As technology advances, a lot of businesses have gone online, which opens opportunities for people to work from home. However, as a business owner, it is challenging and exhausting to find the right virtual assistant for your business and determine whether the two of you are a good fit.

Here are 3 tips to help you find the perfect VA!

1. Identify your needs

This one should be at the top of the list. Of course, you’re not hiring someone just because you wanted to, but because you needed to. In hiring a virtual assistant, it is a must to identify what areas you need help with. Do you need help in creating presentations? Do you need help in handling your social media accounts? And so on.  It doesn’t work like, “Hey. You’re hired. You can just do whatever you want.” That is certainly a waste of money, energy, and time, which is the last thing you would like to happen.

Creating the list of what you and your business need will help you write down your VA’s complete and concrete hiring requirements and job description. Furthermore, the list will be a great help in shortlisting VA candidates. For instance, does experience matter to you? Do you want your VA to write and communicate well? Do you want your VA to have an eye for detail? If yes, you have to keep that in mind and make sure to write it down in the job requirements. If the VA candidate does not have those, you can cross him/her out on the list.

In addition, creating the list of skills you need will also help your VA assess whether they could be a good fit for your business.

2. Assess the Skills

Assessing the skills of your VA candidate is also very essential. It is always easy to claim you have the skills, but proving the claim is another thing.

But, how would you assess the skills?

Ensure that you have the appropriate assessment aligned to the skills being evaluated. For instance, you wouldn’t like to have your VA write a long poem if the skill you would like to be assessed is designing. That assessment is certainly not reliable and valid.

There are two ways to assess the skills. First, by letting them answer an assessment or do a sample task. Second, by allowing them to work for you within a specific period. For example, it could be for a week, two weeks, a month, etc.

Some business owners do not necessarily look for someone with experience for as long as they have the skills, the passion, and the willingness to learn things and strive to be the best. But in most cases, they will probably undergo a series of training.

3. Identify Their Traits and Values

Determining your VA’s traits and values is also equally important. Does your VA uphold the same values you have? What does your VA expect from you? Is your VA a team player? How is the VA as a person and as a professional? And so on.

For instance, if you love giving feedback and constructive criticism, you would like your VA not to be oversensitive. Instead, the VA must be open-minded and able to use that criticism as a weapon in making himself/herself better. Another example is if your line of business is more on the spiritual side, you would probably want your VA to be religious or spiritually healthy.

Knowing your VA’s values and personality traits will help you understand each other. Thus, creating a positive working relationship.

But, how would you know your VA’s traits and values?

Do a discovery call. Since your VA will be working with you online and the chance of meeting him/her is less, it would be great to get on a call. If calling is not your thing, exchanging messages would be excellent. Always take time to know each VA candidate because you wouldn’t want to end up hiring the wrong one, thus repeating the process all over again.

As Rosie Shilo once quoted, “Behind every successful and happy business owner is an amazing Virtual Assistant”.