As a small business owner or startup founder, you’re juggling everything—strategy, growth, customer service, and countless daily tasks. But what if you could offload those time-consuming tasks to someone else, allowing you to focus on what really matters?
That’s where a virtual assistant (VA) comes in—your secret weapon for staying ahead without burning out. Whether it’s managing your inbox, handling customer inquiries, or keeping your social media on point, a VA frees up your time and mental energy so you can drive your business toward bigger goals. Ready to see how a VA can fit into your business? Let’s dive in.
What is a Virtual Assistant?
Think of a virtual assistant (VA) as your right-hand person—just not physically in the office. A VA is a remote professional who handles tasks that you don’t have time for or that pull you away from growing your business. Whether it’s providing administrative support work, technical support, or creative projects, a VA steps in and gets things done without being in the same location as you.
One of the best parts? VAs work remotely, often from their home office or a co-working space. This means you’re not tied to local talent—you can hire someone from anywhere in the world with the exact skills you need. VAs can help with anything from managing emails to customer service, social media marketing, content creation, or even bookkeeping. By delegating these tasks, you free up your time to focus on what you do best: running your business.
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Why Should You Hire a Virtual Assistant?
Hiring a virtual assistant lightens your load. If you’ve ever wished for more hours in the day, a VA might just be the answer. By handing off time-consuming admin tasks elsewhere, you can focus on the big picture—like business development, strategy, and driving revenue.
If you don’t have an assistant, you are the assistant.
Cost is another big win here. For example, hiring a VA from a country like the Philippines often means you’ll pay a fraction of what you would for in-house help, without compromising quality. This cost efficiency lets you allocate more resources toward growth and less toward overhead.
And don’t forget, VAs bring a wide range of skills to the table. Whether you need help with data entry, social media management, customer service support, administrative services or something more specialized like web development, there’s a VA out there who can meet your needs. Plus, you have the flexibility to scale up or down depending on your workload, without the hassle of traditional hiring.
Which Administrative Tasks to Hand Off to Your VA?
The key to a successful relationship with your VA is knowing which tasks to delegate. Start by looking at your to-do list and identifying the repetitive, time-consuming tasks that don’t require your personal touch.
Examples of tasks to delegate include:
- Data entry and organization
- Calendar management and scheduling
- Email sorting
- Social media management
- Research
- Basic graphic design or editing
- Customer service
- Booking travel arrangements
The beauty of hiring a VA is that you can customize their role to fit your needs. Need help with SEO, content uploads, or even some coding? There’s a VA for that.
But remember, VAs aren’t meant to handle everything. Delegate tasks that don’t require your specific expertise, so you can focus on what only you can do: steering your business.
Where to Find a Virtual Assistant?
When it comes to hiring a virtual assistant, you’ve got two main options: go the DIY route on a platform like Upwork or Fiverr, or let a platform like Arc handle the heavy lifting for you.
Hiring on Freelance Platforms vs. Arc
The DIY Approach on Freelance Marketplaces
Sites like Upwork or Fiverr offer a pool of freelancers with a range of specialized skills here. You can often find great talent at competitive rates, especially if you’re open to hiring from countries with a lower cost of living. Direct communication with candidates makes it easier to find the right fit.
But here’s the catch: it’s time-consuming. You’ll need to write detailed job descriptions on posts, sift through applications, conduct interviews, and manage the onboarding process yourself. Even with reviews and ratings, it’s tough to gauge someone’s true capabilities without extensive vetting.
Arc’s Stress-Free Solution
Arc simplifies hiring a remote assistant by handling everything—including sourcing and vetting the best candidates. We’ll help find the right VA based on your specific needs and even take care of all the paperwork. Arc is all about making remote hiring easy, so you can save time and avoid the hassles of DIY hiring.
If you’d rather focus on running your business than getting bogged down in the minutia of the hiring process, Arc might be the way to go.
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How Much Does It Cost to Hire Virtual Assistants?
The cost of hiring a virtual assistant will vary depending on location, experience level, and the type of tasks you need help with.
Location: If you hire a VA from countries like the Philippines, India, or other regions with a lower cost of living, you can expect to pay anywhere from $5 to $15 per hour for general administrative support tasks. In contrast, hiring a VA from the United States, Canada, or Western Europe might cost between $20 and $40 per hour or more.
Experience and Skills: The more specialized the skills, the higher the cost. For instance, a VA who handles basic administrative tasks like email management and data entry for multiple clients will generally cost less than one with expertise in areas like SEO, web development, or advanced graphic design. Experienced VAs with a proven track record of specialized services can command higher rates, ranging from $15 to $50 per hour, depending on their skill set.
Full-Time vs. Part-Time: You can hire VAs on an hourly basis, part-time, or full-time. If you’re looking for full-time virtual assistance only, some VAs might offer a discounted rate. For example, a full-time VA from the Philippines might cost between $800 to $1,500 per month, while in higher-cost regions, this could range from $2,000 to $5,000 per month.
Hiring Through an Agency vs. Direct Hiring: If you use a third-party service provider, the cost might be higher because they handle the vetting, hiring, and onboarding processes for you. This could add a premium of 10-20% on top of the VA’s hourly rate. However, this cost might be worth it for the time and effort you save.
Overall, the cost of hiring a virtual assistant is flexible and can be tailored to fit your budget and business needs.
Read More: How to Pay Freelancers: A Complete Guide for 2024
How to Write a Job Description That Works
When you’re hiring a virtual assistant, the job description is crucial. Get this part right, and you’re halfway to finding the perfect VA.
Be Clear and Specific: Outline exactly what personal and professional marketing tasks your VA will handle. Instead of saying “manage social media,” say, “create and schedule posts, engage with followers, and track analytics on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.”
Highlight the Must-Haves: List the skills and qualifications your VA absolutely needs. If they need to be a whiz with Excel or have top-notch writing project management skills, say so upfront.
Give Some Context: Let candidates know about your company and what you value. This helps attract people who align with your culture.
Mention What’s in it for Them: Even a short note on perks like flexible hours or opportunities for growth can make a difference in attracting top candidates.
Here’s an example of an actual VA job description used by founder Calvin Rosser as a reference:
By being clear, specific, and upfront, you’ll attract the right candidates and set the stage for a successful working relationship.
The Importance of Assessments
Assessing a candidate’s skills before hiring is crucial. Doing a skills assessment ensures you don’t waste time and money making a hire that’s not the right fit for what you actually need.
Assign a paid test task that reflects the work they’ll be doing. This allows you to see how they handle the work, their attention to detail, and their ability to follow instructions.
While setting up these assessments can be time-consuming, they’re invaluable for ensuring you hire someone who can truly deliver. If you’re strapped for time, services like Arc can manage this process for you, vetting candidates so you only meet with the best.
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FAQs When Hiring Your First Virtual Assistant
How Do I Get Candidates to Apply?
Once you’ve posted your job on a platform like Upwork, it’s a good idea to proactively invite candidates to apply. Start by filtering for candidates who meet your specific criteria. For example, if you’re looking for someone from the Philippines who charges around $7 per hour and has positive reviews from previous clients, focus on that group. Invite a few promising candidates to apply, then wait a day or two to see who responds.
How Do I Review Candidate Applications?
When the applications start rolling in, it’s time to evaluate them. Look for candidates who meet your key criteria: strong written English skills, relevant experience, and good reviews from past clients. Narrow it down to the top three to five candidates.
Once you have your shortlist, reach out to each candidate and let them know they’ve been selected to complete an assessment. Give them clear instructions and a deadline—typically, 72 hours is reasonable. You’ll pay each candidate for their time on the assessment, usually around $10, so your total cost for this part of the process will be $30 to $50.
How Do I Evaluate the Assessments?
After receiving the completed assessments, review them holistically. Ask yourself if you’d be happy with the work if the candidate were part of your team. Is the quality at a level where you wouldn’t need to micromanage?
Next, evaluate the candidate’s performance on each core skill you’ve identified as important. Rate them on a scale of 0 (terrible) to 5 (excellent). While it’s rare to find someone who scores perfectly across the board, anyone scoring a 0 on a critical skill, like English proficiency, should be eliminated from consideration.
From this pool, invite the top two candidates for a Zoom interview.
What Do I Ask in the Interview?
The final interview is your opportunity to get to know the candidate better and assess their fit for the role. Be intentional about the questions you ask. On the technical side, inquire about their experience with specific tools and how they handled the assessment. On the personal side, ask about their motivations, career goals, and interests outside of work.
Ask About Their Skills: Test them with real-life scenarios. How would they handle a specific problem or use a particular tool? See how they think on their feet.
Explore Soft Skills: Ask how they manage time and personal tasks, prioritize tasks, and adapt to new challenges.
Cultural Fit: Learn about their motivations and long-term goals. Do they align with what you’re looking for? Ensure their availability and work style match your needs.
Sample VA interview questions you can ask:
- What led you to become a virtual assistant?
- Which tasks do you excel at? What areas would you like to improve? What work do you prefer to avoid?
- How did you approach the assessment? Any challenges?
- If you misunderstood an assignment, how would you correct it?
- What’s your first step if your computer crashes or the internet goes down on a tight deadline?
- Have you used tools like Slack or Asana? How do they fit into your workflow?
- How do you prefer to receive feedback?
- Do you have experience with WordPress? What do you enjoy about it?
- Are you working with other clients? What’s your availability?
End the interview by outlining the next steps. If you’re ready to hire the candidate, let them know and send over a contract. If not, be transparent about your decision. If you need more time to interview other candidates, give them a timeline for when they’ll hear back from you.
Onboarding and Training Your VA
Congratulations! You’ve hired a virtual assistant. Now, let’s set them up for success.
Start with a solid onboarding process. Introduce them to your business, explain your goals, and walk them through their specific tasks first. Ensure they have access to all the tools and resources they need.
Next, create a training plan. This could include video tutorials, written guides, or one-on-one sessions. Be patient—give them time to get up to speed, and check in regularly to see how they’re doing.
Keeping Your Relationship Strong
Hiring a virtual assistant is just the beginning. To get the most out of this partnership, focus on maintaining a strong, positive relationship.
Communicate Regularly: Keep communication open with regular phone calls and check-ins. This keeps things on track and allows you to address any issues before they become problems.
Provide Feedback: Constructive feedback helps your VA improve. Make sure to acknowledge their hard work, too—everyone likes to feel appreciated.
Cultural Awareness: Be mindful of cultural differences. For instance, many companies in the Philippines give a 13th-month bonus, which could be a nice gesture if you’re working with someone from that region.
Involve Them in the Team: Even if they’re remote, make them feel included. Invite them to team meetings, celebrate wins together, and keep them in the loop.
By following these steps, you’ll build a strong, productive relationship with your VA, leading to long-term success for both of you.
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