Hiring a Virtual Assistant (VA) is a key decision because, if done right, it will save you time and money while boosting your business’ productivity. The process of employing a VA is similarly to that of recruiting a regular employee. The only difference between them is that one works in a virtual environment while the other works in a physical workplace.
Because hiring a VA is an easier and cheaper process, some business owners have the tendency to rush. Not thoroughly planning the VA hiring process can result to undesired outcomes. If you are considering hiring a VA, avoid these common mistakes:
Failure to identify the need
It’s a common mistake to seek assistance without first determining what you require. So, before you begin looking for candidates for the VA role, you must first determine what you need. Otherwise, you won’t know what skills and qualities to look for, or what kind of tasks you will assign.
Wrong reasons for Hiring a VA
Small businesses benefit greatly from outsourcing, but this does not guarantee it is the best option for your company. Don’t hire a virtual assistant just because you read a nice article about them or because someone proposes it to you. To determine whether working with a virtual assistant will benefit you, you must first have a thorough understanding of your business and see how a VA can fit in.
The tasks are not clear enough
Before you begin looking for VA applicants, make a list of all the tasks you’d like him or her to complete for you. If you work for a marketing agency, your to-do list can include things like blog content research, social media content research, graphic design, customer service, and other related duties. Make your task list as precise and exact as possible, and make sure you engage a virtual assistant to complete them and provide them with explicit instructions. Being clear with what you want to accomplish will allow your VA to be successful in the role.
Expectation is too high
To avoid falling into this mistake, collaboration is the key. To begin, review the job description and task list to ensure that the scope of your project or role does not exceed your virtual assistant’s skills. Second, be clear about your expectations and constraints with the prospects you interview. VAs are skilled and can learn quickly but it is unrealistic to expect that they can do everything for you.
There is no qualification system in place
It’s not enough to hire the best VA solely on the basis of their curriculum vitae or initial interview. To find the best candidate, you need to establish a qualification scheme that will include testing the fundamental and technical skills, behavioural profiling, and more than one round of interview.
Adding a virtual assistant to your team will provide significant benefits if you think through it well. Take your time, though, to discover the finest candidate for your business. If you would like to learn more about engaging the right talent for your needs, go to https://hitchva.com/
