The Ideal Candidate for the Job | Do You Have the Right VA?

It's important, when selecting the right virtual assistant, to make sure that they possess the skills that qualify them as "the right fit" for your business needs. To understand and size-up the virtual professional you're considering, prepare for the interview ahead of time; it's essential to have a plan of action. Recognizing what you want in a VA, knowing the right questions to ask them, and understanding how to confirm the VA's credentials will lead you in the right direction and to the right virtual assistant for you.

Start with Knowing Yourself

First search yourself for some answers as to what you really want in an online business manager. What services or skills are most important to you, what programs do they need to be familiar with, and what kind of rapport should you have with them. Also think about the logistics; how will you be sending payment, how should they invoice you, will the work be hourly or project based, and would you be willing to sign a service agreement. These are just a few examples of things to assess about yourself before you actually begin speaking to potential candidates. 

Be Creative in Your Questions

Now that you know what you're looking for, it's time to prepare some questions for the VA's. When interviewing different candidates knowing how to ask the right questions will help you determine who lands the job. A list of questions to keep on hand might include the following:

Ø  How much experience do they have?

Ø  What professional certification do they hold?

Ø  What kind of education and training do they have in the field?

Ø  Ask them to talk about how they work virtually?

Ø  What kind of software do they use and what kind of office equipment do they have? (i.e. fax machine, scanner, web cam, etc)

Ø  What programs are they familiar with?

Ø  What types of skills do they have?

Ø  What skill do they specialize in?

Ø  What part of their work do they most enjoy?

Ask your candidates open-ended questions like these, and try to stay on point during the conversation. Take note when the applicant avoids or changes the subject; also recognize when the applicant "harps" or constantly refers to a particular subject. These tactics may divert your train of thought and may also act as red flags for you to consider.

Look for Flaws

After speaking with the candidates, validating their credentials will be a way to safeguard your time and efforts in engaging in business with a VA. A few ideas might include:

Ø  Getting references

Ø  Reviewing their portfolios

Ø  Giving an assignment to complete

Have them provide a list of references and contact them. Inquire as to whether they would work with the VA again and ask how they feel about the service that was offered to them. Also, have the candidates arrange a portfolio of their work for you to review. If you are looking for a VA with more specialized services like maintaining a website, writing blog articles, or social media management, you might want to consider requesting the candidates to complete an assignment. You could offer to pay them for this work or not; that's up to you. It will be the decision of the applicant as to whether they would like to proceed. Examples of an assignment might be writing an article or a few Twitter posts about a named topic of your choice. This is a perfect method of shaking loose those who are not serious about the position and will reveal the true skills and talents of those who are.

There is nothing like having a multi-skilled virtual assistant at your right hand; that's why working with a Virtual Executive Firm is so appealing.

When working with a firm like Hess Business Professionals & Associates, you have the advantage of being able to utilize all the skills that are offered by a variety of certified VA's all in one place. Professionals who specialize in remote skill sets like graphic designers, writers or editors, marketing managers, or online business managers will be just an email away. No need to go through the interview process over and over again every time you have a new project. Talk about made-to-order administrative support! Having confidence in your chosen VA firm will give you the peace of mind of knowing each virtual assistant you work with has proven themselves in the field and you will always know that you have the right VA!

Think Before You Leap: 10 Things You Should Consider Before You Contract a Virtual Professional

Whether I am working onsite or remotely, I always appreciate working with an individual who knows exactly what they want to accomplish. It is easier to plan, process, and proceed with an action with a little direction. Unfortunately, I assist more business professionals who “don’t know” what they want to achieve rather than those who do.

Here is what I suggest every business professional considers before they decide to contract a virtual professional:

1. Research the net so you have a better understanding of what a virtual professional does. For example, a virtual professional and a virtual assistant are one of the same. Well to some level! The term “virtual assistant” or “virtual professional” refers to a professional who provides a wide variety of administrative services from a remote location. Individuals who support small business owners and internet entrepreneurs with executive level support, like project management, will choose the title “virtual professional” over “virtual assistant” to brand themselves as an Executive Professional Assistant.

2. Research the going hourly or annual rate for an individual locally that holds this title and works onsite. Often you will discover that it is a lot less to contract an assistant than pay for employee wage fees. This will give you some idea of what you can expect a virtual professional to charge. For instance, if a data entry clerk makes $10 per hour when working 40 hours a week onsite, you can expect a virtual assistant to request $12 per hour. This is still less than what you would pay the government to hire an employee, especially when you factor in the cost of utilities, equipment, and benefits.

3. Understand what it is you want the virtual professional to do for you. Are you looking for someone to delegate the tedious daily tasks? Will you need an assistant that is an expert in accounting, marketing, or web development? Take a few minutes before you start your hunt and jot these things down.

4. Budget for a virtual professional. How much does your budget allow for? If you only desire a part-time assistant to help you organize your agenda, follow up on phone calls, and update your blog; a small monthly budget of $250 could be all you will need. Just remember that whatever you budget for stick to it.

5. Seek out a reputable bidding forum or job listing website to post your request for proposal. There are several sites that you can use like Guru, Elance, Odesk and Lime Exchange. Make sure your request is detailed. The more information you can provide; the better your chances of finding the ideal candidate.

6. Go directly to the source. An even better idea is to go directly to the source when looking for a virtual professional. Use Google to seek out virtual assistants and visit each site. By seeking out a professional assistant in this manner, you get a glimpse into their writing style. If the site has misspelled words or poor graphics, you know immediately that this is not the person you want.

7. Ask for references; not a RESUME. When you hire a virtual professional, you are not hiring an employee rather contracting a service. Therefore, a resume is not necessary. Instead, ask for business references and samples of prior work.

8. Prepare to let go of your confidential material. For a virtual professional to perform with excellence, they need to know the ins and outs about your business. This includes confidential passwords, user identification, and credit card information. You should be prepared to relinquish every document that is needed. The best practice is to have your virtual assistant sign a Confidentiality Agreement to protect you from any unlawful action.

9. Keep a business relationship. Since you are contracting an individual to perform business tasks on your behalf, you must be prepared to agree and sign a Service Agreement. This agreement often lists the project scope, expectations, responsibilities, payment terms, liability and other key business terms. It is a good practice to complete this agreement in its entirety.

10. Expect your virtual professional to request an “OPEN DOOR POLICY”. Simply put – you must communicate. Without the proper communication, this new relationship will not work. A good virtual professional will be able to guide you through what has worked for them in the past with other clients and provide you with some communication options. This often means the use of IM programs like Yahoo! IM, Skype, or email.


You want to be completely prepared when you call a prospective contractor. If you take the time to review these ten key points, you will be able to supply the information necessary to make this new business relationship work.

Complete Tasks with Less Effort: Improve Production

Every business owner has a task list that exceeds the length of their arm. With each new day that dawns, another item is thrown on the "to-do" list. Then of course, you are faced with prioritizing your list all over again. This is a continuous cycle that can result in low production and high stress.

Wouldn't you appreciate a service that could allow you to be less active in the "daily to-do" list and more productive in generating revenue?

Agenda management is just one small task virtual professionals perform. It goes hand in hand with email management and appointment setting. The process starts early in the morning with picking up your email, answering what needs to be addressed, deleting spam communications, and forwarding what needs your exclusive attention. From there the list is populated with additional tasks and prioritized on your behalf.

After a phone conversation, the priorities may be adjusted to suit your personal appeal but still nothing needs your hands-on attention. Your virtual professional has it all under control eliminating any reason to become stressed. By the end of the day, you can put your feet up and relax knowing that the minor to-do's for the day are being handled by someone who has a true passion for your business.

If you really want to pump up the production with less effort, you can take the agenda management services one step further.

Operating your business effectively can be done with less effort on your part. All you need is a good executive assistant on board. Your executive assistant can help you micromanage anything from setting up events to processing customer orders. If you can carry out the task in a traditional office setting, it can be done remotely from a virtual office.

Experienced virtual professionals are experts at micromanaging the day to day grind. No hand-holding is required! All effort is made to know how your business is operated. We manage customer relationships with integrity and your business as if it were our own.

Virtual Office Team Expansion

We are proud to announce the expansion of our virtual office team. Hess Business Professionals & Associates is reaching out to the unemployed business professional and stay-at-home mom. Through a number of certified programs, we plan to equip people with the right success tools to pursue a career in the virtual industry as a remote secretary, project manager, web coordinator or data entry specialist. The positions are endless!

The Certified Virtual Seal of Professionalism is a recognized emblem that tells the online community you’ve gained the knowledge and training, and are continuing your ongoing education in the virtual industry. You’ve earned the right to be called an expert in the virtual field.

If that isn’t enough to convince you to share in our excitement, all participants in this program will gain access to a virtual business mentor, who will provide them with ongoing advice and training as they build their business, for an entire year. This is an offer to stay connected and work as a Hess Business Professionals & Associates virtual subcontractor while pursuing a career of their own.

Joining our virtual office team expansion starts by first taking the free evaluation at http://www.certifiedvp.com.

We take all applications seriously, but to be a part of our associate team and uphold the policies and procedures of a true professional certification program, all participants must successfully complete the training to be considered for the CVP Subcontractor List. Hess Business Professionals & Associates LLC is a company that has been servicing the online community for more than a decade. We pride ourselves in delivering a performance unbeatable by our competitors with excellence and integrity.