6 Steps to Hiring the Most Amazing Virtual Assistants

Let’s talk about virtual assistants!

I started assembling a virtual team as my business expanded. I currently employ around 50 virtual assistants, and I believe we will be adding more over the next few months.

So, if you're looking to hire some virtual assistants yourself, I've provided some advice on how to do it effectively. I've also described what to expect as you (your business and your virtual team) grow.

But first, let's define a virtual assistant for those who are unfamiliar with the term.

What’s a Virtual Assistant?

According to our trusty friend, Investopedia, “A virtual assistant is an independent contractor who provides administrative services to clients while operating outside of the client's office. A virtual assistant typically operates from a home office but can access the necessary planning documents, such as shared calendars, remotely.”

Here are some things you need to do when hiring a virtual assistant to help you in your business:

Find Clarity

Before posting job ads, you must be clear about the purpose for which you are hiring a virtual assistant. Here are some tips you can try to help find clarity.

• List the things you absolutely hate doing, but it comes with your job or industry you are in.
• Make a list of the things you enjoy and love doing—enough that you wouldn't mind being asked to do them for free.
• List all the things you need to do that make money for you, regardless of whether you like doing them or not.
• Jot down all the things you’ve been putting off, either because you don’t have the time, or the skill, to do it but you know it is necessary to grow your business.

You'll have a better idea of what jobs you would want or need to hire virtual assistants for once you've finished making these lists.

Define Your Budget

Hiring necessitates payment, and payment necessitates budgeting. How many assistants do you need? Do you pay them a full-time salary or offer them a part-time position? Perhaps the position is simply project-based, such as an event or a significant online marketing initiative where you could use one or two more hands. Or is it a one-time event, such as hiring a contractor to create a website?

Depending on the skill set and amount of time they have to work on the job, the pay will differ. Make sure you have the budget to compensate your virtual assistants fairly.

Where Do You Look for Virtual Assistants?

There are many places you can go to look for virtual assistants. It can be something as simple as asking around for a referral, like “Do you know someone who knows how to do this and is looking for some extra cash?” Or you could visit sites like Fiverr, Upwork, and sometimes even LinkedIn and look for candidates that fit the bill.

If you're looking for someone for a one-off job, Fiverr is a good place to start. On Upwork, part-time freelancers thrive, and you can find some of them on LinkedIn.

If you are looking for virtual assistants outside the US, I recommend VirtuDesk. This is a reliable company to go to because they train their people, interview them, and do an overall good job of outsourcing the best people in the Philippines for you. It is my go-to agency, and that is where most of my virtual assistants are from. So if you are looking for social media managers, video editors, content creators, executive administrators, etc., I recommend checking them out.

Another one is PowerISA. If you’re looking for an ISA (Inside Sales Agent), I would suggest this. They outsource to Mexico, where they have people who speak English proficiently.

Now, if you’re looking to hire within the US, I’d probably look at Indeed or WizeHire. Obviously, if you’re going to hire within the US, that means you’ll probably pay more. Virtually, I have a team of about nine people throughout the US, and they are all great performers who also work with my VA team overseas.

These are only some options. However, I highly recommend VirtuDesk, as that’s where I gravitate the most.

Filtering the Candidates

As soon as you post job listings, a flood of resumes will arrive in your inbox. How can you sift through these applicants and choose the ones who are worthy of your time?

What I personally do, aside from asking for their resume, is for them to send me an introduction video as well. This gives me a better feel for who they are as a person—the way they speak, their body language, their choice of words, their creativity, etc. Of course, there are some people who are great on video and others who are shy, so I don’t completely judge them on that. It is just my way of getting to know them a little bit better than just on paper.

I also request samples of their previous work. Now, this one will influence my choice more than the introduction videos will. You can also take the practical test that some people take and that applicants must pass.

Once you’ve filtered out the ones you want to interview, try asking them personal questions such as: What’s your favorite color? What do you do in your free time? What TV series do you watch?

These types of questions will tell you a lot about the person that you are about to hire: the things they love, the things they aspire to do, what they do in their spare time, and what they are passionate about.

Take note because sometimes the position they are applying for doesn't perfectly match what they are passionate about. They might be more suitable for a different position that you also need them for.

Hire and Communicate

The next step is to properly train the individual once they have joined your team.

For the technology we use in my real estate division, for instance, I hired a tech director. These include AgentLegend, FollowUp Boss, Chime, and Ylopo, as well as some automation tools.

I allowed them to concentrate on training with these tools for the first month. Some tech companies provide training on the system's backend, where you can simply log in and learn how to use everything.

When they have completed all of their training, I or another member of my team will determine where they have knowledge gaps and fill those gaps. By doing this, I can make sure that everyone is meeting my requirements and expectations.

Make sure you have an idea of where the training is coming from. You can look for a company that can provide training for you. This is consistent growth that needs to happen, and it comes in the form of training

Another big part is communication. How are you going to communicate with these amazing people that you are hiring?

I have a rule for each and every virtual assistant who joins the team. I have to communicate with them the quickest way I can. Because I want them to have success, and I want to have success as well. So that we can communicate via iMessage, I insist that everyone own an iPhone. With just an email and an iPhone, we can communicate with anyone, no matter where they are in the nation or the world. 

There are many modes of communication you can use, including Facebook Messenger, What’s App, and even Instagram Messenger. The main point is to decide how you will communicate daily with your team.

Communication, a healthy one at that, is going to bring the virtual team together.

Expand and Delegat

As you succeed and your business grows, your team will grow as well. When your team grows, it is important to have some sort of organizational structure so there is a clear chain of command and accountability.

There are different ways you can organize your team, but this is the virtual staff organization chart I use for A Brilliant Tribe. As my team grows, this chart will also expand. Sometimes you might even have to reorganize it.

You can use that chart I linked as a guide.

Last, I want you to start developing the mindset of “What can I do more of by delegating?”

As your business grows and you succeed, the list of things you need to do also keeps growing. If you try to do everything yourself, things will start falling through the cracks. Give some of your team's excellent members some tasks to complete so you can focus on the important tasks that you cannot delegate to others and accomplish more.