Are you looking for the best virtual assistant for your business? If you are, here are a few things you have to consider before you hire one.
First of all, ask yourself this question: what are the tasks that you want to delegate? You see, you need to have a plan in place before you begin your search. You have to consider your business needs first before selecting the right virtual assistant for your company. You don’t want to make the mistake of hiring a virtual assistant who specializes in finance and accounting if you need someone to manage your social media accounts. So list down the tasks you want her to handle and make sure you look for the virtual assistant best suited for the job.
Integrity is one of the most important traits of professionalism, and it is essential for someone working remotely. The person you hire should be reliable and dependable. Since you can’t be there physically to supervise her work, you should be able to trust your virtual assistant to stay productive even when no one is watching. She should manage her own time and workload, so she can complete the tasks you have assigned her on time.
So here’s something you can ask your candidates when you interview them. Ask them to tell you about a time they experienced failure at work. It makes them uncomfortable. People with integrity will tell you the truth, even if they believe it will reduce their chances of landing the job. You can usually tell if you’re getting an honest answer or the answer they think you want to hear.
Resourcefulness is important in a remote work environment because you can’t tap on the shoulders of the person beside you if you have a question about something. Of course, your virtual employees can always message you when they have something to clarify, but there are things that they should be able to figure out on their own. They don’t have to be spoon-fed answers every time.
The best virtual assistant is someone who has a resourceful mindset. She must be willing to meet challenges head-on and find ways to overcome them when others cannot.
Some people would just do enough to get by and get their paycheck. They couldn’t care less about doing their job right. Of course, you don’t want someone like that in your team. The person you hire should have a solid work ethic who will not mind going the extra mile to make sure the quality of her work is top-notch.
The best virtual assistant is someone who takes pride in her work and always gets the job done, no matter what. She starts her shift on time, and she always behaves professionally while she’s working.
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This skill is critical for a virtual assistant because she is expected to take on a wide range of responsibilities. Of course, multitasking doesn’t mean doing everything at the same time. That would be disastrous. Someone who panics when the workload gets heavy probably isn’t right for the role either.
The best virtual assistant would know how to shift her attention from one task to another without losing productivity. So when you do your interview, ask them how they handled situations that required them to multiple tasks under pressure.
Good communication is a must when you’re working with a virtual assistant. Imagine how chaotic it would be if your virtual employee has a hard time understanding your instructions. The person you hire should be able to communicate effectively both verbally and nonverbally. Otherwise, there is a good chance things will not go as planned.
Even the best virtual assistant still needs to know how you’d like things done. Remember, they can’t read your mind, so you should communicate your expectations. When you find the right person for the role, you have to provide appropriate training.
A lot of business owners overlook the onboarding process. You can’t just inform the new hire when to show up and leave it at that. You also have to do what you can to help your virtual assistant, so she can do her best. Help get her settled in and trained on the basics so you can get her off to a great start.
This is why you should have a standard operating procedure (SOP) in place. It’s to ensure that detailed instructions on how to carry out a task are there for new employees.
The Philipines is the perfect place to find a virtual assistant. Communication shouldn’t be an issue because English is one of the official languages in the country. In fact, the Philippines happens to be one of the largest English-speaking countries in the world. According to the UNESCO Institute of Statistics, the country’s literacy rate is also high at 98.18% (among the population aged 15 years and older), so it’s easy to find a well-educated virtual assistant with a college degree.
Now, how much do you think it would cost to hire a college-educated virtual assistant who speaks fluent English? Believe it or not, you can actually get a Filipino virtual assistant to work for you for $3.12 an hour. That’s only $500 a month for a full-time employee.
Of course, that’s just the average hourly wage for a general virtual assistant in the Philippines. Take a look at the chart below for the rates for specialist virtual assistants.
So how do we get in touch with these virtual assistants? Our go-to site is OnlineJobs.ph. Just create an account, post a job ad, and wait for the resumes to come in. You will have to upgrade to a paid subscription to communicate with applicants, but it’s only for $69, and you can cancel it once you’re done hiring.
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If you don’t have time to go through the recruitment process, you can hire a virtual assistant through an agency. Check out TaskBullet, VA Staffer, and Virtual Staff Finder. They have access to a rich pool of talent from the Philippines. Of course, you will have to pay a bit more for their services.
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Not sure what to look for in a virtual assistant? Perhaps we can help you find the best virtual assistant for your business. Just send us a message.