Hiring an employee is never an easy task.

It’s time consuming, stressful, and you could end up speaking (and meeting) with some real doozies.

Now add to your stress hiring a person you’ve never met. What does that do for your blood pressure?

Common questions are, “How do I know they are a real person?”, “How do I know they are really working on my projects and not goofing off?” Those are reasonable doubts and you should definitely feel at easy when hiring any contractor.

To assist you in your hiring process, below are 3 common mistakes people make when hiring a virtual assistant (VA).

CHEAPER IS NOT ALWAYS A GOOD THING

Common websites to search for a virtual assistant include Odesk and Elance. The competition is fierce and an ad can easily get up to 70+ bids. Sure, you can find an overseas virtual assistant for $3.00/hour but look at the bigger picture. They are not in your time zone so the project may take longer than expected.

Also keep in mind, English is not the first language in the Philippines or India so there may be a language barrier, which can lead to many communication issues. If you have to keep sending the project back due to miscommunication, what have you really saved?

SOLUTION:

There are plenty of virtual assistants and some may be right in your area. Do a Google search, check LinkedIn, ask around. Yes, their hourly rates may be higher depending on their specialties, but you can feel comfortable knowing that a virtual assistant in your industry clearly understands your needs.

(By the way, I know an AWESOME and fun virtual assistant. You can find out more information here.)

DO NOT MICRO-MANAGE

One of the huge benefits of a virtual assistant is that they save you time. If you’re constantly checking up on your assistant and asking for an hourly progress report, is that really a productive use of your time?

SOLUTION:

It’s best to discuss expectation right from the beginning. Ask for a mid-week or weekly status update.

YOUR VIRTUAL ASSISTANT IS

NOT A “MIND-READER”

Don’t expect your virtual assistant to jump in and automatically take over all the tasks you need done. If you’ve screened your virtual assistant, you’ll know they are skilled in many areas. But as with any new employee, they do not know your company’s processes and guidelines nor do they know YOUR preferences.

SOLUTION:

Take some time to educate your virtual assistant in how you like things done. Let your virtual assistant know you prefer email over phone calls and that every Thursday there is a sales meeting so please hold all of your calls.

Pretty soon your new virtual assistant will have it all running smoothly in no time!

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Yolanda Crowley is a virtual executive assistant. She has over 18 years experience in the administrative field; eight of which she worked with C-Level executives.

Her specialties are: executive assistance, research, and social media management. You can find her contact information here. She also has helpful resources and tips for saving time and increasing productivity.