as you can about what a VA is and how they operate, any legal ins-and-outs you should be aware of, and what kinds of tasks a VA can actually help you with.
Research will not only save you time later in your search process but also help you land an awesome virtual assistant that fits your business needs. Want to do more research?
Check out online forums (like Entrepreneur) and engage with other entrepreneurs who are using virtual assistants in their business. Linkedin is another great place to ask questions and see what other people have done or are doing. You might even want to start looking at some potential VAs before you even reach out to them!
2) Create a Clear and Detailed Job Description
If you’re new to hiring virtual assistance, it can be challenging to know exactly what to look for. Having a clear idea of what you need and what you want will give you a much better sense of how to approach hiring.
Write down as many details as possible so you don’t miss anything and have no regrets later on. Do your research: It’s also helpful to do some quick research on businesses that might be able to help with things like accounting, payroll, administration, or writing services. This will help you understand your options and narrow down which ones are best for your business.
3) Use Technology to Help You Search
Technology has made hiring virtual assistants incredibly easy. Just hop on to your favorite search engine and type in Virtual Assistant, or even better Remote Virtual Assistants. You will be amazed at how many options you have out there just waiting for your business to hire them.
There are people in virtually every country of the world looking for work online, so location won’t be an issue when you decide to hire a VA. Now that we have covered where to look, let’s talk about what you should look for when shopping around
4) Check Previous Work Samples
Before hiring a virtual assistant, it’s important to ask for their work samples.
Make sure that you are comfortable with their writing style and formatting before hiring them. Ideally, you should find an assistant who understands your brand. If possible, hire a VA from within your network of friends or business acquaintances.
A personal recommendation can go a long way in ensuring that they’re going to be on board with what you’re trying to do and fit into your current structure. Also, keep in mind that your VA may have experience working as an administrative or executive assistant in addition to providing remote services; if possible, hire someone with both types of experience so they can hit the ground running with all of your projects.
5) Weigh the Pros and Cons
When hiring a virtual assistant for your business, it’s important to look at all of your options. While finding someone with some previous experience and high ratings can be tempting, you may also want to consider others who offer competitive rates and fewer skills or qualifications.
You may even find that some candidates will work for free in exchange for an opportunity to develop their experience and portfolio. Before making any decisions, make sure you know what’s important to you—and what you can get by without. That way, no matter who you hire, everyone wins.
6) Consider Outsourcing Costs
Before you begin your search for a virtual assistant, be sure to figure out what you’re looking for. By defining some expectations of your ideal assistant, you can more easily find someone who fits those qualifications.
If possible, work with an actual VA in your business sector to learn about their experience and opinions on what it takes to be successful in a role like that. Otherwise, review Glassdoor or Indeed and look at reviews from current or former employees. Also consider talking with businesses similar to yours or contacting a reputable staffing agency near you.
You can even check out forums (like those on LinkedIn) to see if any of these groups are willing to share their recommendations with people looking for VAs.
7) Know What You’re Expecting From Your VA
Before you start interviewing potential VAs, figure out what kind of work you’re looking for them to do. Don’t wait until you’ve already decided on someone to tell them what your expectations are. Otherwise, it will be difficult to determine if they would be a good fit for your business.
By having a clear idea of what kind of VA you want, you can more easily identify who is and isn’t qualified for the job.
The Bottom Line:
So you must have understood how to choose the right virtual assistant to grow your business. It all takes you to go through several factors that can sound overwhelming but help you pick the right one for sure. What do you think? Let us know by commenting below!