Hiring an assistant can be a great way to expand your business and your services. While she’s taking care of the administrative portion of your business, you can focus on your clients and the money-making tasks. However, don’t jump into the interview process without first asking yourself these five questions:

1. What kind of person do I want to hire?

Do you want someone who is just starting out so you can train them in the way you like things done or do you want someone with experience who can just run with a job until it’s complete? Do you want someone in the same time zone? Do you want someone who will work only for you or are you willing to hire someone who handles work for their own clientele?

2. Can you afford an assistant?

If you’re overburdened with your own work and business isn’t moving forward, hiring an assistant is a smart move. Look at your books and realistically determine a budget for this assistant and stick to it. Keep in mind, the more experienced and capable the assistant, the larger the hourly wage.

3. What tasks will the assistant take over?

Know ahead of time what tasks you need to delegate so you can determine in the interview if this is the right assistant for the job. Walking into an agreement with a “I’ll get you a list of tasks in a few days” attitude is bound to fail. Just as you want to find the perfect help, the interviewee wants to know you – their client – is serious about their business and will forward tasks on a consistent basis.

Tips for the Interview Process

When you interview candidates, listen for their level of professionalism and if they care for their clients’ businesses as much as their own. There’s quite a difference between an assistant who is watching the clock, waiting to go home, and one who stays until the work is complete. Even in a virtual setting, you’ll want a professional who will always complete a project within the deadline rather than one who gives you one excuse after another as to why it’s not done yet.

And definitely go through a regular interview process, even if you’re hiring a virtual assistant. Don’t hire the first person who shows an interest. Advertise the opportunity, look through the resumes, and interview those who meet your initial criteria. Virtual assistants are certainly used to being interviewed and definitely make use of today’s technology of video chatting.

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