The Virtual Personal Assistant Process

By: Florie Lyn Masarate
May 02, 2008
Virtual personal assistants are taking over the world!

Not literally though. For the most part, virtual assistants are taking over what other employees used to do. Because of the many benefits that they provide for businesses, they are fast becoming the most sought after workers that a business cannot do without.

You have probably heard of business owners tell about how they have found a good virtual assistant. And you wonder about how they got so lucky. Luck has nothing to do with it actually. It is all about the hiring process.

Now, how do you go about hiring a virtual personal assistant that is best suited for your business needs?

1. List your specific needs.

What do you need the virtual assistant for? And what are the skills you require?

Virtual assistants are capable of doing common office work like typing, compiling and answering emails. There are also that are capable of maintaining websites, programming and even internet marketing.

There are really no limits to what a virtual assistant can do. Most assistants have already work with other clients in the past. Take note of what they can do best. And check if they are willing to do other things besides what they already know.

Providing a detailed job description will make it easier for the assistant to check if they are capable of doing what you need them to do.

2. Give an initial test project.

Reading about what the virtual assistant can do is not enough. To be certain about their capabilities, you can give out a test project for the assistant to complete.

Make sure that the test project is related to what the virtual personal assistant is supposed to do once he or she is hired. Through the test you can test the skills of the assistant, plus the speed, quality and accuracy in which the project was done.

You can also create a test project which will help you determine how professional and how the assistant will respond to deadlines and stress. Through these tests, you can get an initial understanding of what kind of worker you are getting.

3. Interview.

Being on other sides of the planet should not hinder you from communicating with each other. Thanks to the internet, you can now interview candidates through mediums of communication over the internet like Yahoo, MSN or Skype.

Do not let distance hinder you from interviewing your chosen virtual assistant. Even after he or she has passed the tests with flying colors, you still need to talk to them personally and see if the both of you are comfortable with each other.

Clear and constant communication is necessary in the virtual assistant set up. Check to see if you are getting through the assistant clearly and with no problems at all. If not, then that assistant is not what you are looking for.

Keep these things in mind during the virtual personal assistant hiring process. They will serve as your determining factors to help you distinguish if the assistant is perfect for you or not.


Agents of Value Virtual Personal Assistant is a webmaster staffing company based in the Philippines that provides direct access to motivated agents for cost-effective web services.

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