If you’re looking to hire a virtual assistant (VA), there are a few things you’ll want to know before making your decision. This post will help you identify essential information and questions to ask when vetting potential VAs.
Do your research
The first thing you need to do when hiring a virtual assistant is to make sure they’re the right fit for your business. The best way to do this is by doing some research, so let’s look at what you should be looking for in an assistant and where you should start.
First off, it’s important not to confuse virtual assistants with freelancers. They aren’t the same, but both can help your business grow if appropriately used.
A VA works remotely as part of your team—with all the benefits of working at home and saving money on office space, as well as having access to additional skills that may not otherwise be available within your company (such as being fluent in multiple languages). VAs are explicitly hired because of their expertise in specific areas. They’re not simply unskilled workers doing busy work while waiting for more exciting projects to come along. Most VAs have years of experience under their belts!
Check their background and references
As you can see, there is much to consider before hiring a new virtual assistant. Ask yourself if they have the right experience, check their background and references, and finally, if they are the right fit for your business.
After going through all these steps and finding a virtual assistant that meets your expectations, you should feel confident in the hiring process moving forward.
Ask previous clients
Of course, references are excellent, but they don’t always tell you everything you need to know. You can get more detailed information from previous clients by directly asking them questions like
- What was your experience working with this VA?
- Did they provide the services that you expected?
- Would you recommend this VA to others?
Check the virtual assistant’s experience
When searching for a virtual assistant, it’s crucial to ensure they have the experience and skills necessary to do the job. You can ask them about their portfolio, references, and skill set. When you meet with them in person or over Skype or Google Hangouts, they may also want to show off some of their work. This will help you see if they are someone who can get the job done fast and efficiently.
If possible (and depending on your budget), I highly recommend having the VA complete one task for you before committing. This allows both parties time to see how well everything works together before deciding whether this will be worth everyone’s time and money down the road.
Ask them what they do to stay productive
- Ask them what they do to keep organized.
- Ask them how they stay productive and if they have tips or tricks to help you do more in less time.
- Ask them whether or not they use an online project management tool (e.g., ClickUp, Slack) or an app.
At GoVirtuals, you can be sure that our VAs have undergone a background check and are competent virtual assistants
We utilize these search results to learn about a potential candidate’s prior offenses, character, suitability for the position, etc. It also helps us identify possible employment hazards for safety and security reasons.
On the other hand, knowing what exactly you need is also one of the best ways to get a good VA. Suppose you have any special requirements, such as one who will help with social media marketing or E-commerce, make sure that these are listed in your job description. You can also choose a VA based on their specialization and experience level.
For example, suppose you want someone with solid knowledge of digital marketing and SEO but who is not too familiar with its intricacies. In that case, it’s better to hire an experienced professional than someone who knows just enough to handle basic tasks.
Also, remember that the more specific your requirements are, the more costly it will be for you. So if you’re looking for something basic like data entry from old files or preparing monthly reports on sales figures or customer satisfaction scores, there’s no point in hiring a full-time employee for such tasks when we offer affordable rates for outsourcing them through our personal assistants’ service!
Conclusion
Suppose you are looking for a professional, reliable, thorough, background-checked virtual assistant. In that case, GoVirtuals is the right place to go. Further, if you hate to conduct all those mundane tasks mentioned above, we encourage you to book a discovery call with us and let our virtual assistants perform your to-do list.
We hope this article has given you a better idea of what to ask when hiring a virtual assistant. To know more about our services, visit our website today!
