Running a business can involve a lot of tedious tasks, from responding to emails/phone calls to maintaining your website and even generating leads. To save time, money and energy, entrepreneurs often outsource work so they can focus on their own core competencies. Virtual assistants are a low-cost extra pair of hands that let you grow your business and get back time for yourself.

But how do you hire a virtual assistant? I prepared a checklist of things to remember for people outsourcing their tasks for the first time.

1. DECIDE WHAT TASKS YOU WANT TO DELEGATE

Go get a piece of paper, and list these out:

        • Tasks you do not want to do

        • Tasks you cannot do

        • Tasks you should not do

All of these are things you can have a virtual assistant do. If you HATE doing something, then why spend all your energy on it when somebody else can take care of it? It’s also much smarter to have someone more experienced or knowledgeable to handle certain duties. You should not spend too much time on responsibilities a VA can do for you even if you want to do everything. Let go of these tasks and spend your time the way you want to, take a break from work and have someone take care of your business just like the way you handle it.

2. DOCUMENT THE DUTIES YOU WANT TO OUTSOURCE

Wouldn’t it be amazing if someone understood what you were trying to explain right away? It can be hard enough trying to get a point across in person. What more when you’re just talking on Skype or Facebook?

Our goal is to create LESS work for you. If you want a great start for your VA with fewer errors, prepare guidelines they need to follow. You can create a presentation, record a video or prepare a write-up of the routines and processes they need to master. This will make things much easier for you and your virtual assistant.

3. CREATE A JOB DESCRIPTION THAT ATTRACTS THE BEST VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

Now that you know what you want to be done and how you want it done. The best virtual assistant for your needs that has great qualities, skills, and experience to fulfill the required duties effectively.

Write a job description that talks about:

        • What your business is like and how many people you serve. You can keep this short and simple as long as it gives the potential VA an idea of your company.

        • The language you require, whether spoken or written. This is necessary in order for the   VA to communicate well with you and your clients.

        • Tasks they will need to do.

• Tools, platforms, and applications you use for your tasks. Consider if you want to hire someone with experience using these or if you have the time to train them.

• The time zones you expect them to be working in, the number of hours they need to complete in a week, or if the position is flexible in terms of these.

You can post the job description you have prepared yourself or employ a staffing agency to look for VAs for you, like Active Assistant, LLC. The latter part will actually save you more time from recruiting the best Virtual Assistant there is, to background checks, training and getting your VA onboard your team.

The process does not just end with finding a VA with the skills you need. Once you get them on board, they need to be encouraged and integrated so you have a great relationship with them. There is a bunch of other stuff that needs to be done after hiring, which involves management and protecting your information. I will discuss these in future articles to assure that you get the best outsourcing experience possible.

At Active Assistant, we will make sure to prepare a platform for both you and your Virtual Assistant to work smoothly and carry on tasks seamlessly. We have a robust CRM that lets you and your VA communicate and post tasks daily and keep track of all the the milestones in your projects. And our support team will work closely with you every step of the way to ensure your success.

READY TO HIRE A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT?

Hiring a virtual assistant is essential to getting that balance between work and personal life you have always wanted. A life where you can take a break from all the daunting tasks of your business. This way, you will make more money by working a lot less. If you need more help, we have prepared more resources to guide you.

Good luck and have fun working with your VA!