Running your own business comes with an overwhelming list of responsibilities. Outsourcing and delegating these duties can make managing your business easier and save time. Hence, understanding how to find and hire a virtual assistant is necessary for solopreneurs and independent business owners.
4 Tips on How to Find and Hire A Virtual Assistant
Tip 1: Determine Your Needs
Determining what you need is the first step in finding and hiring a virtual assistant. Some questions to consider are:
- What tasks am I looking to outsource?
- Are there areas of my business I can delegate?
- What tasks or projects are taking up my evenings or weekends?
You can also discover opportunities for outsourcing tasks by tracking your time. Spend two to three days following the tasks you’re working on and the time it takes to complete them. Upon evaluation, you’ll want to consider outsourcing tasks that take up your time and aren’t necessary for you to do. For example, if you’re spending evenings and weekends on admin work, you can outsource these tasks since it’s unnecessary for you to complete.
Once you understand what work you want to outsource, you can determine your required skills. For example, if you need help with admin work, you’ll need someone with experience in this field who provides these services. You could find and hire a general admin virtual assistant for this job.
On the other hand, if you’re looking to outsource a specific business area, such as digital marketing, web design, or social media marketing, you’ll need a specialist. Therefore, the virtual assistant you choose for this position must have a specific skill set to assist you properly.
Additional requirements: You’ll want to determine what type of job you’re offering. For instance, will you need them full-time or part-time? What hours will you need them to work? Do you have preferences regarding whether they are an employee or independent contractor? What is your budget? Do you prefer to pay hourly, per project, or by monthly contract? Finally, are there specific tools they need to know how to use, such as Microsoft Office, Slack, Hubspot, or Dropbox? Compiling this information will help you understand what your business needs and isolate who your ideal candidate is.
Tip 2: Create A Job Description
You can craft a job description once you understand your needs and requirements. Your job description should cover the basics and provide the necessary information to interest your ideal candidate. Some general key points to cover include:
- Your business overview
- Roles and responsibilities
- Basic skills and qualifications
- Work schedule
- Job type
Once you’ve created a job description, you can share it. Start by sharing it with those within your network. They may have recommendations or know someone that meets your qualifications. Additionally, you can share on social media. For example, you can post on LinkedIn and let people know you’re looking to find and hire a virtual assistant and share your job description.
Another option is to share in Facebook groups. There are tons of groups with qualified virtual assistants looking for jobs. You can join these groups and share your job opportunities.
In addition to social media, you can go the traditional route and post on a job board like Indeed, Simply Hired, Zip Recruiter, or Monster. Lastly, you can create a listing on freelancer sites such as Freelancer and Upwork.
Tip 3: Schedule A Discovery Call
Once inquiries pour in, you’ll want to create a list of top candidates and schedule a discovery call. The discovery call allows you to meet and evaluate candidates to determine who is the best fit for the position.
During the discovery call, you’ll want to be personable and share information about your business and the position. Ask questions about their skills and qualifications and how they’ll be able to help your business. Discuss with them non-negotiables such as available working hours, time zone requirements, and tools they need to know how to use.
Another factor to consider during the discovery call is how they communicate with you. A suitable candidate can answer questions clearly, confidently explain their skills and qualifications, and express how they can best serve your business.
Tip 4: Hire and Onboard
Once you find and hire a virtual assistant, you want to create an onboarding process so they can transition into your business seamlessly. Your onboarding process should outline their roles and responsibilities, include instructions for standard operating procedures, provide access to necessary programs, and outline expectations.
The onboarding process can be accomplished via a kick-off call, video, or guide. Additionally, it should include the following steps detailing their first project or tasks you want them to begin working on. It’s a good idea to start with one to two tasks as they familiarize themselves with your workflow.
Once this trial period is complete, you can schedule a meeting to discuss their progress thus far and add additional responsibilities.
Finding and hiring a virtual assistant may seem daunting initially, but it is straightforward. The process is built on determining your needs and making the ideal candidate. From there, you create an enticing job description to appeal to your perfect candidate and share it with others. Or, you can go to where virtual assistants hang out in Facebook groups and freelancer sites.
Once you’ve identified your top candidates, you can schedule discovery calls to meet with them and better determine if they fit your business well. You select the best option and begin hiring and onboarding them, and viola, you’ve hired your first virtual assistant. Then, you can focus on improving your work-life balance and reclaiming your time.