So you have made up your mind and decided that hiring a virtual assistant is the smart step you can take to help you with repetitive but necessary tasks. It is time to get support from someone without breaking a bank.
But you might ask yourself, with the talents from all over the world how will you know who is the virtual assistant for you?
We created this article with a series of guide questions to help you identify and know that you are making the right decision about hiring a virtual assistant.
These are the questions you can ask that you can get the most value from and why it is helpful to ask them during the interview.
1.What are your preferred working schedule and limitations?
To make sure the virtual assistants fit your schedule and avoid future problems, ask them about their schedule restrictions and preferred schedules. Understand that most virtual assistants are parents, and some are single parents so their working schedule varies from what you have in mind.
2. How did you get to where you are now?
Obviously, this is a conversation starter to help the virtual assistant relax and to be their true self. This way, you will get an overview of how open a virtual assistant could get.
This question also can tell you if the candidate set goals and if these goals were actually achieved.
3. What do you enjoy doing outside work?
This question is a way to know the virtual assistant on a personal level, meaning outside work. This is similar to the question “What are your hobbies?” The question is also to check if you and the virtual assistant are culturally fit. Do not get us wrong, diversity is what makes outsourcing virtual assistants great. But to be realistic, cultural context is important especially if you are aiming to work with each other long term.
4. What tasks do you work best with? What tasks are you weak at? What job do you prefer not to do?
The question is pretty straightforward so you should expect a straightforward and honest answer. The candidates’ answer should give you a summation of their abilities and what type of worker they are. The virtual assistant’s truthfulness will manifest in these questions. How? The strength obviously is easier to answer. The question on weakness will show if the candidates will be truthful enough to tell their limitations. Unless they are desperate enough to get the job and overdraw their strengths to appeal to you.
5. What will you do if you realized you could not finish on time the list of jobs I gave you?
Again, honesty and being truthful plus communication plays a big part in this question. While no boss would want to hear an employee tell them they could not finish an assignment on time, the virtual assistant must communicate to you.
Nobody is perfect but how will the virtual assistant react to the failure is something you should look into.
6. What tools or applications do you use in your work? Can you share which ones are your favorites?
Productivity is the game of remote work. Did you know that 77% of remote workers report being more productive than their traditional counterparts? One way remote workers increase productivity is through the use of tools and applications.
Asking the candidate an open-ended question will tell you if the tools and apps you are using aligned with the candidates’.
7. What’s your preferred way to communicate?
Some clients are too busy to video call. Some clients want to personally connect and the phone might not be their ideal platform of communication. While some prefer email as they are always out in the field.
Whatever the platform and frequency of communication are, choose what works and you think is right for you.
8. Tell me about your experience as a virtual assistant
The question can help you evaluate the candidate’s capacity to effectively communicate with you. Effective communication is an important aspect of working remotely. Let the candidate share about why they chose to become a virtual assistant and what they most like about it.
9. Do you have other clients right now? How many are they?
One of the perks of being a virtual assistant is the freedom of working with multiple clients. While virtual assistants are experienced with working with several clients at a time, if you wish the candidate to commit with you on a full-time basis, you should ask this question.
10. What inspires you?
You can use this question to determine which from the pool of candidates best suits your team. This is a way to get to know your virtual assistant – what motivates them to push further. Is it self-motivated? Is it their families or some personal experience? Or maybe the inspiration is someone unexpected. This question also addresses whether the candidate is a self-starter and what is the attitude when working unsupervised.
Entrepreneurs and business owners who use their time wisely have a greater chance of growing their business. Take the load off your shoulder, get the right virtual assistant who can optimize your strategies for your business. Ask the questions listed above in the next interview and know them on a personal basis to identify whether or not they fit the ethos of your team.
VALUE Virtual Assistants will help you find the right virtual assistants who can be an outstanding tool to push your growth forward.
Let us recruit your virtual assistant. For more information and inquiries, contact info@value-va.com. For more contents like this, connect with us on our LinkedIn and Facebook Page.
