Why hire a Virtual Assistant? | How to hire a VA

Benefits of Using a Virtual Assistant and How to hire one

Why hire a Virtual Assistant? So, we have looked at ‘Who uses a Virtual Assistant’ and ‘Who can become a Virtual Assistant’, let’s look now at why you should use a Virtual Assistant. And we have also listed some of the benefits of using a Virtual Assistant, and how to hire one.

Top 10 reasons to hire a Virtual Assistant

Here is our list of the top 10 reasons why you should consider using a Virtual Assistant.  We could list more but thought this would do you as a starter.  So, in no particular order:

  • No recruitment or lengthy contract costs
  • No employment rights – no pension, holiday, sickness, or absence issues
  • No office space needed
  • No need to supply equipment.
  • Scale up or down the number of hours/Virtual Assistants as workload increases or decreases
  • Only pay for the hours/projects worked.
  • More cost-effective – cheaper hourly rate depending on the geographical location of the Virtual Assistant.
  • Only need to hire Virtual Assistants with the right skill set to support your project.
  • 24/7 availability – have multiple Virtual Assistants in various time zones thereby providing full 24/7 cover.
  • Frees up your time to focus on strategic areas of your business.

Ready to hire?

Should you hire more than one Virtual Assistant?  It could make sense to have a team of Virtual Assistants – this could be because they each offer a specialist service, or it could be because you need the certainty of continued support.

There are organizations that can source groups of Virtual Assistants, or you can find Virtual Assistants listed on freelance sites.  Have a look at the page ‘How do I find work as a Virtual Assistant?’ to see a list of websites where you can post jobs and details of work you need to be covered.

Hire the right Virtual Assistant

Treat the process as you would if you were going through a recruitment process.  By putting some time and effort into things at this stage you will soon identify who is the best fit for you.

  • Have a rough job description – what areas of work do you need assistance with?
  • Interview Virtual Assistants from several countries – this will help you understand working in different time zones, global rates, are they the right-fit?
  • Interview several Virtual Assistants – use video platforms to complete the interviews, this will allow you to check out quality of internet connections.
  • Get each applicant to complete the same piece of test work so you can compare and assess their capability.
  • Seek testimonials/reviews from their previous clients.
  • Check if they are registered with any professional bodies.
  • Check they have insurance in place – Professional Indemnity
  • Check if they are willing to sign non-disclosure agreements.
  • Prepare a contract detailing rates, hours, etc.

Make sure you offer clear instructions to your Virtual Assistant.  You may find that you need to micro-manage at the beginning of your working relationship but hopefully, you have chosen well and can eventually hand over full responsibility to your Virtual Assistant.

Do you need any further help?  Pop your question over and we will try and help.