It’s a new year and you have new goals – one of which is to hire some help. But, are you ready to hire the right person?
Ask Yourself These 3 Questions Before Hiring an Assistant
Hiring an assistant can be a great way to expand your business and your services. While she’s taking care of the administrative portion of your business, you can focus on your clients and the money-making tasks. However, don’t jump into the interview process without first asking yourself these questions:
1. What kind of person do I want to hire?
Do you want someone who is just starting out so you can train them in the way you like things done or do you want someone with experience who can just run with a job until it’s complete? Do you want someone in the same time zone? Do you want someone with experience in supporting a business like yours?
2. How much can you afford to invest in an assistant?
If you’re overburdened with your own work and business isn’t moving forward, hiring an assistant is a smart move. Look at your books and realistically determine a budget for this assistant and stick to it. Keep in mind, the more experienced and capable the assistant, the larger the hourly wage.
3. What tasks will the assistant take over?
Know ahead of time what tasks you need to delegate so you can determine in the interview if this is the right assistant for the job. Walking into an agreement with a “I’ll get you a list of tasks in a few days” attitude is bound to fail. Just as you want to find the perfect help, the interviewee wants to know you – their client – is serious about their business and will forward tasks on a consistent basis.
Tips for the Interview Process
When you interview candidates, listen for their level of professionalism so you can assess if they care for their clients’ businesses as much as their own. Even in a virtual setting, you’ll want a professional who will always complete a project within the deadline rather than one who gives you one excuse after another as to why it’s not done yet. Be clear about your own communication preferences and expectations. Do you want an assistant who will check-in by phone daily or do you want email updates only as needed?
Engage in a regular interview process when hiring a virtual assistant. Don’t simply hire the first person who shows an interest. Ask your network for referrals or introductions to assistants in their network. Review resumes or candidate portfolios and interview those who meet your initial criteria. Potential virtual assistants are interested in learning more about you, too, and the conversation will be a great way to confirm that you are a good fit to work together.
Hiring Complete!
If you’ve hired well, it’s likely that your new virtual assistant will become such a valuable member of your team that you can’t remember how you ever got by without them. And, when you’re ready to grow your team again, you’ll have the process and experience to hire additional staff easily.