Attempting to find a reliable, trustworthy, and highly-skilled virtual assistant for your business can certainly seem like a daunting task, but the process doesn’t have to be as overwhelming as it seems. In this post, we’ll discuss five surefire tips that will land you a superior virtual assistant you won’t regret hiring.
1- Interview Multiple Virtual Assistants
It may seem inconvenient to you to take the time to interview several potential virtual assistants, but taking the opportunity to select a suitable person could quite possibly save you a great deal of time and money later. Use online services that allow you to see your applicant face-to-face, such as Skype of Google Hangouts; this will give you a much better idea of their overall disposition. There is nothing wrong with letting them know that you’re interviewing more than one person because an applicant who is genuinely interested in the position will wait for a response. However, don’t delay an answer for too long since these are people in need of employment.
2- Get to Know Your Candidates
It can be difficult to fully rely on an employee that you don’t see in person regularly; therefore, it’s imperative that you find someone you know is trustworthy. Seek out candidates who have prior work history listed on sites such as LinkedIn or Upwork, and pay careful attention to reviews and testimonials on such sites. It is also worth asking for references and calling former employees to see what they have to say about the person you’re considering hiring, especially if this individual will be dealing with extremely sensitive information or large sums of money.
3- Remember: You Get What You Pay For
Because websites that host virtual assistants allow them to set their own wage, it can be tempting to save money by pursuing a candidate willing to work for very little money; however, you may want to think twice before doing so. It certainly is not always the case, but a willingness to work for pennies is often a sign of desperation or a lack of skill. “More often than not, the lowest bids of earnings are associated with poor work conduct, which leads to greater expenses later when having to offset the damage done to your business,” said ManageLife LLC.
4- Make Sure Applicants Understand the Job
When searching for a potential virtual assistant online, try filtering your search to find applicants with experience in the particular field in which you work. Be clear to the person you are interviewing about what the job entails, and what they can expect to accomplish for you in a day’s work. You may also want to consider doing a test run with your applicant; in other words, hire them to complete several small tasks for you to see how they perform, or hire them for a probation period. Somebody who takes a genuine interest in a particular job opportunity and feels confident about the position will not be uneasy about a trial run.
5- Conduct a Thorough Interview
It is always an excellent idea to carry out an in-depth interview covering many different topics in order to get an accurate impression of who your candidate truly is. Typically, an interview for administrative positions lasts approximately 30 minutes, so you may want to come up with a list of questions to read before the appointment. Feel free to be creative with your interview; design hypothetical questions and challenging situations and ask your interviewee how they would react to these circumstances. After 15 minutes, if the applicant raises red flags or otherwise makes it clear that they’re not suitable for the position, feel free to cut the interview short. For the sake of professionalism, make sure to call or email them to let them know that you’ve decided to hire another person for the post, and thank them for their time. Also, keep in mind that an interview is a fine occasion to discuss work requirements, compensation, and work hours ahead of time to make sure both parties are in agreement.
Most importantly, remember that your business is your livelihood: never sell yourself short!
