Virtual assistants are everywhere, and they’re improving the lives of business professionals while also gaining jobs in places where this type of work is difficult to come by. Years ago, when I founded Cyberbacker, I was inspired by people I met in the Philippines who were living in poverty and needed jobs similar to the ones my company and I provide every day. We’ve developed a proprietary system for not only interviewing but also fully vetting superior candidates for virtual assistant positions all over the world in the four years since we founded Cyberbacker. We’ve hired over a thousand Cyberbackers so far, and we’re still growing. Because we’ve faced the challenges that most people face when hiring a virtual assistant, there’s a secret to our success.
Here are five things people should know before hiring a virtual assistant to help them overcome these obstacles.
1. Identifying and qualifying high-quality candidates
Not everyone in countries like the Philippines has access to the same technology. As a result, it’s critical to ensure that your candidates have the necessary equipment and internet access to work remotely.
2. The significance of management and training
You can’t expect a virtual assistant to know exactly what to do and how to do it the first time you hire them. A virtual assistant’s performance is only as good as their ongoing training and management.
3. Be specific about your expectations
Virtual assistants do not have the ability to read people’s minds. How can someone do a job correctly if they aren’t told how to do it? Working remotely has a number of drawbacks to begin with. Don’t make distance a stumbling block on top of not knowing what to expect. For the best results, always outline every aspect of the job.
4. Invest time in learning about cultural and social differences
Your virtual assistants are not only living in a different country, but they are also living in a different culture. It’s critical to recognize the socioeconomic and even cultural barriers that divide us and find common ground so that you can work together to achieve the same goal.
5. Put everything down on paper
To protect yourself, make sure you have a legal entity in the country where your virtual assistant was born. If the person you hire steals something from you, you may not be able to get it back unless you have a legal structure in place, according to Section 150 of the Philippines commercial code. A company with experience in this area, such as Cyberbacker, can help you avoid what could become a major legal headache.
Above all, have patience. Those who wait will receive all the good things. It’s possible that you’ll have to sift through a thousand candidates to find the ideal virtual assistant for your needs. Because you’re already busy enough, my company and our Cyberbacker franchise partners do the legwork for you. That’s why you need a virtual assistant in the first place. Hire a company like mine that has a tried-and-true method for finding amazing virtual assistant candidates all over the world.
I could go on and on about why a Cyberbacker is superior to a virtual assistant, but I’m biased toward our approach, and your time would be better spent learning more at Cyberbacker.com. If you had a Cyberbacker, they would have already taken care of this.
Learn more from business and read What Can A Social Media Virtual Assistant Do For You.
