How to Attract the Right Virtual Assistant
How to Attract the Right Virtual Assistant
It is no secret that the outsourcing industry is full of aspiring and skilled individuals who are just waiting for the right opportunity. But when an opportunity for work does come, they sometimes shy away. What could possibly go wrong with an open position? Here’s how to attract the right virtual assistant.
The Right Place to Look for a Virtual Assistant
Last year, The iLabour Project launched the first economic indicator called The Online Labour Index. It seeks to measure the supply and demand of jobs online.
As of July 2017, Asia ranks in the lead with more than 60 percent of the market share. It covers six major areas of expertise:
- Software development and technology
- Sales and marketing support
- Professional services
- Creative and multimedia
- Writing and translation
- Clerical and data entry
Laborers exist around the world, and every country has its job specialties. When looking for the right virtual assistant, specific factors can be considered. Among which are the applicant’s skill set, work experience, educational background, flexibility, outstanding qualities, and a reliable internet connection.
Here’s what you can do to attract the right virtual assistant:
1. Be Clear about Your Business
Authenticity. It is the most important thing that aspiring virtual assistants look for in a client. With so many bogus entities online, they want to make sure that they will be dealing with someone truthful.
Virtual assistants are also business owners. They own their skills and work hard to advance their career. The fact that they aren’t working in a traditional workplace does not necessarily mean that they don’t have the skills.
As business owners, they also look for authentic connections and opportunities. Just as clients want virtual assistants to be honest, provide quality work, and respect their business, VAs also want the same from clients.
Someone once said, “When you show up authentic, you create the space for others to do the same.”
Many aspiring VAs have the skills and would be willing to adjust when a good opportunity comes. To attract the right virtual assistant, be clear about your business.
On your job posting, let applicants know who you are and what you are up to. Give them the opportunity to know you better. You can include links to your website and social media, your mission and vision, or simply state the industry you are in along with your name.
2. Set Clear Expectations
What job are you offering? What are the responsibilities it involves? Aspiring virtual assistants want to know the specifics of an open position.
“I want a clear job description so that I will know whether I can do the job or not. This is because I also don’t want to be embarrased during the interview or when I am already hired,” an online worker said in a survey
Set clear expectations to help them discern whether they can fill in the job. Those who will apply to your offer are most likely the ones who view themselves as qualified. On your job posting, specify the:
- Responsibilities – What are the responsibilities involved? What specific skills or qualities in a virtual assistant does it require?
- Work Schedule – How many hours in a week do you need the virtual assistant to complete the job? Which time of the day is the regular work schedule? Does it require a VA to report daily?
- Salary and Payout Schedule – How much are you willing to pay? How often and when is the payout? You may choose to talk about this in the interview instead, but sometimes applicants find it helpful to know about this already in the job description. They want to know immediately if it matches their pay rate.
- Type of Employment – Is it a full-time position? Is it part-time, contractual, on a commission basis, or piece per rate perhaps?
3. Be Willing to Negotiate
There are different reasons why people decide to work online from the comforts of their home. It could be because they are looking for their version of happiness, longing to be more productive at work, or desire to have a better pay.
But whatever those reasons are, people will always want to deal with those who are open to answering specific concerns. Two of the things that can be discussed are:
- Salary
- Work Schedule
Sometimes you would find an applicant who has the skills and qualities you desire but not the time to complete the job. There could also be times when you find someone who can work very well on specific responsibilities but has yet to master the others.
Consider the pros and cons available.
Negotiation helps you know an applicant better—his interests, personality, and motivation. You can look back to the reason why you are hiring, and consider whether you can make small adjustments to your preferences. The right virtual assistant could just be right in front of your eyes.
Conclusion
The right virtual assistant will apply to you when he sees that he is perfect for the job. He has the skills and is confident enough to deliver quality performance and results.
It may take awhile sometimes to find that person. Looking for a needle in a haystack is not totally easy. The process requires patience and the ability to discern whether you’ve already found the right one.
There could also be times when the right person for the job will arrive unexpectedly. You can prepare yourself for any kind of surprise by making sure you are ready to hire.
Are you clear about the nature of your business? Do you understand the expectations you’ve set? Will you be willing to negotiate when necessary?
We hope you learned something new on How to Attract the Right Virtual Assistant.
Other Articles You May Like:
- How Having a Website Benefits Your Business
- 5 People to Hire for Your Business Online
- 5 Online Tools to Streamline Your Business
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About Jaime Jay
Meet Jaime Jay – a man who wears many hats, and wears them all admirably. He's a master connector, an entrepreneur extraordinaire, and a published author who knows how to get things done.
Before he found his way to the business world, Jaime served his country as a brave paratrooper in the U.S. Army. But that's just the beginning of his many accomplishments.
He's the founder of the renowned Bottleneck Distant Assistant Services firm, and his book "Quit Repeating Yourself" has become a must-read for entrepreneurs everywhere.
When he's not busy building his empire, you can find him on his beloved Harley Davidson, cruising through the countryside and taking in the invigorating effects of Uitwaaien – a Dutch practice that involves facing the wind to boost health and relieve stress.
He enjoys spending his free time outside building stuff with his wife, Nikita the dog and their two kittens (for now at least) Tommy and Tater.
He is ‘over-the-moon’ happily married to his wonderful wife Sara, his amazing daughter, Jessica, who is serving our country as a United States Army soldier. Jaime and Sara are the proud grand parents of two beautiful little girls.
Victoria Dorsano2023-09-17Bottleneck has been such an amazing support for my business! They have a seamless process to ensure you find the right fit for your DDA. I am so thankful I started working with them! I'm now able to accomplish so much more in my business with a personal DDA and editing team on my side. Thank you!!
Rockwell Felder2023-03-15I cannot thank the team at Bottleneck enough for their incredible support of our business. Their team has played a vital role in helping us staff our customer support and ensuring our customers were satisfied with our services. Their Distant Assistants were extremely helpful in answering inquiries promptly, handling complaints, and providing solutions to our customers' needs. Their professionalism, attention to detail, and communication skills are exceptional. Working with Bottleneck has been a fantastic experience, and I highly recommend their services to anyone needing a reliable and efficient virtual assistant, especially for customer support.
Karen Ravano2022-09-24I am grateful and blessed to be part of this team. It’s such a wonderful experience because i gain more experience and help me enhance my basic skills. This will be my stepping stone to my career as a newbie in this kind of industry. It would help to reach my goals.
Jeany Mercadal2022-09-16Bottleneck Distant Assistants can lessen the burden of company owners. We provide excellent services depending on our client needs. We are not scam, clients surely get more than what they pay for. Being part of this team helped me hone my skills and become excellent in all my works.
Jeff Peñaflor2022-09-14I started last March 24, 2021 as a Dedicated Distant Assistant and it was an awesome experience. In this new journey, as Security Administrator of Bottleneck Distant Assistants, I have been supported by the team, A LOT !!!! All help that I need, the whole team is there to support me. I know that there are a lot of room for improvements with my skills and what I know, but because of BNDA, I became equipped with all the weapons I need to conquer the daily challenges especially with my tasks. With BNDA, they will not just help you to aim high, but soar the skies!
Tinoe D2022-09-09I don't remember the last time I loved what I was doing until Bottleneck came into the picture. I love working for bottleneck, they are professional. The management makes the workplace fun and they're very flexible. I definetly recommend that you make that important switch and be part of something big today by joining BNDA.
Michael Goodcliffe2022-09-09Jaime and his team are incredible at what they do! Joining them has been one of the best decisions in my life! I whole heartedly recommend them to anyone who are looking to scale and improve their business. Their highly 'Dedicated Distant Assistants' are well trained. They are top notch!
GM Simon2022-09-08Working with Bottleneck is not just having one or two assistants working alongside you. You have the support of the whole team behind them as well.
Ma. Edeliza Silot2022-09-07Aside from the knowledge gained, the trainers are highly commendable.
Sara Knox2022-09-07What an awesome business! Finally, a way to hire the RIGHT person for my administrative tasks and they are remote! No office space to consider, W2's, 1099's or payroll. Jaime and his team of remote workers are top-notch! I hired my first assistant in May. I recently suffered a motorcycle accident and it left me unable to work for 2 weeks. But my assistant stepped right in to guide our CEO on all matters financial. It’s so nice to have that stress eliminated from my life!
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