Use This Checklist To Find A Great VA
And Keep Your Relationship Running Smoothly.
Many of those that I network with may not even realize that I also work as a virtual assistant, as most know me more for creating websites and graphic work, over the years I have learned a few things that not only help me in finding my own ideal client, but what tools and checklists small business owners should look for when looking to outsource to a virtual assistant.
There are a lot of moving pieces to hiring a great virtual assistant. This checklist will help you keep track of all the most important steps in the hiring process. Keep it handy the next time you are looking for help, right from the moment you start searching.
Feel free to print this page out and use it as a handy reference.
Searching for People
[ ] Determine if you want to outsource online or hire in person.
[ ] Determine how much you want to pay.
[ ] Figure out what level of skill set you want to hire. Do you want to hire the cheapest talent possible? Or the best person on the planet? Different kinds of talent spend time on different kinds of websites.
[ ] Find out the best sites to reach your target talent. For the highest quality talent, look on forums or message boards. For example, go to a PHP discussion board to hire a top notch PHP programmer. Ask other people who they use for their outsourcing.
Hiring the Right Person
[ ] Did they respond within 24 hours?
[ ] Did they read your entire ad?
[ ] Do they stand out?
[ ] Do they have the necessary experience?
[ ] Did they provide samples of past work?
[ ] Is their timeline within the time frame of what you’re looking for?
Negotiating
[ ] Can you buy services in bulk?
[ ] Ask for a faster timeline if necessary. Just be aware that most VAs already have several clients they are already working with.
[ ] Make sure to let them know there’s future work if they do a good job.
Training
[ ] Document your training, so you don’t have to do it again and again.
[ ] Check your assumptions. Don’t assume your VA knows anything about how you want things to be done.
[ ] Give them step by step directions on how you want your project done.
[ ] Let them know what you don’t want.
Working Together
[ ] Always get back to your VAs within 24 hours to keep the line of communication strong.
[ ] Let them know about future projects as early as possible so they can put your project in their schedule. This point is very important on both sides. Your time is very valuable as is the VAs that you hire. Always give your VA plenty of time to complete a project without it interfering with their other clients.
[ ] Let them know when they did a good job. If your VA enjoys working with you, they’ll put more effort into doing a good job.
[ ] Give constructive feedback. If something isn’t done just right, let them know, while also telling them the things you liked.
[ ] Sign a non-disclosure agreement and a non-compete agreement if necessary.
[ ] Sign an assignment of intellectual property document if necessary.
[ ] Talk to your VAs about copyright. Can they use open source code or Creative Commons images in their work? Be clear about what they can and can’t use when they’re working with you.
Payments
[ ] Pay on time. Nothing corrodes a relationship like being late on payments.
[ ] Pay by PayPal if possible. It’s the most convenient and most widely used method of transferring money online.
