Client: Preparing to search for a great VA

Finding a virtual assistant can be time consuming and tedious, but it doesn't have to be difficult. There are plenty of easy steps to take to ensure you are finding quality assistants that specialize in the work you are looking for. Just like you, assistants have things that they excel at and enjoy doing. If you go into the process without having any expectations or needs for the VA, you will end up hiring one that isn't a great fit for your work. By preparing yourself before searching, you’ll have a much easier time finding a VA that will work for your needs.

People hire VAs for a variety of reasons, but the main purpose is to get help. Once you decide what tasks you want to hire out, you can find someone who excels in those skills. 

• Common Tasks

  • Take a look at two different things when thinking about what you are hiring a VA for: things you don’t excel at but still want done, and things you can do, but by delegating them to someone else you will save time and money. The first one is easy - everyone has an idea of things you don’t like to do. The second one is harder. One way to find out what you should be delegating is to keep track of how much time you are spending on each task. If you are charging your clients $100/hr, and it takes you half an hour to complete your expense reporting for said client, it would be financially beneficial to hire someone to do the task in the same amount of time, for half the price. If your VA charges $50/hr, and they are able to complete your spreadsheets and expenses in the same amount of time, you still come out $50 in the positive, and you have that half hour back to focus on the things that make your business profitable and amazing. Having a hard time thinking of things for a VA to do, or don’t know where to start? Take a look at the VA Skills Checklist and check off what you can delegate out.

• Expectations

  • You both will benefit from you setting your expectations before an initial consultation. How many hours do you want them to be available a week? What programs do they already need to have experience with? Do you want a contractor, part time employee, or full time employee? Maybe you’re looking for someone that has interest in what your company focuses on, or maybe you need someone that lives in state but can work from home. The Virtual Assistant Requirements Form will help you answer questions you want to have ready before finding your next amazing support person. 

  • It can be hard deciding these things without really thinking about what you need. Focus on your top 5 priorities in tasks for a VA to do. Maybe it makes more sense to hire more than one - one that is a stellar accountant, one that is a social media wizard, and one that books travel like nobody’s business. If you expect one person to be able to do a little bit of everything, they will excel at nothing. 

  • You should always include a salary. Sometimes people don’t list any financial information on a job posting, and they risk losing out on amazing people because nobody wants their time wasted.  If you aren’t organized enough to figure out your budget in hiring a VA, many qualified people won’t want to work for you. Some worry that if you list a number, unqualified people will still apply because they like the range. And while they will do that, you’ll find out when you connect with them if they are really up to the task or not. Nobody wants to do the song and dance of “So what are your rates?”, when you can mitigate the awkwardness by being upfront and transparent with your budget. 

  • When thinking about rates, it’s always important to remember that there is a big difference in rates between contractors and employees (both part and full time). It’s easy to look at $50/hr and think “They’d be making a higher salary than I am!” You have to take a look at the real cost of labor. If you hire a contractor, you arent paying for their benefits (insurance, vacation, 401k, stocks, etc) or their payroll taxes. You’re also not paying for their equipment, overhead, or training. Even though their hourly rate may be higher than an employee, the additional benefits usually mean an employee costs more overall. There’s an awesome article on Employee vs Consultant costs if you’re interested in the nitty gritty. 

  • It’s also important to know what you can ask of a contractor, legally. I’m not a lawyer (much to the disappointment of my parents), so please do not take this as legal advice. My experience is only as a US based contractor with US clients, so it is always good to check with your local rules and regulations.  With more and more changes happening around the role of an independent contractor in the US, it can be even more complicated to make sure you are compliant with both your state, the state your VA is in, the IRS. But a few things are very clear across the board:

    • You cannot control how a contractor does a job. You’re paying for the result, not the process. That means you cannot dictate that a contractor works 9-5, or give them a direct supervisor. 

    • An independent contractor is usually paid by a flat fee for the job vs a wage that an employee has. However, it is common in some professions to pay independent contractors hourly.

    • A contractor cannot provide key services of your business. For example, if your business specializes in graphic design, you wouldn’t hire a contractor that is a graphic designer. That implies an employer-employee relationship. However, you could hire an office assistant for your graphic design business, as office work isn't your key aspect of your business.