Tips for Hiring a Virtual Assistant

You’ve heard about all the amazing things a Virtual Assistant can do, and you want to hire one of your own to help you with your business.

But working with someone remotely can be a challenge if you’re not ready or sure about how to do it. At worst, you could be hiring a Virtual Assistant for the wrong reasons or assigning them to do the wrong things.

To avoid this, let’s look at a few ways you can improve your hiring strategies, as well as prep your business to give your future Virtual Assistant all the tools they need to be a valuable asset to you and your company.

Tip #1: Manage your expectations

Some common mistakes when it comes to dealing with VA’s include: lacking communication, expecting too much, and constant monitoring.

A VA does not come readily synced up with your business, and so much like a big box of Legos, you’re going to need to fit some pieces together before you get a working model.

VA’s also have certain areas of expertise, so wanting a single VA to cover everything from writing and designing to bookkeeping and scheduling is a little much. Find out what your VA is good at, and if you need to hire another to fit your needs, go ahead.

It’s natural to want to check up on your VA’s progress like you would with one of your regular employees, but being paranoid about the work they’re doing is only going to suffocate them. Instead of constantly breathing down their neck, have them send daily progress reports instead.

Tip #2: The importance of the ad

When putting an ad out for a VA, it’s always good to be specific. Don’t just list down the tasks you need them to do—draw a picture of your ideal VA. Not only will this tell your applicants a little bit about yourself, it will also make sure the people that sign up are more in tune with your line of thinking.

You’re also going to want to think about the price you put out in your ad. Remember that you get what you pay for. If you’re the type to adjust to a VA’s rate instead of setting a rate yourself, it would be wise not to pick the cheapest option.

It’s not that a bigger rate means a better quality VA, but if an applicant’s asking rate is lower than the rest, then maybe they didn’t take a moment to understand exactly what it is you want them to do.

Tip #3: Have a training system in place

This goes back to that box of Legos analogy. If you’re just going to hire a VA and not have any concrete instructions for them to follow, then you’re setting yourself up for failure.

VA’s may be professionals, but they need to be trained to run your business in particular. Give them a rundown of your servers if you need them to do admin work. Make sure they’re familiar with the software of your choice should you want them to do any designing or editing.

The more time you spend with your VA upon first hiring them, the less time you’ll need to supervise them later on. A solid training routine can allow your VA to seamlessly integrate themselves into your company’s day-to-day activities while you get to be hands off, making time for more meetings and business trips.