Free Guide: 5 Characteristics You Should Look For When Hiring A VA

There’s a huge difference between hiring an officemate and a virtual assistant (or VA), and that lies in the presence of the person. Potential recruits show up in an actual office for the actual interview. You can tell if the person is being sincere or not through their answers or their expressions.

For VAs, it’s a similar experience, but experienced through the Internet via e-mail or Skype. It’s usually harder to put a finger on the character of the person because of medium involved.

But don’t let that prevent you from hiring the VA most suited to meet your needs. Today, we’ll look at 5 characteristics you should look for when hiring a VA.


 

1. Professional

Do they dress themselves appropriately for business-related functions? In communicating with clients, are they able to represent your company as best they can? Remember that though he/she is not a direct employee, VAs carry out work related to those who hired them. If, during your initial interview, a VA does not carry him/herself in a manner that will benefit your business, start looking for another one. A VA is an extension of your company.

 

2. Organized/Detail-oriented

No self-respecting office employee or manager would submit work that is slipshod and disarrayed. They would do everything in their power to complete a task in a very systematic manner. Organization and detail-orientation are must-have qualities for VAs, since the tasks they’ll be working on will, ultimately, reflect on you.

 

3. Prompt

Did your VA meet the 7 pm interview schedule you agreed on? If he/she did not, then you have an idea of how little respect for people’s time they have. This will eventually reflect in the way the VA manages him/herself during work hours. VAs must be punctual in order to help with your tasks during your work hours. Also, they must have a sense of urgency to meet their deadlines. When an errand is not submitted at the required time, you suffer.

 

4. Humble

There is no perfect VA out there. Sooner or later, he or she will make a mistake. You, the client, will need to inform them if there need to be changes made in the way they work. Your VA must be able to accept criticism for his/her good, not be overly sensitive.

 

5. University-educated

Some of the duties assigned to VAs are research, bookkeeping, image editing through Photoshop/Lightroom, report creation, social media account management, blog writing, and database management among others. These tasks are only learned through a solid education at a university. When scouting for VAs, be sure to ask for a copy of their college diploma. If he/she did not graduate from a university, do not consider the VA as a viable candidate.

 

Did this list of characteristics make sense to you? Are there any more qualifications you wish to see for when look for a VA? Do you disagree with any of the traits we listed above? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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