Hiring a virtual assistant can be an excellent way of increasing your company productivity whilst, at the same time, reducing your overall operational expenditure. Once the best kept secret of online entrepreneurs and tech start ups, more and more people are beginning to see the clear advantages that VA outsourcing can deliver.
No doubt you've already heard about those benefits, perhaps because you saw a piece about virtual assistants on TV, or read about them in books, magazines or online. Perhaps some of your competitors are reaping the rewards already and you want to get in on the action. Whatever the reason, if you've decided that you want to hire one, but are not sure how to go about hiring one, read on.
Finding a Virtual Assistant
The first step to working with a virtual assistant is finding one. This can be a stumbling block in and of itself. Instinctively the first place anyone will start to look is on Google though because it's such a broad term you may be best off using a search term related to your specific requirements, ideally something as narrow as possible, for example, "real estate virtual assistant Arizona ". If you find a company be sure and Google their name and check out their social networking profiles.
This way you get a better insight into the type of person or organization you are dealing with. Some, you will find, are solo VAs, working on their own full time or they may be stay-at-home moms working part time. Alternatively you may also come across multi-va companies. These come in many different shapes and sizes though the most common are VA Agencies or outsourcing agencies.
A VA agency works similar to how a recruitment or temp agency does. The employer contacts the agency who then assigns a VA to work with the employer directly, based upon the employer's specific needs. Some agencies even allow the employer to interview candidates directly. With an outsourcing agency, rather than being assigned individual VAs, the employer instead deals with an experienced project manager. The PM then handles everything on the employer's behalf. Many employers find this method to be a more efficient use of time and resources. This is particularly true if the VAs are based in a different country / region to the employer, eg a US-based company outsourcing work to India, or if the nature of the work is outside of the employer's skill-set and they therefore find it easier to delegate to someone better qualified.
Finally, for those who prefer the more hands-on approach, one can also find candidates via freelancing websites such as Elance or Freelancer.com. Here the employer creates a project, along with a description, requirements and budget, and individuals or companies then bid accordingly. The advantage here is that the employer can view feedback from past employers and discuss the project in more detail with candidates before awarding the project to the most suitable bidder. Freelancing sites also allow for milestone payments and arbitration in the event of a dispute making them a great way to dip ones toes into the world of outsourcing and virtual assistance in a safe, controlled environment.