Virtual Assistant Hiring Process: 9 (EASY) Essential Steps

Virtual Assistant Hiring Process: 9 (EASY) Essential Steps

Have you been running your business on your own? If so, then you’re most definitely stressed out playing your company’s bookkeeper, data entry agent, social media manager and all the other job titles that you’re currently wearing too.

Hats off to you and your versatility — but haven’t you heard of outsourcing remote workers?

You have, perhaps…. Then again, you’ve probably also heard about the horror stories of hiring from another country, considering the language barriers and time zone differentials.

Honestly, it’s a challenge to hire offshore. However, by putting together the necessary elements and following through, you’ll land the VA of your dreams — it all boils down to having a solid virtual assistant hiring process.

And lucky you, we’re breaking down every single one of them in this blog post.

What Does a Virtual Assistant Do?

A virtual assistant is a contractual worker who supports the business-related activities of a client from a remote location (normally from the confines of their homes).

These business-related chores are typically the day-to-day processes in the business such as email management, booking schedules, preparing reports and data entry.

Basically, what a virtual assistant does is act like your virtual personal assistant, who lightens up your daily workload and frees your time to do the important stuff in your business and outside of it.

Virtual Assistant Hiring Process: How Do I Recruit a Virtual Assistant?

Here’s the truth…

Working with a virtual assistant will change your business in a variety of positive ways. They can streamline your operations, make you more productive and then save your resources.

So, if the only thing holding you back is the daunting idea of hiring virtually (considering, it’s your first time), we’ll help you figure it out with these 9 steps of the virtual assistant hiring process.

  • Think About the Tasks You Do on a Regular Basis

    Before you search for your VA, make time to evaluate all the tasks in your workflow. You’d be surprised to know that there are aspects of the operation you manage that are time-consuming non-core tasks.

    Take note of these everyday processes and the amount of time you spend on each function. This is a good benchmark once you start delegating to a remote worker.

  • Choose the Tasks Your Virtual Assistant Will Do

    Surefire, this is one of the most exciting parts of the virtual assistant hiring process, choosing the task that you want to do and the tasks that you want to give away.

    When you’re doing this, you have to remember that a virtual assistant has weaknesses and strengths, therefore, some roles are not a good fit for them.

    Some of the common tasks that a trained online professional can do are data entry, research, email management and customer service support.

    Normally, VAs sell themselves as general virtual assistants or specialized virtual assistants. Either way, these are just the tip of the iceberg of what a competent VA can do for you.

    The point is to know what tasks you want to outsource from the very beginning, or else you won’t find what you’re looking for.

  • Write a Job Description

    With your list of relevant tasks ready, you can now create a clear, precise and enticing job description.

    Just remember that when you’re writing your job requirements, you also have to market your company to stir interest in what it would mean to be a part of your team. Especially with the current competitive hiring situation, you have to make it sound inviting and an exciting place to be.

    Once you’re done with the general narrative about the position and company, proofread your piece and be sure to stay cordial and professional.

  • Design a Training Program

    Though training takes some time, you have to design a training program, so that a virtual assistant can execute the tasks in accordance with your standards and expectations.

    It can be in the form of a video or a written document that demonstrates the processes in a detailed and concise manner. This is also very helpful when someone leaves and you hire a replacement. You already have a compiled guidebook per se, that guides them every step of the way.

  • Make a Post

    If you’re concerned about which freelance marketplace to go search for your virtual assistant, worry not, there are plenty of options for the taking.

    Here’s a list of a few of the best virtual assistant websites:

    • Upwork
    • Fiverr
    • FreeUp
    • Freelancer
    • Zirtual
    • Indeed

    Take note: Each one of these virtual assistant websites has its own fees and policies. Though most of them are free, it’s better to familiarize yourself with the rules before committing, so you know it works within your budget.

    Once you’ve finally chosen the right website to do business with, you can resume with the job post and wait for the candidates to bid.

  • Screen Applicants

    If you did your job posting right, you’re going to get tons of applications. It’s gonna be a mix of high and low-level applicants…and sifting through all that will take you some time. So, to avoid wasting hours, you can infuse “screen questions” to shortlist your pool of candidates to just the “great ones.”

    Here are some questions that you can throw in to vet your pool of applicants.

    • How many years of experience do you have with this position?
    • What’s your salary expectation?
    • What makes you the right person for this job?

    Of course, you have to note your responses to these questions as well, so you know which candidate meets your standard and expectations.

  • Interview Your Shortlisted Applicants

    This is an extra step to make sure that you find the right person while recruiting from freelance marketplaces. You can do the interview through a phone call, message and preferably a video chat — you can record it and gain better insight into the person you’re trying to profile.

    So, What to Expect in a Virtual Assistant Interview?

    The purpose of an interview is to basically…

    • Learn more about the person
    • To evaluate if they have great communication skills which is especially vital when you’re working remotely
    • To gauge if you can have a solid client-applicant relationship based on working style
    • To know about the qualifications of the candidate to accomplish the task

    Afterward, when you realize your candidate can do the job, the interview turns into relationship building. You get to understand them on a personal level; their goals and motivations. You have to work with someone you can get along with and who has the same vision as you.

    Landing the right virtual assistant that fits your requirements starts with asking the right questions and getting the right answers. If you have someone who can do just that, then that’s awesome! You just found someone who can help you grow your business and let it fly successfully.

  • Kick off a Trial Run

    The objective of a trial run is to ensure that your candidate can meet or exceed your expectations.

    While it helps to have an interview, it only lets on so much about the person. You need a brief trial before finally committing to the long-term. It can be for a week or a whole month, that’s completely up to you.

    By then, you’ll be able to determine if your collaboration works effectively. If it doesn’t work out, you can always find another VA right away by following the same steps.

  • Make an offer to the Right Candidate

    At this stage, you’ve already considered every requirement you have and matched it up with your candidate. You’ve seen the package and are now ready to extend an offer.

    You have to make this quick though, like we said, hiring VAs is a competition. You have to keep them interested…and also have a backup plan in case they turn down the offer (unfortunately, it happens).

Are You Ready to Hire a Virtual Assistant?

Do you think you’re up to the virtual assistant hiring process? It’s quite a lot to take in actually.

So, if you think it’s a lot of work you can always take a shortcut towards working with a virtual assistant agency — the best virtual assistant companies are out there.

VAV, for instance, can take care of your VA hunt. They’ll do the search and selection, and make time to do all the necessary admin tasks to make the process super easy for you — so, it’s really a good plan for those who need a reliable remote worker.

All you need to do is to connect with VAV and tell them your VA requirements…and you can say hello to remote haven. Now, how does that sound?

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