Guide to Getting a Distant Assistant 2019
What steps should you take to getting a distant assistant? Hiring somebody with skills is only a part of the process. There are other things to consider when looking for a qualified candidate.
What is a Distant Assistant?
Distant assistants are real people who are equipped to perform certain job roles and responsibilities to support you and/or your business growth. They work remotely from home or anywhere there is a stable Internet connection. They perform jobs that may or may not be in your field of expertise, as well as tasks that consume the most of your time daily.
Applicants seeking a distant assistant position possess varying skill sets, personalities, and experience. The important thing is to identify first what you need to advance in hiring.
Take the Quiz: What Kind of Distant Assistant Do You Need?
STEP 1: Identify the tasks you do daily
What are the tasks that you do on a daily basis? Make a list of the things that you do and assign energy levels to each of them. Identify those that give you excitement and those that do not.
Next, rank them from most to least important in relation to your primary job role. You may find this difficult considering the multiple hats you wear to keep your business running. This first step in the hiring process alleviates the pain of confusion when delegating tasks later on.
It sifts your current workload and points out the tasks that need more of your attention. It also tells which tasks to delegate. These may include mundane tasks, such as managing your inbox and scheduling appointments.
STEP 2: Prepare your workflows
Workflows are step-by-step guides of how responsibilities are performed and completed. They tell distant assistants what to do, where to go, and who to stay in touch with. Workflows provide them with a more specific way of handling the job.
Identify the tasks that you want to delegate and create a workflow for each. Make sure to keep it simple and easy to follow.
Related Post: Challenges of Managing Distant Teams
STEP 3: Prepare the job role
Now that you have the tasks and workflows available, it is time to map out the job role. The keyword here is accountability. Name the core responsibilities of the job and list them down.
Next, write a job description that outlines the job specifics. It may state the expertise you are looking for, the number of hours required in the shift, the main responsibility, as well as the purpose of hiring. This sets the expectation for the distant assistant and boosts your chances of finding a suitable candidate.
Effective communication is another aspect to consider before getting a distant assistant. As you prepare the job role, also determine the best way to stay updated with the distant assistant. Ask yourself questions, such as how often you will meet and what collaboration apps you should use.
STEP 4: Set goals for smart $$ investment
Goal setting streamlines the delegation process and avoids costly unexpected consequences. Evaluate your current workload and set goals that you want to accomplish with your distant assistant.
Create a timeline to work around and update from time to time. It will guide you to the next thing you need to do after hiring. It may cover the training period, goals to achieve in your business, and an opportunity to bring another person on board.
Related Post: 5 Key Areas to Train Your Distant Assistant
STEP 5: Realize the need for training
Understand that you will never find another person to replace YOU as the business owner, but you can find somebody who could work with you in growing your business. Distant assistants have different levels and areas of expertise.
Training allows them to know your business better, regardless of their experience. It also equips them with the information they need to maintain your brand integrity.
Draft a plan of how your work week should look. When is the best day of the week to meet with your distant assistant, and how often should you meet? The answers to those questions depend on your availability and purpose for the meeting.
We also encourage all our clients to prepare a ‘contingency plan’. What do you do if your DA wants to go on vacation, is sick, or does not show up for work? Once you have created your contingency plan, share this with your DA in both a verbal overview and have them sign off on a document so both parties understand what is expected.
Conclusion
Getting a distant assistant is an investment opportunity that requires preparation. More than the qualifications or the actual search for a suitable candidate, you have to consider your preparedness to onboard, train, and work with another person in your team.
Free consultations are available if you are unsure about your decision to hire. Consultations address questions about your fears, capacity to hire, and other things which you might want to know.
Take the time you need to develop your workflows and systems in place. Hire when you are ready. Meanwhile, have fun trying this quiz to determine the right kind of distant assistant for your business.
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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Quit Repeating Yourself provides guidance for entrepreneurs, business leaders, and managers to help prevent unknown challenges from ruining their business.
