1: Google It.
2: Get Savvy.
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Wages. Explore what kind of wages you’ll be paying. Different countries have very different minimum wages, meaning how much leverage you get for your dollar is going to be up to you. A quick internet search will yield all the information you need for a crash course on global economics.
- Internet. Internet connection is not the same everywhere you go. Some countries have poor infrastructure, others have excess governmental interference. If your Virtual Assistant doesn’t have a reliable connection, you’ll have trouble communicating and difficulty getting completed work on time.
- Language. English fluency is something you’ll be happy you made into a necessary requirement. Lucky for us, it’s the international language of business. A VA is supposed to make your life easier by removing burdens, not creating them. If you can’t understand each other you’ll only wind up frustrated.
3: Create A Job Posting
- A writing sample is pretty straightforward but I want to emphasize that I really focus on the written word. By that I mean spelling, grammar, and writing style. If I can’t understand what they are trying to say, we aren’t going to be able to work together.
- News websites are written in pretty simple language, plus it’s something I can easily look up to verify accuracy. This goes back to what I mentioned about English fluency, because you won’t want to be wasting time with a language barrier.
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Ok I know this one might catch some of you off-guard, but this is a great resource for maximizing your professional interpersonal relationships. Tony Robbins has a system to identify behavioral traits, helping people understand their own personalities and which personalities they work best with. For example, you’ll want a VA who is high S and C, as they tend to be dedicated and accurate with their work. Someone who is high D and I (like most entrepreneurs, interestingly enough) will be turned off by details and might be more concerned with other projects. It pays to take the time to find someone you can really get along with.
4: The Interview Process
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Applicants had to meet the requirements I had previously set forth. Not all had, making it easy to eliminate a few right away.
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They must have logged in at least 300 hours of work on Upwork. I certainly don’t want to be their first project, and I want their processes to be fairly streamlined.
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They must have a rating of 4.5 stars or better, simply because I want someone who does a good job and there’s no reason to settle.
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Each applicant received 20 different business cards.
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I gave them instructions to manage my contacts the same as if they worked for me. They were to scan the info into my CRM software, then create contacts in my iCloud.
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For each applicant I picked 2 cards at random, verified their accuracy, and within a short period of time a leader emerged.
