A virtual assistant is a very popular and in-demand position nowadays; almost every Amazon seller need at someplace in its course of business the Virtual assistant, helping him rush through different challenges and solving various obstacles along the way. When hiring a virtual assistant, one should be mindful of the mistakes that occur in the hiring process,
Not setting clear goals
The business owners make a ubiquitous and grave mistake in not setting clear goals when hiring a virtual assistant, leading to devastation in the middle of the job when the virtual assistant is burdened with different jobs other than his specialties.
Other than this, don’t assume that your virtual assistant knows what issue you are facing, and he can handle it by just asking for an assistant. This approach is entirely wrong; you and your best virtual assistant need to be on the same page, and you should explain the situation that needs resolving right away; this will help your assistant know your goals, and he can do a lot better after the specificity of the problem and can look at his role whether it is unlocking it for the company or not. Furthermore, clarity on your goals and your mission regarding which you hired the assistant will help avoid miscommunication and frustration.
Not listing clear expectations
Your assistant needs to be very clear on the expectations of his work, the scope and extent of his work, and how you expect him to do the job. Again, establishing it early that your assistant knows about the job and what they are getting into, a job description can be helpful here. When you are putting the position out and writing the description, summarize your desire skillset and working arrangement, required specifications and other preferences that you need should be listed rather than arguing later on it.
No standard operating procedures
When you are working virtually and providing your services, you need to document your SOPs; if you have not done so, take your time to list your procedures with details on how these processes will be executed. Listing your SOPs holds very significance on your work profile and helps the company filter out the necessary assistant for them; this makes the case easier to handle by the company, and for the assistant, chances are increased in case the SOPs are listed in details describing every aspect of the skillset and its application.
Not taking time to train your assistant
Hiring a virtual assistant is one thing, but assuming he can carry out the work done by the previous assistant is gibberish. Believing these things can be very devastating for your business, and this is a grave mistake to consider considering the stakes of your business. It is advisable to train your assistant to catch up with the company’s current work and with the previous work done by the assistant, ensuring the smooth flow of your company’s performance and the better pace of the assistant to carry up all the tasks pending.
Training your newly hired assistant is very helpful; it ensures a smooth company workflow, which makes the company work more assertive and more authentic. Training not only helps the assistant work with the company more effectively but also gets to know the workflow of the company, helping the company work smoothly and effectively.
Not auditing your applicants
When you give notice of the position vacancy, you will find a lot of applicants that will apply for the position upholding, filling your inbox with a number of the applications. Before hiring a virtual assistant, you need to interview him about his position because this will help you avoid a lot of trouble in the future.
If you don’t follow the steps of the interview, you will not be sure whether you have handed your business to the right person or not because, after all, it is your business, your responsibility for which you are answerable.
When any virtual assistant course, you can go for a video chat on the applicant’s cv, or you can ask them to follow some tests to verify their skills in their niche; also, a background check can be helpful in some cases.
Not prepared for the remote work
If you are looking for a virtual assistant, you need to be sure that the person you are hiring is ready to work remotely or has some experience doing so because, in the end, the person you are hiring is going to be responsible for your business reputation and the working of the system.
You and your assistant should be in sync with your business point of view, and he has earned enough trust from you that you can walk away anytime, and your business is in good hands. Another thing, do some research before working with the virtual assistant asking around the persons who had worked with any assistant can guide you better in this regard.
Don’t hire a virtual assistant for a task
This mistake is made among very business owners they hire the virtual assistant for a task only rather than having them for a long term project, and this is a big mistake on their part; looking for outcomes rather than fulfilling a task will do wonders on your business and has more beneficial effects on your business allowing you enjoy more benefits of the virtual assistant. When given the independence, time and flexibility to your assistant to adapt to your preferences and take over responsibilities, it will reduce your workload and stress levels induced before you have any assistant.
Don’t hire an assistant for too many tasks
What companies are doing they are looking for a scapegoat for all virtual related tasks, so looking for all in one package so that he can do everything for you, rather you can hire more than one assistant dividing the workload of one person, if you don’t do so you will not be able to secure any more assistants for the single task as of multiple tasks.
Final words
Companies make quite fine mistakes when looking for a virtual assistant, and they ignore very basic and simple steps in the process to do so; keeping in mind those points can help you secure a better and worthy assistant.
