How To Hire Your First Virtual Assistant

How to hire a Virtual Assistant for UK small businesses

If you're thinking about hiring a Virtual Assistant, then luckily for you, I’ve done all the legwork!

And like many business owners out there, I’ve used VAs who’ve really helped me to free up my time to work on the more strategic stuff I should be doing. That's the way to drive a competitive advantage.

Whether you go to an agency, or hire a freelancer – there’s loads of talent out there to choose from. And equally – like every industry – plenty of dross too. So, where do you start? What do you look for? How do you make it work with virtual assistant services?

⚠ IMPORTANT ⚠

A Virtual Assistant is going to know a hell of a lot about your business and probably your personal life too – so it’s mega important you hire the right person for the job, and at the same time, take the right steps to protect yourself with a proper contract that’s on YOUR terms.

HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU NEED A VA?

Don’t be tempted to hire a VA just because everybody seems to have one.

The tell-tale signs that you probably DO need one though, are below:

  • You’re struggling to achieve a work-life balance because you’re swamped in admin.
  • You’re missing appointments and birthdays even!
  • You’re not focussing on the stuff you need to do, to expand and grow your business.
  • You’re not loving your work like you used to.
  • You need some help with keeping with up emails relating to customer service.
  • You're seeking faster business growth.

TIP 1: DITCH, DELEGATE, OR DO YOURSELF

Most business owners I know, want a VA to take away some of the jobs that stop them from doing their core business, or reaching their strategic goals.

So, the first tip is getting cleat on what you will be getting your VA to do. 

A great way to figure this out, is to come up with a ‘Ditch, Delegate, or Do Yourself’ list. It’s where you divide your business tasks into three categories.

For example:

🗑 DITCH: the weekly newsletter that isn’t bringing in any referrals.

👉 DELEGATE to your VA: invoices and expenses.

👍 DO YOURSELF: social media posting.

TIP 2: THE YESSSSSS! AND NOOOOO WAY!

It’s great practice – for every hire you make, not just a VA – to do these two things before you recruit:

✅ 1. Figure out your ‘absolute yes’ list. In other words, the handful of things you want your VA to have, or be able to do. For example, you might want your VA to be able to write well. Or perhaps, to be able respond to your clients within two working hours.

✅ 2. Identify your ‘deal-breakers’. You know, those things you simply won’t compromise on.

For example, you might not want somebody who’s based in a different country to you because of time differences. Or, you might not want access to a pool of VAs – but instead want to deal with just one person.

TIP 3: CHOOSING THE RIGHT VA

What makes a fabulous VA? It’s SOOO tricky to know. Why? Because they don’t actually need any qualifications to do their job brilliantly. What's more important is they are a good fit and right for you and your business. 

Aside from the obvious ability to multi-task, organise, be discreet, communicate well, and be tech savvy – how else do you weigh up their ability to do an awesome job for you?

The answer is: recommendations and reviews. Oh, and to set some exercises to suss out if they’re right for you.

You should:

  • Ask your network of business contacts for recommendations.
  • Upload a post on social media asking if anybody knows of any great VAs.
  • Ask applicants if you can contact their previous or existing clients to get their perspective on how good they really are.
  • Set candidates an ‘exercise’ to see how they respond. For example, you could ask them to draft an email to a client or supplier who needs to settle an invoice.
  • Make sure it’s THEM doing the work for you. Some VAs or VA agencies use a pool of people to share the work around. This might not be what you want.
  • Use keyword searches on LinkedIn or Instagram, which is great if they will be doing your social media as you can see their posts and writing style. 

TIP 4: IT’S REMOTE, BUT IT’S PERSONAL TOO

Your VA will be dealing with some of your most sensitive and personal matters. You’ll be trusting them with your passwords, financial information, and client details. It’s a totally privileged position to be in. And what’s more, you might never meet them in the flesh!

Therefore, you’ve gotta trust your VA 100%. That’s why you need a water tight contract to protect yourself with, in case that trust is ever broken.

TIP 5: PROTECT, PROTECT, PROTECT

Like any relationship, it can go wrong. And let’s face it, your brand – that you’ve worked so damn hard to build up – is at stake when this happens.

It could go pear-shaped 🍐 if:

📉 You’re not pleased with their performance

🚫 There’s a breach of confidentiality

⚔ There’s a conflict of interest with another client

💷 There’s a pay dispute

🔭 They’ve gone AWOL

The only way to safeguard you and your business, is to make sure you have a robust contract in place. The contract needs to be well-written, super clear, and have your interests at heart. And remember, it’s massively important that it’s YOU providing the contract – not the VA – so it’s YOU that defines the terms.

For example, it needs to contain things like…

✔  A fair notice period, so you won’t be left in the lurch OR stuck in a relationship that no longer works.

✔ A non-compete agreement to stop your VA from working with one of your direct competitors.

✔ An intellectual property clause to make sure any assets your VA creates, stay with you if they leave.

You might think this is unnecessary – but no matter how well you think you get on with somebody – human relationships and circumstances can change. A contract gives both parties something to refer back to, if bumps in the road start to appear.

👉 For a comprehensive, skilfully drafted contract you can make your own, checkout my Virtual Assistant Contract.

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