16 Oct 2014

Critical Questions Before Hiring a Virtual Assistant

While virtual assistants (VA) might be almost non-existent a decade ago, the demand is sky-rocketing each day as there are increased opportunities everywhere and a qualified virtual assistant is a ‘must have’ for your business. You need a virtual assistant to manage your business (and your life) efficiently … period.

When you hire a virtual assistant or a VA, you entrust the person with lot more than official responsibilities. It is imperative that mutual expectations are clearly set before you begin to work together. Being a virtual assistant is not for everyone. Excellent organizational skills and time management are important to succeed in today’s business and a good virtual assistant provides you that … and much more.

Our decade old experience in hiring top class virtual assistants have enabled us to understand the characteristics of this profession. Typically, you should be aware of the working style and professional expertise of the virtual assistant and some standard questions that may provide you an overview of the candidate’s profile, for example, it is always better to hire candidates who are familiar with corporate work environment, working in a cross cultural setting , with a flexible work outlook.

Always inquire if a virtual assistant has undergone career related training in the last 6 to 12 months. This shows if he/she is geared up to take the initiative that is needed to be successful in this profile. All of us have dealt with irate clients in some part of our professional careers. Client management is an integral part of a virtual assistant’s profile and experienced virtual assistants are good at being proactive at work.

Presence of mind is what you definitely need in your virtual assistant. Let’s say you have a sales meeting and you are late because of traffic, so what do you do? A virtual assistant needs to think on his/her feet.You should be always ready with an answer, a solution to the issue at hand. Ensure that your virtual assistant is sorted when it comes to family matters. A virtual assistant’s job demands as much commitment as any other profession.

Experience across a host of domains is one of the best features. A multi-skilled virtual assistant is an asset to any employer. Also, find out if the virtual assistant has the capacity to multi-task and manage multiple client assignments daily. Signing a non-disclosure agreement with your virtual assistant protects your interests as well as that of your clients. Finally, make sure that you payment terms are settled before you start work with your virtual assistant.

Business trends forecast an increase in the VA jobs. With minimum startup costs and good profit expectation, VA opportunities are also on the rise. We suggest an easy solution … Hire an eComVA specialist and you will never have to lose a good business opportunity again and you will have quality time with your family. Get Smart … Get your eComVA specialist now.

Author: Harshal Shah

Harshal Shah is CEO & Founder of Xhtmljunkies, Located in Gujarat, India, XHTML Junkies is one of the best companies that offer unique eCommerce solutions by the virtue of its dedicated professionals. Our professionals are extremely proficient in offering development services pertaining to eCommerce. You can find Harshal on Google+ and Twitter.