Proven Tips for Hiring a Virtual Assistant in 2024

Hiring a virtual assistant (VA) is becoming more and more strategic, especially with AI and other technology on the rise!

With remote work becoming more advanced than ever, having a qualified VA can free up your time and make sure you’re still relevant in the virtual space 💯

But finding the right VA isn’t always straightforward.

So we’ve gathered some proven tips for hiring a virtual assistant from our veteran Recruitment Team at Outsourcing Angel 😇 We’ve matched hundreds of Australian and international businesses with VAs for over a decade!

Watch the video below to learn how our seasoned recruiters match VAs with business owners like you:

Whether you’re looking to delegate administrative tasks, customer support, or specialised roles like social media management, these tips will help you make an informed decision and streamline your hiring process 🚀

Here are some tips to keep in mind when hiring a virtual assistant in 2024:

Tip #1: Zero in on the soft skills
Tip #2: Help them learn and relearn
Tip #3: Encourage a sense of community and purpose
Tip #4: Put effort into reference checks
Tip #5: Know the VA’s story
Tip #6: Communicate everything at the outset
Tip #7: Try a personalised agency approach

Now let’s dive into each one!

Tip #1: Zero in on the soft skills

Abigail Kerr (Recruiter Specialist): In my opinion, candidates who are well suited for Outsourcing Angel should have a combination of [strong communication skills, proactiveness, adaptability, knowledge of tech, and integrity.]

Here in the virtual world, communication is always the key. Second would be [being] proactive and self-motivated. VAs should be able to take initiative, manage their time effectively and work independently. They should be able to start things on their own or seek your advice. They should manage their time and work without someone watching over them all the time.

Abigail Kerr is one of our Recruitment Specialists at Outsourcing Angel responsible for matching clients with the best VA candidates.

So number three would be adaptability and problem-solving. The ability to learn new things quickly can adapt to change.

Another one would be being a tech wizard. Things change really fast in the virtual world with the new tools and tech popping up all the time. VAs don’t have to know everything [in this area], but they should be able to learn new tools quickly and know how to find information online. Google is your best friend!

Lastly, integrity. Doing the work even without the client monitoring you. So in short, VAs should demonstrate a high level of professionalism, a proactive attitude, and a willingness to learn and grow.

Tip #2: Help them learn and relearn

Wendy Villar (Recruitment Team Lead): We don’t spoon-feed VAs. We always empower them to really have self-awareness in the areas that they’d like to be proficient in or upskill their proficiency.

If they are not willing to go outside of their comfort zone to really relearn or learn something new, or to learn a new way of going about the work that they’re used to doing, no effort would be effective. So it comes with the accountability from the VA.

Of course, we have touchpoints with them. We have check-ins with them, where we ask them a battery of questions so we could figure out which area they are interested in upskilling.

Wendy Villar is our General Manager and one of our veteran virtual assistant recruiters—she has been in the business for over 10 years and is currently leading the Recruitment Team.

But of course, at the end of the day, we ask them, is this something you want to do? Because if you say, yes, we’re going to be all on board with all the things that you need to learn, as long as it’s aligned to their VA service to the client.

Tip #3: Encourage a sense of community and purpose

Anika Lapasaran (Recruiter Specialist): [When recruiting,] ensure that every VA stays updated on their application progress. We make sure to have regular virtual meetings for VAs [after onboarding] to share their experience and challenges and provide support. This is facilitated by our VOM or Virtual Office Manager.

Within the internal admin department, we arrange team-building activities like company trips and local meet-ups. As you know, the Philippines is composed of [separate] islands, so our local meetups and online games are just to bring us closer and show how important each VA is. This way, everyone will feel appreciated.

Anika Lapasaran is another one of our Recruitment Specialists and pre-screens VA candidates for business owners, among other responsibilities.

Tip #4: Put effort into reference checks

Wendy Villar (Recruitment Team Lead): We put in place a lot of background checks and reference checks so that we make sure that whatever the candidates claim they are proficient at doing is confirmed and attested. So somebody claims or somebody confirms that they can actually do it.

We find it really amazing that candidates have really good references to really confirm what they have contributed previously to their own team. And it’s so amazing and heartwarming if you see all these previous clients or previous colleagues putting in such good words and admiration for how the integrity of these VAs is put into work, especially if they have really contributed well to their company in the past.

Tip #5: Know the VA’s story

Wendy Villar (Recruitment Team Lead): One thing that we noticed when it comes to the VAs who are usually successful with their applications is they align with the client’s story.

Our clients have their own stories of how they brought up their business, how they came up with such amazing ideas, and how they enjoyed really seeing it through to scale and until it became a success. So along with their story, their origin story, clients these days are very, very interested in the story of the VAs—how they came to be, where they started working, which niche of businesses they have supported previously, their reason for these things not working out and their future plans for their career progression.

So a lot of times clients always ask the candidates, “What are you working on right now? In the next few years, where do you see yourself?” So they’d like to be part of your ongoing story as a VA. So that’s why it’s very important that we always make sure that our candidates are prepared to really share all these stories and be comfortable sharing where they’re coming from and where they’re headed because that’s what most clients are really interested in.

Tip #6: Communicate everything at the outset

Abigail Kerr (Recruiter Specialist): The toughest part of pairing VAs with clients is finding the perfect fit. It’s like putting together puzzle pieces, making sure the skills and personality are aligned with the client’s needs. So we aim for natural fit, ensuring both VAs and clients thrive together.

Sometimes, clients may not know what exactly they need, so we help them to figure it out so we can find a perfect VA for the job. Matching a VA’s availability with the client’s workload can also be a puzzle. Some of our clients work on Australian time, on a morning shift, but we do get clients who work mid-shift and graveyard shift, so we just need to make sure that everyone’s on the same schedule. Also seeing VAs receive their earned performance incentives for a job well done [is important].

Tip #7: Try a personalised agency approach

Wendy Villar (Recruitment Team Lead): We’ve been in the business since 2015. It’s a very personalised approach to finding VAs. We go through the tedious process of vetting, processing, referencing, and confirming the qualifications of the VAs that we put forward for you to review and meet during the interview.

We try to really align with your needs. We try to understand what your current time sync situations are so that the VAs that we put forward have the skills, the background, the experience and the know-how to really support you exactly where you need support.

Virtual assistants are a superior remote work solution

In an increasingly virtual world, virtual assistants are still a reliable remote work solution for business owners.

The advancements in AI have been significant and certainly impacted how businesses operate. But at the current time, it still cannot replace a high-functioning VA. And if you hire a VA who has a good grasp of AI and other emerging tech, they’re going to bring so much value to your team! 🧑‍💻