How to find the right Virtual Assistant for you
Hurray! You’ve made the decision that you need to start outsourcing some of your tasks and that a Virtual Assistant will be the best way to start. You want someone you can trust with your business tasks, right? After all, you’ve spent the last few years building up your business and you don’t want your reputation to be put on the line. What you don’t want to do is end up hiring the wrong person from the start.
This guide will help you find the right Virtual Assistant for your business.
Know the tasks you need to outsource
Are you looking some specific help around websites or data management? A bit of bookkeeping thrown in?
If know you need help but not sure what tasks you want to outsource, you can download our delegation task workbook that will give you some tips and insights
Write a job description
Treat your search for a VA as you would for any other employee position. Take the time to write a short job description for the role and what qualities you might want to look for. Putting an update that says ‘I need a VA for general admin, social media and other tasks’ on your LinkedIn page could get you a whole host of responses and 99% of them will be wasting your precious time. Also consider things like how many hours per week or month will you need and what your budget is.
You might want to consider getting the virtual assistants to complete a short Google Form with their experiences and why they are a good fit for you and your business. By doing this you can collate all the applicants together and make comparisons.
Recommendations and Referrals
If you’re looking for a good plumber, electrician or builder, you’re more likely to reach out to someone who’s used this person and recommends them. The same can be true for a virtual assistant. Do any of your business buddies use a VA they can recommend? They might use someone or know of a VA that will be the perfect fit for you and your business.
Hold a short zoom ‘interview’
Once you’ve whittled it down to 3-4 potential VA’s be sure to hold a short zoom meeting with them. You’ll get a much better feel and vibe from someone within a 10-15 minute chat.
Have a couple of questions lined up which could include:
- How long have you been a VA for?
- What kind of tasks are you currently working on?
- Can I request some references from your existing clients please?
- What is your current turnaround time on work?
- What’s your favourite biscuit?!
After you’ve done taken the time to do this, you should have a good idea about who you want to work with. All you need to do is let the chosen VA the great news and the onboarding process is then up to them.
Congratulations! You have a new team member in your business! Our next blog will share what to expect when you start working with a Virtual Assistant
You might want to read What Qualities to look for in a VA.
