GB Ep 70: How to Use Virtual Assistants Effectively

Yesterday, we discussed when you should use virtual assistants, but today we’re going to talk about how to use them, and I give you three different websites to use to find a good one.

• There’s 2 different options for finding VAs overseas: [01:30]
  • VirtualStaffFinder.com – With this website, you pay a $349 fee for them to source 3 candidates. If those don’t work out, they’ll send you a few more. They run each candidate through a series of tests and send you their resume and references, making the process easier for you. After you do a Skype interview and give them some homework, you decide whether or not you want to make the hire.
  • OnlineJobs.ph – This is where people post their profiles for you to look through. They have designers, developers, webmasters, WordPress experts, SEOs and writers. I’d use caution hiring SEOs and writers since English isn’t their first language.
• In the US, there’s a site called HireMyMom.com, which lets you hire stay-at-home moms. They have great English, and for the most part went to great schools, but are stay-at-home moms for the time being who want some side income. They’re great for customer service and scheduling. [03:11]
• In terms of how to use VAs, you will have to do a lot of hand-holding in the beginning – even up to one Skype call every single day to walk them through the process. [03:44]
  • They don’t know what they don’t know, so it’s up to you to teach them.
  • You don’t want to give them difficult tasks to start out with. This is similar to how you would hire a full-time person for your company.
• I talk to some of my VAs every day, or at least have a weekly one-on-one call. [04:20]
  • With this setup, you can give them very specific tasks for the week, and keep adding responsibilities from there.
  • There is more hand-holding in the beginning than with a full-time hire, but once you get things going, it’s smooth sailing.
• To make a hire, use one of these three websites, have a good vetting process, and give them a homework assignment to test them out. [04:52]
• A full-time VA in the Philippines can cost $400 to $500 per month for general stuff. For developers and designers, you can pay $7 per hour or a little more. [05:11]

Resources from this Episode:

• GB Ep 69: When You Should be Using Virtual Assistants
• VirtualStaffFinder.com
• OnlineJobs.ph
• HireMyMom.com

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