Best Practices for VA recruitment

You have finally accepted the fact that running your growing business on your own will slow you down and that hiring a virtual assistant is the way to move forward. You have carefully studied your needs, documented it and use that as a guide in your recruitment process. Here are some additional pointers that can help you improve your VA recruitment actions.

Cast your net as wide as possible

While it is easy to look for VA’s on a single platform or website, it is still best to recruit from as many sources of applicants as possible. You can start with your friends and contacts in the industry. Then you can go to popular VA platforms such as Upwork or search online for reputable VA providers. The wider you cast your net, the higher the chances of getting the most qualified assistant to work for you.

There are of course pros and cons for each of these sources. You have to remember that hiring is a numbers game. You have to make sure that you have a lot of options when you are already in the selection stage.

Be very clear with what you are looking for

Even if you were able to do your VA sourcing very well, the quality of your talent pool can still end up short of the kind of people you really want to hire. It all boils down to the clarity of your job post. What are the tasks you want the VA to do? What are the skills you are requiring them to have? What kind of business are you in and what value will you be able to offer your new hires?

By making a good “case” through your job posting, you can attract the right candidates into your hiring funnel. With many people looking for a VA these days, you need to be creative with how you will sway talent your way. Often times, good rates and well-written job descriptions and specifications are the key elements to successful VA hiring.

Always pay for quality work

It is important that as you consider to farm out, you know exactly the value of the work you are delegating. There will be applicable rates for VA’s who can help you with your emails and maybe even answer your phone while doing some research on the side. But this rate would not be the same for a VA that knows social media marketing, email marketing, and some content writing and graphic designing.

Considering these things, one principle applies very well – you always get what you pay for. It is, of course, understandable to go for assistants that ask for lower rates but you must think about the skills you need to have in your team and the kind of experience you need from your VA.

The cheaper the rates, the lower quality of work you will end up getting. Again, it is up to you to balance things out according to your needs.

Recruiting a virtual assistant is not rocket science. There are however practices that have helped many entrepreneurs get ahead in the talent hunt. Apply these pointers in your VA hiring process and get the best assistant for your business today.