Fashion Blogs

There’s no denying that working with a virtual assistant can take part of the workload off your shoulders and make your life a lot easier. That’s why so many companies and professionals search for the services of a VA. But you can only enjoy the benefits a virtual assistant can bring if you hire the right person for the job. Hire the wrong person, and you’ll end up wishing you’d never looked for help in the first place. 

But how can you make sure that the candidates you’re considering are up to the task or not? You might not be able to foresee the future, but there are a few dos and don’ts that, if taken into account, can make the process a bit easier for you. 

Dos 

• Always take your time when looking for a suitable VA. It might be tempting to hire the first person you come across that seems somewhat qualified for the job, but if you want to be 100% sure you’ve made the right decision, you should interview several candidates and have them go through a thorough screening process. That will help you identify the candidates who can meet your needs and expectations.

• Speaking of expectations, it’s important to let candidates know about your specific requirements and what working for you entails. This gives you a point of reference that you can use to measure the VAs abilities and competences. Always discuss expectations before you hire a virtual assistant, if you want to avoid unpleasant surprises later down the road. 

• Do a thorough background check on the candidate before deciding if you’re going to hire him or not. Even if the interview went well, it’s a good idea to learn as much as possible about your future VA. That implies inquiring about his previous work, obtaining references from previous employers, discussing his work methods etc.  

Don’ts 

• One major mistake that a lot of businesses and individuals make is hiring a VA because he seems to have a lot of potential, but there’s no solid proof that he can actually perform the tasks you want to hire him for. A candidate can look great on paper or at the interview, but you must base your decision on hard evidence and proven skills rather than potential. 

• Don’t hire a candidate who lacks experience if you need him to fulfill complex tasks and manage major projects. Take into consideration the level of difficulty that the job entails and make sure you hire a VA that has the right experience under his belt.

• Don’t assume everything will be smooth sailing, both during the hiring process and afterwards. Looking for the right virtual assistant can be quite a tiring and time-consuming process, so you have to be ready to put in some effort into it. And if you want to have a fruitful collaboration, you have to do your part and also give your VA time to adapt and adjust to the new work environment.