An EPIC Guide to Finding and Hiring the TOP Virtual Staff

An EPIC Guide to Finding and Hiring the TOP Virtual Staff

It’s time. You’ve started building your new company and things are taking off. The website has launched, leads are flowing in, marketing campaigns are set up, social media is tweaked and adjusted, payroll is in place, etc. It’s great! However, you’re finding your time slipping away… NOW is the time to hire a virtual assistant or 2. Let’s do it!

Where do you begin? How do you find the best? How do you sift through all the resumes and ask the right questions during interviews? We’re here with an EPIC guide to help you find and hire the TOP virtual assistants. Our process has been compiled based on patterns from the 1,500+ hires we’ve placed and the 40,000 candidates we’ve screened.

Step 1  Define the role
Go through your day to day tasks and write everything down. It should take less than 5 minutes. Begin with your morning: phone calls, checking emails, following up, appointments, etc. Then rate them from easiest to hardest. Easiest meaning the most repetitive and mundane duties that could easily be performed by someone with the proper understanding of the process and a little bit of practice. Once you have your list ordered from easiest to hardest, look at the tasks you’ve placed at the top of your list. Those are the first responsibilities you should outsource.

Step 2 Marketplace
Which platform you choose will depend on the job role you’re looking to fill. There are many types of outsourcing companies: project-based; home-based; call centers; freelancers; etc. Our advice is to research each marketplace, confirm that the pricing works with your budget, look at the customer reviews, and then choose the platform that best fits your needs as a business owner.

At Virtual Coworker, our process is simple, transparent, and effective for all parties, ensuring an ideal & long-term fit for all. Based on the 40,000 candidates we have screened, our stellar Recruitment Team has a rigorous 3 step screening process before the candidate’s resume is forwarded to a client. Our screening process includes reference checking, confirming skill efficiency levels, and double checking home office capabilities. From that point, it is your responsibility to participate in the process and give feedback and/or let us know which candidate(s) you’d like to interview. This part of the process saves you the time of vetting them on your own, sorting through numerous resumes, and having to coordinate interview times.

Step 3 Interview
Conducting a video interview with your virtual candidate involves testing all technical capabilities and helps you select the right person for the job. We recommend the following interview questions, in addition to the usual basic interview questions, which allows you to zone in on the top assistants who are able to fulfill your specific needs, fit the energy of the company, and handle all job requirements.

Please tell me a little bit about your personal background. This is to glean a little understanding about the candidate as a human. What interests you about the role? This helps to discern that the virtual assistant understands the role and company. Please tell me about a difficult work situation and how you overcame it? This indicates how well they perform under pressure. Why did you leave past employers? This question gives you a good idea of the candidate’s ambition. Top virtual assistants will only leave for better opportunities and bigger challenges.

Make certain you are at least 90% confident that the candidate will be a good fit because what they want matches the mission and competencies of the role, as well as the culture of the company.

Step 4 Hire & Train
Congratulations on your new hire! Now is the time to introduce your eager new employee to your processes & procedures. Training is a vital part of a new job, the key to training remote staff is over-communication and patience. Everyone has the capability to learn but each person learns at a different pace and in different ways. We’ve found Google drive, Skype, and weekly meetings are extremely helpful in training new virtual staff as well as providing updates, feedback, discussing goals, and checking on project deadlines.

Following our epic guide will allow you to experience the power of hiring a top virtual assistant and integrating them properly into the operations of your business. A final gem of advice: Hire a truly great assistant who is right for *your* specific role and *your business’s* unique culture.

For more information, please download our Free eBook, written by Company founders, Braden & Kevin: How to Outsource Your Business to the Philippines

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