How and when to hire a virtual assistant

You know that voice…

It starts out as a gentle nudge in the back of your mind, a whisper of a thought…

It says….

Maybe someone else could do this? 

Then it grows a little louder with… 

Maybe my time and talents would be better spent working on my GENIUS work? 

And then before you know it becomes a GIANT tumbleweed of urgency?

I NEED HELP!!! Aaaaahhhhh!

You there?

Then you’re WAY PAST TIME to hire an assistant and bring on team.

It’s much better to make that hire and grow your team before that level of urgency sets in.

When you’re already in overwhelm, you might not have the bandwidth to think through and thoroughly assess what you need.

Start a wee bit earlier OR if you’re already in overwhelm…create a little time and space and copy my system.

1) First, I started with some list keeping.

I love me a good list. It takes the chaos in my head and instantly makes order. Ahhhh…

I wrote down everything I could think of that I could use help with as well as the salient qualities I was looking for in an assistant.

Do this for a week or so, keeping Evernote or a Google Doc open on your browser and kept adding to your list.

2) Ask for referrals.

You could ask your business coach or biz colleagues.

You could ask in groups on Facebook.

I’d much rather have someone who’s referred as there’s a bit more skin in the game when you’re running in the same circles.

You’ll also get lots of input about the great, the bad, the ugly of working with VAs. Lots of “learn from my experience” stories.

There are excellent VA companies as well–get a recommendation to one!

3) Reach out to the referrals.

Use this step as a way to filter people. In your email, ask them specific questions or use an online application form.

Make sure there is some detailed element that they need to respond to. This is your filter for thoroughness and details.

Do they answer thoroughly? Do you like their responses? Are there typos? (The small things count.)

4) Dig deeper into what you need

I looked at all the work I had and prioritized it… What would really help me get to the next level, not just take work off my hands? 

I ranked what was most important and colored coded the tasks. (Yup. I really did.)

Then, I thought through interview questions that would help me get to know them and to see how they’d approach the kind of work I had.

5)  Interviews.

I suggest setting up Skype calls so you can meet them “face-to-face”.

Pay attention to how they answer questions and what their thought process is.

Do they ask you questions for more clarification? Are they confident in their skills? Did they bring up solutions that are new to you and make sense? Are they clear communicators? 

Pay attention to their energy and vibe, and how you feel when speaking with them.

6) Decide

Ultimately, you’ll have some good options from which to choose.

There are variables in style, energy, cost, experience, and technology know-how.

What is MOST important to you?

I also suggest having your final candidates do a Kolbe assessment.

Don’t know what the Kolbe is?

It’s a way to assess your strengths.

For most entrepreneurs, we’re what’s called “quick starts”… we like to get things done right away when the idea strikes us. (I’m off the charts in the quick start category. How about you? Do you know what your work style is?)

Although we’re quick starts, we’re not so great at the stuff that comes after the initial burst of energy.

You need someone who’s great at the details and follow-through.

Purchase a Kolbe for your top two candidates. It’s worth it.

Assess the results and choose.

And finally, don’t settle…

If you can’t find someone who has all the qualifications, consider splitting the job in two and hiring the right person for each part.

If you have any misgivings about someone, listen to that. Your gut reaction is telling you important information. Don’t just say yes because they look good on paper.

Get exactly what you want.