How NOT to Hire Your First Virtual Assistant

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring Your First Virtual Assistant

This is a guest post by Terra Bohlmann.

Starting your own business can be one of the most exciting things in your life. As a business owner, it is common for your business to become so intertwined with your everyday life that it leads to burn out…especially if you are doing everything on your own.

My life changed after I hired my first virtual assistant.

There were certain things I knew when I went to hire my first assistant:

• I knew I needed help if I was going to grow my business.
• I run my business from home so I knew I didn’t want someone working right next to me in my home office (my house is chaos enough).
• I knew my budget that I could afford to pay an assistant (wasn’t big bucks, either).
• I knew I didn’t have time to hand-hold someone 24/7.
• I knew I was overwhelmed with all the things I had to get done to get my business where I wanted it.

Then the light bulb went off. I needed a VIRTUAL assistant.

Regardless of everything I knew…there were things I definitely didn’t know that cost me time and money. I want to share with you the 5 things you should NOT do when hiring your first virtual assistant.

1) Don’t hire the first person willing to help you.

Obvious, right? Well, it wasn’t for me. I literally hired the first person who reached out to me after I put an ad on a job board. We struck up an email conversation and had good rapport, so I hired her. I was so desperate for help that I hired the first person to apply. You should take your time to review multiple applicants to get the best fit for your business. I do this now only because hindsight is 20/20.

2) Don’t be afraid to negotiate on price.

Get the applicant to give you their expected hourly rate before you throw out a number. It is most likely that the number will be either lower (yay!) or higher than you expected. If it is higher, don’t be afraid to push back and say what your budget allows. You can always agree to give a raise within a certain time period if your assistant is doing a great job. Your job as a business owner is to make sure you stay within your budget so you can continue business. (If not, you are both out of a job).

3) Don’t offer a permanent, full-time job right away.

Another mistake to avoid is to assume you have to hire someone full-time. You should always start a virtual assistant on a “trial basis.” Feel out how you work together. Is she doing a good job? Is she going above and beyond your expectations? Does she deliver tasks on time? Better yet, hire someone part-time to see how it works out. If things are going smoothly, then you can expand the position to full-time.

4) Don’t pass up the opportunity to reach out to references.

Besides just asking for references, reach out to each reference. Ask the reference to tell you the strengths and weaknesses about your potential hire. You will learn a lot from other people who have been in your shoes. This information is critical in making an informed decision on who to hire as your first virtual assistant.

5) Don’t assume a virtual assistant has all the skills to do the job.

Everyone has a different image in their head of what a virtual assistant can do for them. Remember, you know your business more than anyone else. Don’t assume that anyone can do what you do on day 1. It’s best to start the tasks out small and let your virtual assistant prove to you that she can handle more.

On the flip side, don’t assume that your virtual assistant is not capable of doing complex tasks. I learned to give a hard task to a new virtual assistant right away to see how she handles it. It’s not that I expect her to be perfect, but I want to see how she handles asking for help. I do this to understand how I can best help her be successful. Then, I offer training to help her grow her skill set.

Investing in a virtual assistant pays you back ten times when you know you hired the right person.

Your Turn

[From Liz] Have you ever hired an assistant? Any tips you’d add to Terra’s list? Did you find this post useful? Let us know in the comments!

photo credit: Terra Bohlmann

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About the Author

Terra Bohlmann, PMP, is the founder of TheWorkingHouse.com and author of “The Boss in Bunny Slippers” and “Think Outside of the Coffee Shop: 47 Interesting Places to Host Meetings When You Work from Home.” She serves the work-at-home community and provides online training and coaching to small business owners. She believes in empowering entrepreneurs to give them the budget-friendly tools and techniques used by big corporations.

Stay connected with Terra on Facebook (TheWorkingHouse), Twitter (@TheWorkingHouse), YouTube (TheWorkingHouseTV) and her blog.

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