One of the most challenging stages in the virtual assistant hiring process is selection. While there are so many things to consider in choosing the best VA, you need to focus on a set standard that can help you narrow down your options. I have developed my own VA selection criteria and this has made all the difference in my hiring activities. These might be able to help you too so I am sharing these with you.

Attitude

I have seen it time and time again. I hire a top-notch VA with amazing skills – only to find out the VA does not get along with others very well, or misses deadlines all the time, or has excuses for every problem that comes up. Although the articles the VA wrote is second to none, my team suffered because of his negativity and I had a hard time explaining the late submission of deliverables to my clients.

This experience taught me to subscribe to the HR mantra, “hire for attitude, train for skill”.

The best VA’s I worked with may not be the “best”, skills wise, but they have very good work ethics, thrive working in a team, and are responsible for their actions. I rather have that than deal with someone with the skills minus the service orientation I really need in my business.

Job Fit

Every job is unique and the same goes for people. Skills and attitude are both important but it must consider how a person fits into the job. You have to be very careful in sensing the comfort level of the applying VA to your business and your industry.

Is the VA too shy for you? Does he have a personality that might be too much for you? Is the candidate showing eagerness and excitement as you share more things about your business? The secret is observing carefully the applicant and if there is an unmistakable match between the VA’s work preferences and your needs as an entrepreneur.

Image and Branding

There are a lot of qualified VA’s out there. The thousands of profiles in Upwork is proof to that. With almost everybody claiming they can provide great work, only a few are actually able do that. To have a better grasp of an applicant, take a closer look at their image or personal branding. Read through the words in their resumes. Cross-check their work history. Read through their personal blogs. Commitment to quality and professionalism should be seen in their previous work.

Take extra attention to the skills you want to hire them for. If you are looking for a VA that can do graphics and video editing, ask for their online portfolio. If you want an assistant to take care of your social media, then visit their website or Facebook Page.

How VA’s handle their own online presence can give you a clear idea of how they will perform in the task you want to hire them for.

Skills

It doesn’t mean that because skill is not your main hiring consideration that you should not pay attention to it one single bit. You need someone who can do the tasks better than you and that requires skill, that demands specialisation. It is imperative that you consider a VA’s abilities and how that can help your business grow and succeed.

Never settle when it comes to skill. Balance it out instead so that you can get someone who can own the tasks you want outsourced and run it with minimal or no supervision at all.

Availability

Availability can dictate performance. Even the most skilled and fitted person for the job can still fail to deliver if their availability is not aligned with your needs. This is the reason why you need to be clear in your job description how much of the VA’s time you will be requiring. You also need to understand time differences between territories. If you need your assistant to work through the night, you have to let them know and he or she must agree to it.

Experience

Experience, for me, is just an icing to an already very delicious cake. It is a bonus I do not want to miss. I rarely use experience as my primary reason NOT to hire someone. It helps that you focus on a specific skill when using experience as a deciding factor for your VA.

For example, if you are looking for a VA to write content for you as well as take calls, a VA who only have calls experience would not cut it. You need someone who have been writing articles or blogs for a considerable time. Which skills demand more experience depends on your business needs.

Hiring the best virtual assistant reaches its climax in the selection process. Make sure to have some criteria to follow as you narrow down your list and identify the best candidate for the job.