A recent survey conducted in 2020 found that 31% of business owners toiled away for 41 to 50 hours every week. Furthermore, 13% admitted to working up to 60 hours per week. Most of you will relate to these numbers, yearning for more hours in the day to tackle those crucial tasks that keep your business running.
Let’s share with you a comprehensive guide on how to hire virtual assistants.
1. Define Their responsibilities
Do not dump all your excess work on a virtual assistant without defining their responsibilities. It will be difficult to find a satisfactory match without this step.
Assess your current overwhelm and rank your projects and tasks. What drains your productivity? Endless emails? Or the constant juggling of store management and customer service? Define your pain points and what you need from your virtual assistant.
Once you know what you need, create your virtual dream team. It’s time to learn the art of hiring exceptional talent for your business.
2. Ignite Interest with a Compelling Job Description
This is where many employers fall short. The power of job postings should never be underestimated. Poorly constructed posts will only waste your and the candidates’ time.
Make sure you leave no stone unturned when crafting your job post. Describe the tasks involved, your desired qualifications, and other pertinent details, emphasizing the specific skills and experience you seek.
Also, provide an estimate of the time commitment and define your expectations.
But, here’s a little secret: Including information about your business can work wonders. By attracting people with similar interests and passions, it fosters a genuine connection right from the start.
Skills & Requirements for a VA
Here are the top skills and requirements for a VA for your business that you might want to feature in your job ad:
- Good negotiation and customer skills
- Experience in managing
- Mature
- Strong negotiation skills
- Should know basic web analytics and CRM reports
- Energetic with a can-do attitude
- Spreadsheet management proficiency
- Good writing and communication skills
- Knowledge of ERP and other tools
- Tech-savvy skills
- Expertise in particular areas or subjects
- Time management skills
- Ingenuity
- Typing skills
- Research skills
3. Review the Applications and Create a Shortlist
As you receive applications, review them in detail, looking at their:
- Profiles
- Work history
- Relevant experience
- Skills
- Ratings
- Reviews
If any applications lack qualifications or don’t fit your budget, you can discard them. You won’t have to spend time vetting every single candidate if you create a shortlist.
4. Find Talents: Show, Don’t Tell
After assembling your elite shortlist, it’s time to dig deeper and uncover each candidate’s true potential.
Request writing samples from writers who are vying for your attention that demonstrate their ability to craft content relevant to your business. Take a look at their articles and see how they can captivate your target audience.
When it comes to the virtual assistants, look for examples of their past accomplishments. Find out if they have performed similar tasks successfully, demonstrating their skills and adaptability. Put them in hypothetical situations and observe how they handle the situation.
5. Organize Interviews
It’s time to get the action started!
You now have a shortlist that is even more refined thanks to the work samples. Now is the time to interview these potential superstars through video conferencing.
Make a list of thought-provoking questions before you click that “connect” button. A good interview should focus on the candidate’s skills, experience, communication skills, and most importantly, how well they understand your company.
6. Separate the Best from the Rest: Trust but Verify
It’s time to go on a journey of reference checking to further refine your choices. Despite the fact that resumes and interviews can sometimes be embellished, it is up to you to do your due diligence and verify the authenticity of their claims.
Get in touch with their references and find out more about their work experience, reliability, and professionalism. Your final decision will be guided by this meticulous process, which provides invaluable insights.
View as crimson flags flapping in the wind candidates who fail to provide references or hesitate to share them. The importance of trust cannot be overstated. You should not tolerate any lack of transparency.
7. Choose Your Champions: The Moment of Truth
Now that you have completed this comprehensive selection process, it’s time for you to make your final decision.
Follow the necessary steps to formalize the hiring process and start a job or contract, depending on the platform you’ve used.
Never begin a new partnership without a trial period, my entrepreneurial friend. It’s inevitable that the dynamics won’t always align perfectly in life. A long-term commitment should be tested before diving in headlong.
Accelerate Your Success with Our Content Marketing Expertise
When running a business on your own, it can be overwhelming. You will discover a new sense of balance between work and life by utilizing the skills of qualified virtual assistants.
Discover how you can effortlessly attract a multitude of clients while regaining your peace of mind.
If you have been postponing hiring freelancers now is the time to take decisive action. By delegating, your business will become more manageable, reducing stress in the process.
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