5 Tips for Choosing a Virtual Assistant

Please welcome guest blogger Ryan Bridges!

Are you busy and overwhelmed? Do you feel like you barely have any time to focus on your business? It might be time to think about hiring a virtual assistant. A virtual assistant can free you up to focus on the important tasks at work. When someone you trust is handling the administrative tasks that keep you bogged down, you’re able to do the things only you can do. Here are five tips for choosing a virtual assistant to help take your business to the next level.

1. Communication is key.

Good communication is a vital skill that helps every work relationship and it’s no different with virtual assistants. Clear communication up-front is absolutely vital. Before hiring a VA, make sure you have taken the time to distil what you’re looking for with total clarity. This should include the types of tasks the virtual assistant will be doing and your expectations. When considering VA candidates, clearly communicate just what the job entails. It’s hard to hire a good virtual assistant if they don’t understand what they will be doing for you.

2. Put systems in place and learn how to train.

For a virtual assistant to do their best work, you need to make it easy for them. For each of the tasks you’ll have a VA do, have a training plan. You want to simplify this process so you don’t have to spend a ton of time teaching them. Having a clear and simple system in place will also be enormously helpful if an assistant doesn’t work out and you need to train in someone new. When a virtual assistant is given clear guidelines and expectations, they are more likely to do a good job.

3. Decide where to hire from.

Hiring an international VA will almost always mean a lower cost but it comes with some unique challenges. Take some time to consider the types of tasks the VA will do and decide if an international assistant will be best suited to the job. When hiring internationally, take extra time to train and hire on a trial basis to make sure they can handle the work. If you feel safer hiring an American VA, be prepared to pay quite a bit more. You should also decide if you’d rather hire a virtual assistant directly or through an agency. There are advantages and disadvantages to each.

4. Get references.

Would you ever hire an employee without getting references? The same should be true of virtual assistants. When you know that previous clients have been happy with their work, it can help inform whether they will be a good fit for you and your business.

5. Accept that it may take a few tries.

You might go through a few VAs before you find the right one. Don’t assume that one bad virtual assistant means it’s not worth trying again. Once you find the right VA, you’ll never want to go back to how things were before you had a virtual assistant.


Good luck hiring a VA! Once you’re freed up to focus on the important things, you’ll see transformative effects in your business and your own wellbeing.

Ryan Bridges is a contributing writer and media specialist for the ManageLife LLC. He regularly produces content for a variety of business and lifestyle blogs, based around the transitional challenges which comes with time management and productivity.