That said, many hiring managers have questions about hiring virtual assistants. Should they place an ad online? Scour the depths of professional networking sites? Stare at their webcams until a virtual assistant appears with a list of accomplished administrative tasks?
Fortunately, knowing how to hire a virtual assistant isn’t nearly as complex as it may seem. When you follow the ultimate guide below, you’ll soon have a virtual assistant who can help you take the frustration out of administration.
Step 1: Know What Your Business Needs
Understanding your business’s specific needs is the first step in hiring the right virtual assistant.
Do you need someone to help you with payroll and customer support? Or, would you prefer a social media expert who can help you trend upwards on the hippest platforms?
While some virtual assistants are capable of tinkering with even the most technical tasks (such as answering a phone call), most can assist you with the following administrative tasks:
- Schedule creation
- Accounts and payroll
- Customer support
- Communications support
- Editorial support
- Answering emails
To figure out the specific tasks where you need the most support, a list of your business’s most time-consuming tasks.
Then, perform a cost-benefit analysis to see how a remote assistant can help save you time and money by taking these daily tasks off your plate.
Once you know your business’s exact needs, you’ll be in a better position to offer someone a full-time, part-time, or freelance role in your company.
Step 2: Perfect Your Job Description
In the hiring process, a phenomenal job description can’t be understated. After all, the job description is likely the first place an interested candidate will see your business’s values and vision.
What’s more, a well-written job description does more than provide information. It shows candidates that you are professional in both service and work culture.
The last thing you want is a qualified candidate bypassing your ad because of grammar and spelling errors. First impressions work both ways.
Perfect your job description by including the following:
- Your business’s background and focus
- What virtual assistants can expect to do
- Expected pay rate
- Time commitments and availability
- Qualifications
- Job application
It’s especially important to state qualifications clearly. If you need a virtual assistant whose research skills match that of an Oxford librarian, state that. Furthermore, given the nature of virtual work, it’s essential to spell out when you need your assistant to be available. For example, if you need them to assist in customer service, be explicit about that in the job description.
Step 3: Cast Your Search Net Wide
There’s always a chance you’ll receive an exceptional job application the first time you post your ad to a job site. However, most businesses have to cast their search nets wide, exploring every hiring avenue to find the right candidate.
To leave no virtual stone unturned, consider posting your job ad in the following spaces:
- Virtual assistant marketplaces – Given the increased need for remote work, many websites specialize in connecting freelance virtual assistants to prospective clients. Virtual assistant marketplaces make it easier to find the most qualified candidates.
- Staffing agencies – Staffing agencies greatly take the hassle out of hiring remote employees in other countries by finding the ideal candidate for you. All you need to do is submit your job description to a staffing agency. The agency will then search through its database to find a candidate who matches your requirements. They can also set up the remote interview process.
Although virtual assistant marketplaces and staffing agencies are excellent places to start, avoid focusing solely on domestic candidates. After all, your business truly has a global vision.
If you’re thinking of hiring an international candidate, work with a platform that can make onboarding your overseas virtual administrative assistant easier than you ever thought possible.
Benefits of Hiring a Virtual Assistant
Hiring the right VA could be the key to taking your workflow from bogged down to breezy. In addition to boosting your business’s productivity, the right virtual assistant can help you in the following ways:
- Reduce expenses – If time is money, spending the day taking care of administrative tasks is a small fortune. Hiring a virtual assistant enables you to cut costs by increasing production. You may also cut down costs by hiring a freelancer rather than a full-time employee.
- Improve work environment – By handling all your pesky administrative chores, a virtual executive assistant could dramatically improve your stress levels and work environment.
- Increase flexibility – One of the main benefits of a virtual personal assistant is its virtuality. Unlike regular employees, virtual assistants can work outside of standard business hours. That said, you shouldn’t expect your virtual assistant to work around the clock if that’s not in the job description.
Playroll: Global Vision Meets Global Hiring
Sherlock Holmes and Watson. Batman and Robin. Your business and your virtual executive assistant.
Hiring the right VA means gaining a sidekick to help you tackle tough admin tasks.
Why limit your search to only local task-accomplishing, paper-patrolling heroes?
With Playroll, you can take your hiring process to the world stage. You can also take advantage of our employer of record services, payroll solution and payroll management system.
A global employment organization dedicated to finding the best global talent, Playroll makes it possible to find your next virtual assistant (or even the rest of your virtual staff) regardless of whether they live in Dakar, Damascus, or Denver.
Bring the world’s best talent right to your keyboard with Playroll.
