Becoming a virtual assistant wasn’t exactly something I had built into my business plan. The opportunity came to me by accident, if I’m being totally honest. But now, after working as one for a year, I’ve realized how much I love being able to support other business owners and complete the kinds of tasks I’ve been given. I’ve definitely learned a few things about the process of finding a virtual assistant and I know my clients have too! So I wanted to give other business owners who might be looking for some extra help three quick tips to finding a virtual assistant for their business!
Which tasks do you want to outsource to a virtual assistant?
Think about what tasks you’d want to outsource because this will tell you the skill set you need to find in your VA! If you’re thinking about outsourcing blogging, you’ll want someone who understands SEO. Social media? They should be able to understand copywriting, best practices and even scheduling apps. Client management? Good people skills, organization and a knowledge of software out there. Generally, VAs will learn whatever products you have in place to run your business but you want someone with SOME knowledge of the other pieces of the tasks you want to give to them.
Do they need to be onsite or is virtual okay?
Determine if you want someone who is local and can be in your office or if you’re willing to use someone who is not and has more of a virtual presence. This decision impacts where you want to look for someone but also how you will communicate. Will it be mostly via email, text or phone calls or scheduled weekly in person meetings? There’s certainly pros and cons to each. I have clients both locally and out of state and we all have our own systems of maintaining communications, task management and our various systems.
Finding a virtual assistant in the right spots!
Know where to look! The internet is full of pages online for small business owners to meet other creatives they can connect with. I met my out of state clients though the Rising Tide Society Facebook group and then word of mouth from the current clients. My local clients I met from Tuesday Together meetings – and then word of mouth!
Bonus Tip: Ask questions!
Ask your potential VAs for information about how they communicate, the tasks they do, what they like or don’t like. Don’t be afraid to ask for information from them. They’re going to be helping your business so you should be comfortable with them and they should make your life easier. Make sure you’re a good fit for each other. Can you communicate clearly? Are they willing to learn whatever skills they might not have? Do the skills they DO have line up with your needs? These are all important things when adding someone to your team, but especially someone who will be doing so much behind the scenes for you!
If you have a question about finding a virtual assistant, send me a note! I’d love to help or answer any other questions folks might have! I’m certainly no expert but I love sharing whatever I can to make your lives easier!
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