How to Hire a Virtual Assistant

It is an exciting time in your business…it is time to outsource some of your work so you can focus on nurturing your community and growing your business!

But do you know how to find a virtual assistant that is the right fit for you?

Virtual Assistants are easy to find. They are in every entrepreneur Facebook group. Chances are if you put up a post looking for a VA you’ll get at least 25 responses. So how you do pick one that is going to align with your energy, believe in your mission, and are invested in the success of your business? That’s a tall order.

Here are some suggestions on how you can select the best virtual assistant for your business…a virtual assistant who not only helps you in your business but is your partner, as well.

TIP #1

Track everything you do for a week.

Using my task tracker, write down everything you do in your business and how much time it takes for you to do it. You can use an online tool, such as Toggl, to track your time or you can use a simple chrome extension. Then, whenever you sit down to do some work, write down what task you are doing and how long it takes you to do it.

After you’ve tracked your tasks and time for a week, look at it and ask yourself:

• What tasks took the most time?

• What tasks did I not like doing?

• What tasks took the most time that I did not like doing that I don’t have to do personally?

• These are the tasks you can outsource to a virtual assistant.

TIP #2

How much can you afford?

The fees that virtual assistants charge can vary greatly. Virtual Assistants is SE Asian countries may charge as little as $5.00 per hour. USA based VA’s may start at $25.00 per hour for a beginning VA and go up to $50/hour depending on experience and specialized knowledge.

If you are looking for your new VA to have specific skills & knowledge on a certain platform or industry, then you’ll likely need to hire a more experienced and knowledgeable VA who may command a higher price. If you have a lower budget, you’ll need to be willing to work with overseas VA’s or beginner VA’s.

If you’re really strapped for cash, but you know you need help, you can explore hiring an intern or bartering. It will likely be new VA’s looking to build a portfolio or gain testimonials that are willing to do this, but it’s a great alternative if you just can’t afford an experienced or established VA.

TIP #3

Now it is time to look for your virtual assistant.

The best way to find a good VA quickly is to seek referrals from your colleagues. Ask your friends, other businesses, and in online Facebook groups if anyone can recommend a VA. You will very likely get VA’s who are recommending themselves. You can consider them, but just be aware that nobody is actually recommending them so this is not the best place to start. If you can find VA’s who are recommended by colleagues, then you can be assured that this VA will be experienced and professional.

You can also find VA’s by posting your opening within your current audience. Send an email to your list or post on your social media platforms. This way, you know your VA is going to be familiar with your work already and is in alignment with your business since they are a fan.

You can also find VA’s by joining a VA Facebook group and posting your job opportunity in the group. Be sure to pay attention to job posting guidelines as they are different for every group.

As a last resort, you can post on Upwork or Fiverr looking for a VA. This is hit or miss and definitely pay attention to ratings and comments from previous clients.

TIP #4

Select candidates to interview.

When you begin to receive responses to your job opening, be detailed about what type of work you need help with, how many hours you need, and what your budget is. When you are specific to what you need, then only those VA’s that fulfill your requirements will respond.

You want to make sure your VA can follow instructions so use applying for your job opening as a way in which to initially screen good VA’s from not so good VA’s. You can do this by indicating specific instructions on how a VA can apply. For example, you can ask a VA to email you a link to her website or her portfolio. You could also ask a VA to fill out a google form with application questions. Then, if a VA contacts you in any way other than what you instructed him/her to do (like sending you a Facebook private message), you can automatically rule him/her out because they are not following your instructions.

When reviewing responses to your job opening, take a look at how thorough someone answers your questions. Are you getting thoughtful answers or quickie answers? You can eliminate job applicants based on how much thought they put into the application.

Lastly, look at their experience, knowledge, and skill set. Do they match what you’re needing?

Keep a list of the applicants that follow instructions properly, give you thoughtful answers, and match the necessary skill set. These are the VA’s you’ll want to interview.

Something to keep in mind is soft skills. Someone who has a good work ethic, is personable, and that you just click with is more important than someone who may have the skills to do the job, but they do not have a desirable personality or work ethic. Hard skills can be learned, but you can’t force people to energetically align with you. And working with someone you are not energetically aligned with causes a lot of problems and sometimes even more work for you. So be flexible with the applicants that don’t necessarily have the hard skills you’re looking for, but you did feel good energy from their application.

TIP #5

Set up the interviews.

It’s important to interview several people because you want to be sure you have selected the best VA for your business. You might interview the first one and love him/her, but don’t stop there. Keep going until you’ve interviewed all of the candidates so you can know for sure, he/she’s the one.

You’ll want to interview at least 3 VA’s, preferably more so again, you can know for sure that the VA you’ve selected is the one for you.

When setting up interviews, be sure to make explicit interview instructions before the interview. Remember, your VA is a business owner so she may take the lead. Other VA’s consider themselves freelancers and may require you to take the lead. This can be established pretty quickly based on the tone of your communication with the VA.

If the VA is wanting you to take the lead, make sure to indicate when, where, and how the interview will take place. Consider whether the interview will be by phone or video chat like Zoom or Skype. If it is by phone, be sure to exchange phone numbers. If it is by Skype or Zoom, make sure to exchange Skype names or give the VA your Zoom link. Be cognizant of time zones. Make sure the VA knows exactly what time the interview is in her time zone.

Before the interview, make sure you review the VA’s website and/or portfolio. Don’t go in blind not knowing anything about her. After reviewing her website/portfolio, make a list of questions.

Here are some possible questions you can ask:

1 . How do you work?

I work in blocks of time so I can focus on one client at a time. However, that means that I will do your work during a specific time of the day and if you need something done ASAP later on in the day after I’ve already completed your work, then I may not be able to do it the same day. So, do you want someone who will be available all day to do any task you want at a moment’s notice or would working in blocks of time be good for you?

2. How do we communicate?

I communicate with my clients via email, FB messenger, a project management tool, and/or Slack. Select one method of communication that will be the standard method of communication so no conversations or questions are ever missed.

3. How do I assign you tasks?

Tasks are generally assigned in email or a project management tool. Avoid assigning tasks in Facebook messenger as they can get lost in the conversation. Facebook messenger is a sure fire way for a VA to forget about an assigned task. If you use Slack, it integrates with Asana and you can create tasks in a conversation.

4. What days and times are you available?

If your VA candidate is only available in evenings and you need someone during the day or vice versa, then you won’t be a good fit. Also, consider whether the VA is available weekends or if she can do emergency work on the weekends. Will she be available on the weekends during a big launch? Determine what availability you need and what is best for your business.

5. How much notice do I get if you need to take a day off?

If you will need daily assistance from your VA, this is important. One day without your VA can be a hardship that you need to plan for in advance. However, if you just need random assistance that doesn’t need to be completed right away, then this question may not be important to you.

6. How often do you raise your rates? How much do you typically raise them?

Expect your VA to raise her rates at least once a year. If your VA candidate only raises the rate once a year, expect the rate hike to be on the higher side. If she raises them 2 or more times per year, they may be smaller incremental rates.

7. How much experience or knowledge do you have with ____________?

Take stock of your must-have skills that aren’t negotiable. How does your VA candidate fit with those skills?

8. What do you love to do as a VA? What tasks light you up?

It is best to give tasks to your VA that he/she will enjoy. For example, if you need mostly social media help, you obviously don’t want to hire a VA that hates social media or doesn’t offer social media. Now let’s be real, not everything in your business is fun to do. But, as long as the grouchies and grumbles stay out of the task, it’s okay to give to him/her. You don’t want that energy of hate in your business, so make sure your VA candidate does not hate any of the tasks you want him/her to do.

9. What is it about my company that attracted you to apply to be my VA?

You want to look for a VA that took the time to go to your website, read about your business, and felt aligned with you and your company. You don’t want a VA who goes in blind to the interview and doesn’t know anything about you. That shows he/he does not have initiative and won’t go the extra mile for your business.

10. Tell the VA about you and your company. Then ask if that sounds like something she is aligned with. Why?

This is one of those questions where almost any answer is acceptable. So you’ll need to feel into the energy of this answer rather than assessing the answer based on words alone.

11. Is being a VA full-time work for you or is it a side hustle?

Consider whether it is important to you whether the VA has a full-time commitment to her business or whether it is a side hustle. If it is a side hustle, does he/she plan to make it a full-time commitment when they can match their employment income? Decide what you prefer.

12. Do you have any questions for me?

This is always one of the toughest questions for me. Usually, all of my questions have been answered during the conversation. However, this will give your VA candidate one last time to get her questions answered. Remember, a well-qualified VA is going to be very selective about her clients just as you are selective about your VA. He/she wants to know that you are a good fit for them, as well.

TIP #6

Do you want your selected VA candidate to do a test project for you?

I have personally never been asked this by any client that has selected me to be their VA. However, if this sounds like a good idea to you, make sure you offer to pay for the test project. Well qualified VA’s will not work for free. If you don’t offer to pay for the test project, this is a sign of a scammer and you likely won’t land your selected VA.

Asking a selected VA to perform a test project allows you to see the quality of his/her work before you actually hire them. Make sure the test project will be similar to the type of work that he/she would do for you if they were hired as your VA.

During the test project, take into consideration their communication with you, how long it took them to do it, the quality of the completed work, how the completed work was delivered to you, and your overall impression.

TIP #7

Hire your VA!

Congratulations! It has been a long process to get to this point, but it is well worth the effort.

But, don’t get too comfortable yet.

The first month of a new hire should be a trial period. You don’t want to get stuck into a long contract if you end up not working well together. So take the first month to see how you both fit together. I still recommend signing a contract as this protects you both legally. However, make sure the duration of the contract is set for no longer than 30 days and that there is a clause in there that you can break the contract within this 30 day trial period at any time for any reason.

You want to make sure there is a non-disclosure agreement in your contract. You don’t want your VA to share your company’s proprietary information with other businesses or other VA’s.

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If you’re needing a VA, I invite you to schedule an appointment to see if I would be a good fit for your business. I’m looking forward to speaking with you!