Need to Hire a Virtual Assistant? How to Find and Hire the Best.
A virtual assistant can save you time and your business money. Read our guide about where to find and how to hire a virtual assistant today.
Did you know that, in2020, the number of small businesses within the US was 31.7 million? In 2021, this number went up to 32.5million. Additionally, the percentage of businesses in the US in 2021 that were small businesses was 99.9%.
If you run a small business, you may need to hire a virtual assistant. However, if you aren’t sure how to do this, you might be feeling stressed. How can you find the right fit for your company?
Fortunately, in this article, we’ll review how you can find and hire the best virtual assistant for your business.
Finally, you can find a virtual assistant that’s right for you and run your business more efficiently and successfully than ever. Read on to learn more.
Step 1: Define the Position
When you’re looking for the right small business virtual assistant for you, you need to get started by defining the position. First, think about what employment type you’re looking for. Are you looking for a freelancer who can assist you with a current project?
Or are you interested in hiring a virtual assistant who will be a permanent team member? You’ll also need to decide whether the position will be part-time or full-time.
Skill Requirements
Next, think about which skills you need your virtual assistant to have. For example, if you’re looking fora virtual assistant who can handle a large number of administrative tasks, you should find a virtual assistant who’s a generalist.
Some skills you might expect of a virtual assistant include being able to send e-newsletters using your chosen software and creating a content calendar.
They might also include being able to post to syndicated sites (following processes), and social media management.
On the other hand, you might need a virtual assistant who’s helping you with specific types of tasks.For example, you might be looking for skills such as online research or bookkeeping.
If you aren’t sure whereto get started, think about the specific projects or tasks you need help with.Then, put together a list of skills someone would need to work on these.
Compensation Plan
When putting together your compensation plan, think about what’s most cost-effective. One option is to pay per hour, which is the right choice if your virtual assistant is completing small, independent tasks.
Another is to pay per project. This is a good choice if there’s a specific deadline you want to meet.
Finally, you can offer an annual or monthly contract. This is the right choice if you want your virtual assistant to be a long-term employee who would handle various duties.
Step 2: Create a Job Description
Next, you should create a job description. This way, you can communicate exactly what you're looking for in your virtual assistant for business to job seekers.
To get started, provide your business’s details. This information includes:
- Your values
- Your mission
- A brief description of your teams
- Your key clients
Next, describe your ideal candidate. Since this new hire will be working remotely, you need to think about which skills they’ll need to be productive—beyond the typical requirements of a job. For example, it can be helpful if the virtual assistant has used task-management tools before.
These might include tools such as Trello or Slack. It’s also a good idea to include essential soft skills. For example, you might include the capacity to work independently and communication skills.
Other soft skills you might want to include are being process-oriented, being detail-oriented, and having initiative.
What Else You Should Include
You should also include information regarding what it’s like to work at your business. This way, they can have a good idea as to whether they’re a good fit. So, be clear about the work schedule, compensation, and expectations.
Additionally, if you have trial periods, be clear about these, too.
Finally, highlight the selling points of working for your business. Do you pay for your remote employees to have a desk at a co-working space where they live? Do you offer working hours that are customizable and flexible?
By mentioning any benefits and perks, you’ll get the attention of potential candidates.
Step 3: Find Your Virtual Assistant
Next, it’s time to find your virtual assistant. While there are many ways to do this, one of the best ways is by using an online staffing solution.
One great example isAssistantly. All you have to do is provide them with a bit of information and they can get started on finding you the right virtual assistant.
Step 4: Evaluate the Candidates
Once you have some virtual assistant candidates who seem like they might fit the bill, it’s time to evaluate them. To get started, assess their communication skills.
After all, they need to communicate well when they’re doing so on your behalf. For example, this might occur when they’re making travel arrangements or contacting clients.
Additionally, communication skills are essential when it comes to working on a remote team.So, look out for job candidates who:
- Ask you follow-up questions when they are unsure
- Quickly grasp your guidelines
- Express themselves clearly
When it comes to how they express themselves, they need to be able to do this verbally and in writing.Once you’ve evaluated their communication skills, the next step is to use job-related assignments. This is a good way to evaluate soft skills, such as attention to detail or organizational abilities.
To decide on your job-related assignment, think of the real job duties of the virtual assistant position you’re hiring for.
An Example Job-Related Assignment
An example of a job-related assignment is to ask your candidates to research different options for a type of software you’re thinking of buying. This way, you can start dividing your candidates up into different rankings.
Qualified candidates would analyze different products and present them to you, considering features and prices.
Even better candidates will provide you with a detailed list that makes it possible for you to compare options easily.
You can give candidates extra points if they go a step further, recommending the top products to you based on requirements and characteristics.
To Note
Keep in mind that, just because an applicant might ask for additional information when completing the job-related assignment, this doesn’t mean that they aren’t a good fit.
However, you should consider whether someone who does would be right for you specifically. Think about your leadership and workflow style.
If you tend to keep tabs on and follow up with your employees, then this wouldn’t be an issue. However, if you prefer employees who work on their own without asking questions, it might be.
It’s also important to note that, when you work with a company like Assistantly, they can manage the candidate evaluation process for you.
As a result, you can get a great candidate without having to design and carry out a job-related assignment.
Step 5: Hire a Virtual Assistant
Once you’ve decided on a candidate, it’s time to hire them. To do this, you have to officially hire them, providing them with an employment document that details expectations, pay information, and more. A tool like DocuSign or HelloSign can make this a bit easier.
If you don’t know the ins and outs of putting together a hiring document, this can be challenging. It might also be intimidating if you’re worried about legal issues.
Depending on your hiring process, you might also need to manage other documents, such as tax forms.
In this case, a virtual staffing company such as Assistantly can help. They can manage all these documents for you so you can focus on running your business and starting to work with your new hire.
Step 6: Onboarding
Before your virtual assistant starts working for you, there’s one last step: onboarding. This can help your new hire understand the different elements of the job, how they’ll be communicating with you (and the rest of the team), and what your company culture is like.
To make this process easier for remote workers, it’s smart to put together digital manuals and videos where you explain this information to your new hires.
Need Help Finding and Hiring a VirtualAssistant?
Now that you’ve learned about how to find and hire a virtual assistant, you might want help in the process. In this case, you should look no further than Assistantly. We offer many different services through the virtual assistants we can find for you.
We can find virtual assistants who provide you with admin/operations, marketing, sales, and social media management services.
To learn more about how we can help you build your virtual team, fill out a sign-up form now.
