Top 5 Tips In Hiring The Right Virtual Assistant
What is Virtual Assistant?
First of all, what is a Virtual Assistant? A Virtual Assistant or VA is an assistant who works virtually by providing various services to entrepreneurs or businesses from a remote location. Among the top tasks assigned to a VA are data entry, transcription, search engine optimization, digital marketing, social media management, scheduling appointments and managing events to personal errands.
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​To hire the right Virtual Assistant for your business, you must:
1. Refine your needs
You will need to ask yourself; What tasks do you need help with? What are your task priorities? Are these tasks a one-time project or on-going work? How time-sensitive are these tasks?
2. Do your research
Research every VA company and freelancer that matches your interest. Check their online presence such as resume, application letter and most specially their protfolios. Seek transparency – choose a VA company that offers a free consultation.
3. Make sure clear communication
You should look for a VA who maintains clear and transparent communication at all times. There is a big difference between hiring a full-time employee and a VA, and that is physical presence. Unlike an employee, a VA cannot consult you immediately in your office to get answers, and this makes communication extremely crucial.
4. Create a test for the potential candidate
Before committing to hire a specific VA, you may give them a task to complete as a test. It can be a part of their regular responsibilities and you should evaluate on how will they perform on this task. Often times, most people who look great on resumes or CVs do not match their actual outputs, thus, asking your candidates to complete a real task will help you determine who to choose rightly.
5. Give the best candidate a trial period
After choosing the best candidate, start them off on a trial period, for example is 30, 60 or 90 days. This trial period will give the VA a motivation to do a great job for you since this will lead him or her to a permanent role on your team. If a small task goes well, you may trust the VA with bigger tasks.
Hiring a Virtual Assistant is just the beginning. Once you’ve added someone to your team, part of your job as a leader is to help maintain a productive, professional, and mutually beneficial relationship with your staff.
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And as a Virtual Assistant, I'll be glad to offer you the services you need. Thank you!