How to Find and Hire a Virtual Assistant
There are many good ways to find and hire a virtual assistant. It takes some time and patience and, of course, consistency, but the benefits are worth the time and effort. If you want more done in a day and you want it done inexpensively, the need to hire a virtual assistant grows.
How exactly can you hire a virtual assistant?
Word of Mouth
This is an excellent way to hire a virtual assistant. The referring party should be able to fill you in on the important details about the virtual assistant you are considering. You should ask the referring party the following questions.
- Did they do work for you directly?
- Was their work timely and of good quality?
- Were there any areas of concern or weakness?
Getting a ‘no’ to these is not necessarily a deal breaker, but it gives you something to think about. A “no’ to number 2 should give rise to some serious concern.
Online Freelancer Sites
When you want to hire a virtual assistant you can use online freelancer sites to help you find them. Sites like Upwork and PeoplePerHour are great places to hire a virtual assistant. When using sites like this it is a good idea to get references and check them. Yes, you may be hiring someone for just 20 hours a week, but if they can’t do the job or their work is sub-standard, you’re going to want to know that.
Look carefully at the profiles of freelancers you’re considering. Look at individual jobs they have completed if possible. What kind of ratings did they receive? What kind of comments? I’m happy to hire someone if they have a 95% approval rating. If you’re frowning now, wondering ‘But doesn’t that make 1 in 20 jobs a bust?’ I’d refer you to the very funny — but very infuriating — ‘Clients From Hell‘ site. Not every freelancer and every client will form the perfect team, especially if budgets are low and expectations are high.
Job Boards/Classifieds
Be careful here when you want to hire a virtual assistant. Sites like this can unveil great bargains, but they can also provide you with talent not capable of completing your projects. You have to be willing to take a risk when using this approach to hire a virtual assistant.
Social Media
There are some companies that only have to tweet “We’re hiring” and the applications pour in. One of my favorite companies, Buffer, received 3600 applications overall for their last three posts! Don’t be downhearted if it’s slower going for you but social media has the plus point of opening you up to a more diverse word of mouth recommendations. As with every other method, it has its drawbacks. Check online presence, check previous projects or online portfolios and try and find out if the recommendation comes from someone who has actually paid for work and isn’t just boosting their buddy’s ego.
Ask for Recommendations
Current service providers often know of great virtual assistants. Ask for recommendations from anyone your company uses to accomplish work. Use the same vetting process you would for any other method. You might be surprised how easy it is to hire a virtual assistant.
Final Thoughts
Above all, hiring an assistant or any freelancer should be a rewarding experience for both parties. From admin work to research to voice recording, I’ve managed to keep clients happy by delivering on time and communicating constantly. As a client, hiring freelancers for everything from logos to CV makeovers, I’ve always had the good fortune to work with great people. Unsurprisingly, I’ve wanted to work with these people again and have been happy to rate them highly and refer them.
If you’re still not sure about your potential assistant or freelancer but everything looks good on paper, hire them for a short project. Pay them. Nothing’s worse than someone assuming a freelancer is happy to dole out freebies. If in 2–3 hours they can show you something great, that’s often the best kind if vetting you can do.
If you would like some help when you go to hire a virtual assistant, The Web Scientists can help you. We have vetted all of our virtual assistants. When you hire a virtual assistant through The Web Scientists you not only get the virtual assistant, but you get a manager who oversees their work. There is just one hourly rate you pay for the work you do. There are no hidden charges. Take a moment to sign up for our newsletter below and then consider getting in touch with The Web Scientists for a virtual assistant quote.
Originally published at webscientists.net on July 20, 2018.
