Deciding to hire a virtual assistant is just the beginning; the next step is to streamline the process to ensure you’re bringing on board the right talent to meet your business objectives. Before scheduling interviews, consider asking yourself a few key questions:
Why do I need a virtual assistant?
Determining the scope of work is very important as it will help you identify the virtual assistant profile you need.
In general, virtual assistants (VAs) are categorized based on specialties, including administrative tasks, billing, customer service, marketing, project management, interpretation, and more specialized roles such as data analysts, IT support, property management, or interpretation from English to another language. If you’re unsure about your requirements, consider writing down answers to the following questions
- Have I identified a department or position in my company that could benefit from additional support?
- Do I need to assign some of my everyday tasks to free up time for more strategic activities on my calendar?
If you’re not hiring a VA for yourself, it’s important you take the time to speak with the person overseeing the process to outline the day-to-day responsibilities of this new VA.
Where do I look for virtual assistants?
Just as with any position, people who come with a recommendation are much likely to have an easier hiring and onboarding process, if you do not know anyone who provide virtual assistant services, you can explore the following options:
- Post jobs and find a virtual assistant online yourself. You can use platforms like LinkedIn, Upwork, Remotive, Remote.co or even Facebook groups where Virtual Assistant jobs are posted.
- You can utilize a virtual assistant agency where they source candidates for you and even handle the payment process. Some of the agencies I know include Work Better Now, UAssistMe, and The Job Duck
Each of the options mentioned above comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages, which will depend on the specific needs of your business.
Evaluate your virtual assistant candidate
Regardless of whether you reached out to applicants directly or through a virtual assistant agency, conducting interviews with all candidates is essential to determine the best fit for your company. Some key points to consider during interviews include the following:
- Evaluate communication skills, which I consider the most crucial skill for a VA to possess. During the interview, take note of whether candidates can express themselves clearly both verbally and in writing. Also, assess if they can quickly grasp the key aspects of the conversation.
- Use previous experience examples to evaluate soft skills. Request candidates to narrate previous instances to identify how they applied their abilities to solve problems. This approach helps identify skills like attention to detail or organizational abilities.
