I recently had a business buddy ask me about hiring VAs.
While chatting with him about hiring platforms and how I pay my assistants, I realized I didn’t have a resource about hiring virtual assistants.
Well, here’s my simple VA Hiring Process.
Let’s dig in!
Step 1: Virtual Assistants are People – not a robot army
I know.
Seems simple.
But it’s easy to forget.
I think it’s because you’re usually not in the same city (or country).
And also because if you hire internationally, you might be paying at a lower rate than your local market.
So, I advise you to enact the golden rule.
It’s simple.
Treat others the way you’d like to be treated.
Do that, and you’ll get great people that want to work with you for years!
Step 2: Be clear about the job your VA will complete
I’ve found that I need to make a VA hire when I do something repeatedly.
Either I don’t like it.
Or, even if I like it, it’s holding me back from growing because it’s taking m time.
Even if it’s only 5 hours per week.
It’s time to get some help!
These are 5 hours I can focus elsewhere.
Here’s what you need to know.
If you are running around like a chicken with its head cut off and looking for help – Stop!
Handing over your madness to a VA will not be helpful.
You must be clear about what your needs are before you go to hire your new contractor.
You don’t have to be an expert at what you’re hiring for, but you need a clear understanding.
If you don’t understand the task (design, writing, marketing, development, etc.), then you need to get this first.
Ok, so you have a job that you need help with.
Now, we need to get out there and find the perfect candidate.
Step 3: Hire the Perfect VA
There are tons of great websites where you can hire great folks.
I’ve hired folks from…
Facebook groups
Upwork
Freelancer (you get $20 with that link)
Craigslist
I have hired folks on every platform above in the last 12-24 months.
People often talk about where the best workers for certain types of work are.
While there is some truth to this, the world is a big place.
There are great (and not-so-great) workers everywhere.
Currently, my team lives in India, Pakistan, Kenya, the Philippines, and good ‘ole America.
Be clear with your job description.
Don’t be afraid to have a bit of a chat before you hire for work.
Pay for some sample work.
They’re testing out working with you just as much as you are with them!
And I’ve got some key things I do in my hiring process.
I go into some of my VA hiring secrets in this video here.
Step 4: How to Communicate
Yes, you can use email.
That’s usually where we start.
But most of the communication with my team happens in Whatsapp and Slack (we use both depending on the project).
Whatsapp (run from desktop or mobile) is perfect if you’re just starting out.
You can add files, leave voice memos, or attach files.
The conversations are also easy to search.
Step 5: Project Management Tools
If you already use a tool for managing your projects, just use that.
I know folks that love Clickup.
Our team uses Trello (I’ve been a user since before they sold their company to Atlassian).
These tools are perfect because it’s a great hub for your folks.
Let’s see you create video projects.
You can set up your team on a board.
They can be notified when they’re needed for a task (like editing or creating thumbnail images).
It’s easy to collaborate with multiple team members in this way.
Once they ‘get that work did’ they’re gonna want to get paid!
Step 6: How to Pay your VA team member
It’s time to pay for the goods!
If you hire via the Upwork or Freelancer platforms, they have a built in payment system.
They work well. The downfall is that the fees can be high (it’s a way the platforms generate revenue).
*after you’ve worked with a contractor for a while, you may both decide to manage hours an and payments in your own way.
Paypal works, but I’ve heard countless friends have nightmares with Paypal over the last few years.
Things like Paypal holding their funds for things that seem like ‘no reason at all’ really.
I have not had these issues.
Then we found Wise.
It’s GREAT.
And 90% of payments to my contractors go through Wise.
It’s fast, and it saves both sides money on fees.
I’m a huge fan and don’t see any reason to use anything different.
Here is my referral link – (you might get a bonus for using it?)
I’ve sent more than $20,000 with Wise, and I discuss it more in this video.
(I’m happy to answer any questions in the YouTube comments!)
Step 7: Some Additional VA Tips
Ok, it’s time for you to take some action.
I have many friends that talk about hiring a VA for help, but they don’t.
I now realize what thing they all have in common.
They’re just not sure how to go about it.
And they’re not clear on what the VA will do.
I get it.
I was there.
Here’s what I did.
I hired my first VA and started small.
I promised him somewhere between 5-10 hours a week.
It was on me to develop the jobs and training for him.
After we got a few jobs going consistently, we increased to 10-15 hours.
Then to about 25 hours.
For the last year, he’s been full-time.
We just started small and grew.
So stop reading this article.
Grab a pen and a sheet of paper.
Use my VA hiring process and take action!
Make a list of 10 potential items someone can help you with.
Create a job posting (one of the sites I mentioned above).
Hire them for a job.
Pay them.
If they do well, hire them for 5 hours per week.
And then you can grow together.
Good luck!
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