How to Hire the Perfect Virtual Assistant
Somewhere along the way you found the term Virtual Assistant. It sounded interesting so you decided you wanted to learn more. Once you studied the subject, you decided that this would be the perfect solution for you. You knew it was time to hire a Virtual Assistant. But then, you didn’t know how to go about doing it.
Where do you find a Virtual Assistant? What kind of VA do you need? Can you afford one? How would you contact them? How would this all work?
Before you start Googling ‘Hire a Virtual Assistant’, there are some things you need to work out beforehand. For example:
1. What kinds of tasks do you want them to take on? Write it out with as much detail and structure as you possible can. 2. Are you comfortable with working with someone virtually? Can you handle not being able to see someone fact to face? 3. How many hours do you think youll need them for each week/month? 4. How much can you afford to budget for this? Take into account how much more productive you will be during those hours that your Virtual Assistant will be freeing you up. For example, if your hourly rate is $200, at $50 per hour for a Virtual Assistant, for that same $200 you can free up 4 hours, opening your availability to make an additional $800.
Once youve worked these things out, its time to find your candidates. You could probably Google Virtual Assistant + whatever niche or specialty youre looking for and then try contacting them one by one but this would be incredibly time consuming and not the best solution. There are a number of different Virtual Assistant Networking sites and Associations that not only maintain directories of Virtual Assistants by specialty, but also allow you to post an RFP, a request for proposal.
There are several Virtual Assistant Associations, Networks and Forums that keep directories of Virtual Assistants by specialty. They also allow you to place an RFP or Request For Proposal whereby you write a detailed description of what your needs are.
Some of the most popular sites are:
* IVAA or International Virtual Assistants Association * VANetworking.com * Virtual Assistant Forums * A Claytons Secretary * Find Virtual * Home Secretarial Services * Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce
Once youve posted your RFP, just sit back and relax. Youll get an influx of proposals from qualified, professional Virtual Assistants ready to partner with you. From there its just a matter of connecting with them and discerning which one you feel the most comfortable with.