5 Things to Consider Before You Hire a Virtual Assistant:

Title:5 Things to Consider Before You Hire a VirtualAssistant:Word Count:765Summary:I hear the term \"Virtual Assistant\" more and morein business. Did you know that you could possiblyhire someone from another continent that workswhile you sleep and maybe for $8 - $12 Dollars.Most of the VA 抯 I work with have degrees and onean MBA in Business Admin. I pay her a pautry $15.00

per hour now thats waht I call a bargain!Keywords:virtual, virtual assistant, assistant, work,business, job, give, va, project, need, tasks,means, people, means virtual assistant, virtualassistantsArticle Body:Understanding What a Virtual Assistant Can DoI hear the term \"Virtual Assistant\" more and morein business. Did you know that you could possiblyhire someone from another continent that workswhile you sleep and maybe for $8 - $12 Dollars.Mos t of the VA 抯 I work with have degrees andone an MBA in Business Admin. I pay her a pautry$15.00 per hour and what a bargain that is.With the growth of virtual assistants has also

been a change in what it means to be a virtualassistant. The leaders and founders of thisparticular entrepreneurial job have madedistinctions between what it means to be a virtualassistant, and what it doesn 抰 mean. When youare explaining your business to others, you wantto make sure to keep this standard.Being a virtual assistant is becoming a distinctdefinition of a specific home owned business. Itis expected that the standards will be upheld ofa virtual assistant for all others who are workingin this profession. This means that a virtualassistant is someone who provides a variety ofservices to businesses and individuals followingthe standard that has become formalized in thepast decade.The first angle that is taken towards approachingwhat a virtual assistant is includes the idea ofbeing virtual. If you are not working out of yourhome, or remotely, then you are not considered a

virtual assistant. Instead, it is considered tobe a temporary job or a telecommuting job. Oneof the standards for being a virtual assistant ishaving the freedom to work where you want.The second part to being a virtual assistant isthe distinction that is made in the jobdescription. Most virtual assistants willcringe at the idea of being called a secretary orfreelance worker. Technically, a freelanceworker is one who only does the job for extraincome. At the same time, a secretary is one whodoesn 抰 do the work continuously with only oneclient. A virtual assistant is provided in orderto create a substantial and long termrelationship with a business.Here are 5 things you should consider in a VirtualAssistant?1. Professionalism. Does the VA answer her or hisemails, voicemails and other correspondence in a

timely and professional manner? It is importantif this person is to work for you has the rightskills to not keep you or a deadline waitng. Makesure you give a covert task to her or him to passthat shows comittment to deadlines.2. Project Management. Juggling tasks nowadays isvital. We now tap out feet in front of themicrowave so things need to get done. If a personcannot work with a few projects on the go you mightwant to move on. I guarantee you will only findout that they have a project management problemwhen you lose \"the big deal\".3. Availability. Many of these people work forseveral people at the same time. It is notuncommon for you as an employer to be in a funnelsystem for the VA. You slowly move down the funnelas they take on better contracts from new virtualemployers. Be aware that you and your project willget dropped at the most time you least need it.You also need to be lining up new VA's. Try to

split your work between 2 or more VA's to combatthis problem.4. Test. Give the VA a mini project before goingahead with a contract. I also give a minimum of2 tasks that cost no more than $30 -$40 to complete.I need them done correctly and to my totalsatisfaction before I even consider this person.It is simple to hire one of the first few peopleto come along but please shortlist at least 10 andgive the tasks to 2 of the 10 you shortlisted.Obviously make sure these tasks are something youactually want doe, dont waste any money.5. Get References. Can the VA give you a list ofpeople whom you can contact who will tell youabout working with her or him?The main distinction that most virtual assistantswill work towards creating is the idea of beingin a relationship with a business, and making thistheir business. This goes beyond the

Expectations of any temporary work ortelecommuting job. It also means that theservices a virtual assistant can provide will gooutside of job descriptions that are made in theoffice. By understanding the standards forbeing a virtual assistant, you can best approachthis in your own relationships with businesses.