Having the right virtual assistant (VA) is a must for entrepreneurs these days. Virtual assistants can ease your workload and enable you to focus on more important tasks that require your attention. Thus, enabling you to help your business to grow faster.
However, why is it that many entrepreneurs are still struggling with choosing the right virtual assistant? In this article, we will teach you DO’s and DON’T’s when it comes to choosing the right virtual assistant that can help you through your next project.
DON’T: Use only one platform
DO: Use multiple sources
Virtual assistants can be found through various sources, so why only use one? If you post your requirements randomly on only a company or service provider, chances are that you won’t find the right virtual assistant for you.
Therefore, instead of waiting for the right virtual assistant to come and find you, why not try reaching out to them by searching through at least three different platforms like companies or virtual assistant service providers.
These platforms can help you pinpoint the right qualities of virtual assistants that you are looking for through tools like, repeat hire rate, previous employer ratings, and reviews of the virtual assistant.
DON’T: Be afraid to ask the right questions before hiring
DO: Ask the right questions immediately
It’s already very typical to ask questions like, ‘’How long have you been working in the industry?”, “What skills can you offer?” and etc. These are good questions indeed, but they are not great, and chances are, they already have a prepared answer for those questions.
So, what questions should you ask? Well, that depends on what project you want your virtual assistant to help you with, however, asking them how well they understand the nature of your work, and your target audience will give you a good idea of how helpful they will be in your project as an entrepreneur.
You can also ask about their work ethics and motivations because you wouldn’t want a virtual assistant who slows you down midway.
DON’T: Rush through the job applications
DO: Take your time to find the right VA
Many entrepreneurs tend to gloss over the resumés and cover letters and forget that this is their chance to get a first impression of the job applicants. Simply browsing carefully through the resumés can allow you to filter out the unqualified candidates and handpick those with the right skill set right from the start.
Imagine how much more efficient this is rather than having to go through every single one of the applicants when you could have just chosen the right ones from the start. Although there is still a chance that there might be some fake profiles mixed in, that will still be taken care of on the next procedures of hiring.
Another important feature of resumés is that you can take a look at their career achievements and track records. This gives you a chance to see which virtual assistant has had enough experience in a specific field that you need them for.
DON’T: Leave the VA’s skills unproven
DO: Test their skills
As we have mentioned before, the chance of choosing a VA with a fake profile is not zero. With the intense competition between VA’s these days, some will do just about anything just to get ahead.
Thus, the only way that you can ensure the quality of the VA that you will hire is through testing their skills itself. One way to do this is by giving the potential candidates a demo project. This will immediately show you which candidate is the right one for the job.
Additionally, this will also allow you to get to know about their communication skills, planning skills, and reliability. However, the most important thing to consider aside from skills would be their honesty and integrity.
DON’T: Be vague about what you are looking for
DO: Give detailed goals and instructions
To ease your virtual assistant hunting, even more, try not to be vague or too general when you post the requirements of your potential candidates on a platform or virtual assistant service provider. This leaves more room for a lot of unsuitable applicants to pile up on your search for the right VA.
Instead, you should be more detailed especially on the work aspect and its various specializations. Don’t just put that you are looking for a writer, rather you should specify what kind of writer you are looking for whether it’s a copywriter, feature writer or etc.
This would also make it easier and more likely for the right VA’s to approach you as they know that they have exactly what you are looking for.
DON’T: Strain your budget
DO: Be flexible with your budget
It’s common knowledge that high-quality virtual assistants tend to ask for higher prices and it comes with a good reason. This is because the quality and efficiency of their work are often a lot better than your average VA’s. As an entrepreneur, it is understandable that you would want to reduce your expenses but do remember not to sacrifice the quality of your work or project.
On the other hand, you should not be too loose when it comes to your budget. Manage it well because it’s one of your most important resources as an entrepreneur after all. Try to negotiate the prices if you can, and at the same time, raise your pay if the quality of work given to you exceeds your original expectation.
Conclusion
While we are on the topic of budget, it is helpful to be reminded that hiring Virtual Assistants is already a lot cheaper than hiring traditional office employees as VA’s are only paid for the number of hours that they work.
Thus, you only need to remember these helpful DO’s and DON’Ts when it comes to finding your perfect virtual assistant. We hope that these tips will be useful for you and for your next projects as an entrepreneur. Have a great and productive day!
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