Have you reached the stage where you’re finally ready to hire your first Virtual Assistant? Where do you start? How do you even find your first Virtual Assistant? That’s what I’m talking about in today’s post. Let’s get into it.
There are many ways to do it. I know there are actual databases or directories that you can go to and use to find your first Virtual Assistant.
But I’m going to share with you how I did it, because I really like the way that I did it and I love my Virtual Assistant. She is amazing! And I seriously do not know what I would do without her.
Here’s my three tips for you on how to go about it:
EMAIL YOUR LIST
I guess the first thing that I did was I actually sent out an email to my “List” letting them know that I was hiring. In the email I stated what I was looking for and the kind of tasks that I needed help with. I also created a job description on Apple Pages, which I think is really important so that you make it very clear what you’re wanting and how you want the role to grow. I sent it through and I said “Hey, I am looking for a spectacular Virtual Assistant, my first one, and if you believe you’re right for the role I would love for you to apply.”
CREATE AN APPLICATION FORM
So that brings me to the second thing that I did, which was to create an application form on Typeform. Now, the reason I create an application form is because I wanted to learn about these people before I actually interviewed them. I wanted to hear about them, where they were at, what they do, what their goals are and get an idea of who they are before I decided to interview them. I also did this because I wanted to weed out the people that I didn’t feel were right for me, that would be well out of my budget or that I felt didn’t have the skills that I needed at the time.
It was really good to put these blinders on because I got over 50 applications, which was so overwhelming because I was only actually expecting to have five! So, to have that buffer process of filling out the application form was a lifesaver. I asked a bunch of different questions like:
- What do you do?
- Tell me about yourself.
- What kind of skills could you bring to the business?
- What do you know about House of Brazen?
- What are you passionate about?
- What are your goals when it comes to your business?
- Do you have a business?
All different types of questions! And the really good way to find questions is just by Googling. Ask opinion-based questions. Ask brainteaser questions. Ask behavioural questions as well. Get them to tell you about an instance where they had a difficult challenge to overcome and what they did to problem solve that. That’s a really good way to see how they work.
And at the end of the application, before they submitted it, I had a little note that said, “Thank you so much for filling out this form. If you are successful in getting an interview you will hear back from me. Otherwise if you don’t get a response, I want to thank you for taking the time to fill out the application form and I wish you all the best.”
And, as simply as that, you have suddenly eliminated having to respond to every single person that was unsuccessful so that you can narrow it down and focus on the people that you do want to interview.
THE INTERVIEW
Which then brings me to my third tip and that’s to interview your candidates. Out of the list of 50 people that applied, I then narrowed it down to 12, and out of those 12 I interviewed four people. In those interviews I went through another series of questions.
I got them to tell me more about themselves. I also told them about myself and my goals and what I am wanting to do with the business and where I am wanting to take it and what I need help with.
I then took a couple of days to really sit on who I spoke with. And from that I made my decision. I didn’t just make my decision based on the answers that the people gave; it was really about a vibe.
They had to vibe with me and they also had to have the skills that I didn’t. They also had to almost be the opposite of me. My Virtual Assistant is so organized. She thinks about things that I don’t even think about and she stays on top of stuff when I have completely forgotten!
So that’s why I’d recommend to think about the strengths that the person has and hopefully you’re looking for someone who has skills that are different to yours. But really trying to focus on the vibe and connection that you get with the person.
Because when I interviewed Jo, my Assistant, I actually knew the second I finished the interview that she was the one; and that was totally based on the vibe. There was something in her that I saw that resonated with what I wanted.
So yeah that’s how I hired my first Virtual Assistant! And that’s how I recommend you can go about it.
Now, the reason no went to my list is because these people know who I am, they are already excited about me. They already know my business. I don’t have to teach them about it. And yes, most of them have their own businesses, and a lot of people are like, “If they want to build their own business then they’re not entirely focused on yours.”
That is not true. And if that’s a case, you’ll see it very quickly and you can let this person know that they’re not the right fit and move on to another. No big deal. But I went to my list because I knew that I would find the right person there – and I did.
Now I would love to hear from you:
Are you thinking about hiring your first Virtual Assistant? If so, how are you going to go about that? Are you going to reach out to your list or are you going to go somewhere else? Let me know in the comments.
