How To Hire A Virtual Assistant?
A virtual assistant provides much-needed support for your business, allowing to manage time-sensitive tasks so you can focus on growing your company.
A virtual assistant provides much-needed support for your business, allowing to manage time-sensitive tasks so you can focus on growing your company.
A virtual assistant is a great tool to have for time-consuming tasks. While you're busy with the day to day of your business and you're preoccupied with meetings, phone calls, emails, etc. you don't have a whole lot of time to complete the small time-sensitive tasks. With a virtual assistant, you can assign them these tasks to free up your time for bigger projects or more personal time.
As a business owner, you live a busy life. Between emails, marketing, answering calls, and scheduling, not to mention meetings and data entry, you can't do it all. In comes the virtual assistant to lighten the load! Virtual assistants have specific skill sets that can really boost your productivity at a lower cost. Here are few reasons why you should consider hiring a virtual assistant:
Typically, virtual assistants work as freelance or contract-based employees. Outsourcing a virtual assistant saves you money on office space, taxes, and benefits. You also wouldn't have to spend money on office equipment, a computer, or a telephone. If you don't need full time help, this is a great option. Often times VA's have certifications that make them even more qualified for the job with no hassle of payroll or scheduling. You also need to make sure that you are not hiring a virtual assistant to cut costs for tasks that require a full-time employee.
Think about your job description. What do you do every day? Write down all the tasks, big and small, and figure out what could be done by someone else. Map out what exactly you'd like to improve on and search for those skill sets when choosing a virtual assistant. This will give you a better idea of what your needs are and what your budget looks like, and help you identify what skill sets your assistant will need.
Sometimes finding the right fit locally doesn't work. By outsourcing a virtual assistant you're opening up the possibility to find the perfect fit for your needs. Remote employees can work from anywhere as long as they have an internet connection!
Let's be honest, sometimes work doesn't stay at work. If you're constantly worrying about what has to be done, answering emails/phone calls on your day off, it's going to lead to burn out. By hiring someone to do the small tasks for you, you're freeing yourself up to have time for your personal life.
Post your needs online! Map out exactly what you need done and list the skill sets that you're seeking. You have a few avenues to choose from, whether it be a freelance based platform, a virtual assistant agency, or networking within your circle. With freelance based platforms you have more control on who you hire, but the interviewing process can be difficult. Virtual assistant agencies reduce the hassle of interviewing, but you may lose control over who is assigned to your business. Networking within your circle can be a good option also because oftentimes it comes with personal recommendations from people that you trust.
How much experience does your virtual assistant have? If you hired someone with little to no experience your projects may take longer, but they will be a more cost-effective option. More experienced virtual assistants are more expensive, but they can work with less guidance. Leave room for a learning curve and set up a trial run to see if they are a good fit.
Creating a test for applicants can ensure that you find the right fit. Set up a few fake emails or phone calls, anything to test their abilities to weed out any possible exaggerated skill sets. You could even throw in a few keywords that you want stated in emails/phone calls to see if they are actually reading everything that you want done.
If possible, schedule an interview. If you choose to use a virtual assistant agency you may not have this option since they are vetted for you. If you choose to hire a freelance virtual assistant, you can conduct an interview to see what their work ethic is like. Asking such questions like "How do you manage your workday?" or "What experience do you have doing xyz?". This will help you get to know them better and decide whether or not their work style coincides with your work style.
Learn to let go. You're hiring an assistant for a reason! Let them take control of the mundane things that you can't find time for. If you micromanage everything they do, it defeats the purpose of a virtual assistant. Trying to do everything yourself will eventually lead to burn out, so let your assistant help.
You're not hiring a full-time employee. Sometimes you will not find the same loyalty as full-time employees when hiring a virtual assistant as they may have other clients they are working with. They may have other priorities and bigger jobs to work on so their schedules may not fit the same as a full-time employee.
In summary, if you're looking to boost your productivity, a virtual assistant may be right for you. On average, workers spend 14% of their day on emails, 45% on primary duties and 40% on meetings and admin work. If you can cut out at least half of the time it takes to read and answer emails, and some of your administrative work, that leaves you more time for other things that need to get done.Admin Solutions Group has many resources for you to use and a ton of skill sets for your specific needs. Admin Solutions can help you set up, develop, and plan out what you need for your business and alleviate those day-to-day stressors.
Don’t let the work and stress keep piling up. We're here to help provide the administrative support you need to allow you to focus on the growth and success of your business.