The expansion of my online business has prompted my hiring of extra personnel over the years, as my company has developed. Due to my preference for being adaptable, I did not want to recruit anyone as an employee and then have to worry about providing them with a workspace to work in or being present to supervise them. I made the decision to experiment with hiring virtual assistants (VAs). Despite the fact that I had employed and worked with a large number of virtual assistants in the past, I made several fundamental mistakes when I employed my initial VAs when I was just starting.
I’ve listed the seven mistakes I made that you should avoid making when employing a virtual assistant in the section below:
1. Lack of a defined function for your virtual assistant
When I chose to hire a virtual assistant, I was motivated by the prospect of transferring some work to the VA. The error here was that I did not consider the specific work that I would assign to him/her.
As a result, I found a virtual assistant on Facebook and interviewed him. While he appeared to be a kind guy with a positive outlook, he lacked the necessary abilities. I considered hiring him and then training him on the job, but decided against it.
If I had had a more defined job in mind for my VA, I could have avoided employing the VA I ended up selecting, as he did not meet my criteria. However, because there was none, I made the error of hiring him.
2. Not requesting examples of past work
Regardless of how impressive a VA appears, without prior work samples, there is no way to determine the quality of his or her work. As a general guideline, always request samples. If the VA does not have relevant examples, you can request that he/she conduct some sample work for you and then evaluate the quality.
3. Ignoring your virtual assistant’s training
When hiring a virtual assistant, you must understand that it will cost you money and time initially. Unless you have recruited a highly skilled VA who is immediately ready to go, you will need to invest time in teaching him/her. Bear in mind that the VA is unfamiliar with your business and method of functioning, and you will need to guide them for the first few weeks.
Having said that, you are assisting the VA with certain aspects of your business and work. You should not educate him/her on fundamental skills such as email composition or Excel.
4. Not utilizing the right tools
When dealing with a VA, you must have a structure in place to ensure that the work runs well. When you have a system in place, tracking your VA’s work, providing feedback, and planning ahead becomes significantly easier.
Simple things like setting up a Google Drive or Dropbox folder for the VA’s work, as well as utilizing technologies like Google Sheets, Slack, and Trello, can significantly improve your workflow and save you time.
5. Inability to communicate clearly and provide timely feedback
Your virtual assistant cannot read your mind. If you do not provide clear instructions, you should not expect them to produce high-quality work. As a recommended practice, it’s beneficial to be as precise as possible with your directions. While this may be time-consuming, it is far preferable to receiving something of poor quality that requires rework.
Additionally, it is critical to review your VA’s performance and provide prompt comments. You can choose to have daily brief check-ins throughout the first several weeks. This becomes much more critical when you’re collaborating with someone in another time zone. You risk squandering another day if you do not correct them when they make a mistake.
6. Lack of patience
Even if you recruit the ideal employee, he or she is going to require time to adjust to your organization and working culture. While it is prudent to monitor the VA’s work closely, you should not anticipate them starting blazing on all cylinders on Day 1.
A realistic expectation should be to progressively transition your job to the VA (over the next few weeks or even months) and to properly train them. You must exercise patience during the initial days and recognize that your VA may gradually adjust and function according to your expectations.
7. Failure to calculate the return on investment
When investing in a virtual assistant, it’s critical to have a clear understanding of the advantage you’re seeking. For instance, will hiring a virtual assistant enable you to expand your business or allow you to delegate some tasks and focus on more critical tasks?
Whatever the gain, you must consider the return on your investment (ROI). Determine whether or not hiring a VA will result in a positive return on investment. If you’re unable to quantify it, consider if the advantage of having a VA outweighs the cost.
Final Thoughts
As previously stated, the process for certifying a virtual assistant should be identical to that for a typical office employee. Perhaps a virtual assistant requires more open communication channels, but the importance of having constant contact with your traditional office staff is true as well.
Adding a virtual assistant to your team will prove quite beneficial. However, always take the time to discover the individual who is the perfect fit for your organization.
Here at GoVirtuals, we are familiar with the most effective ways of hiring the perfect candidate for the job – from screening to working with teams and clients. We believe that a virtual assistant’s ability will only manifest with proper nurturing within the working environment.
To learn more about how to hire the perfect virtual assistant for your business, book your discovery call now with our Outsourcing Specialists and let’s find out which tasks you can delegate to us.
What are some of the mistakes you’ve made while hiring a virtual assistant? Leave a comment below!
by Deanna Visperas of GoVirtuals.com
