Know you need help in your small business, but not sure where to start?! Wondering how to hire a Virtual Assistant? In this post, I share 6 essentials you need in place to set yourself and your new hire up for success!
What you need in place before you hire:
As a perfectionist, I have learned that Messy Action is better than NO action. So let me start by saying this: you don't HAVE to have these 6 Essential things in place for a successful hire - but if you do, the process will be so much better for both of you! You'll be much more likely to hire someone who is a good fit to work with you, and your VA will have more clarity on how to succeed in serving you.
This means there will be a MUCH lower chance of turnover - if you do it right, you'll spend less time onboarding and retraining new hires due to a revolving door, and more time cultivating and maximizing your new VA's time. Win/win!!
What are you hiring for?
The first question you want to answer is this: Is this a one-time project hire (for example, a new website or website redesign), or do you need someone who will take over tasks and responsibilities on an ongoing basis? Your answer to this question will determine what you need in place before you hire!
How to Hire a Virtual Assistant
Below, I outline the 6 Essentials that are most important when you're getting ready to hire someone on a retainer or ongoing basis.
For a project-based hire, you may still want to have numbers 1, 2, & 6 completed before you begin your search.
The 6 Essentials to Hire for your Freelance or Small Business
1. Company Mission, Vision, & Values
Your Mission, Vision, and Values is the WHY behind your business. The first benefit to having these in place is that you have clarity on who YOU are and the goals of your business. This will help you filter your applicants to ensure they're aligned with your mission, vision, & values.
It will also give applicants a better idea of whether or not they are aligned with your company - who you are and what you do. Once you hire someone, it will also give them a clear onboarding that enables them to ask less questions and be equipped to make decisions without needing approval every step of the way.
Don't have this in place yet? I have a worksheet that will help! Check it out below:
2. Prequalification Guidelines
Prequalification Guidelines are the non-negotiables that an applicant MUST HAVE in order to be efficient in working with you. For example, you may need someone who is available during specific times during the week, or perhaps who lives in a certain time zone.
You may also need someone who already has experience using the tools in your tech stack. These prequalifications lead us to the next essential...
3. Job or Role Description
The Job or Role description outlines the WHAT of hiring. This is important, because not only will this be included anywhere you post your opening, but it should also reflect what skills you need based on your own strengths and weaknesses.
Sometimes, creating this role description might be easy. You may know immediately that you need help managing your CRM, your calendar, or your email marketing. Other times, it might not be as clear what you should delegate first.
Ask these questions to determine what will have the biggest impact on your own mental health AND the growth of your business:
What work is eating up most of your time right now? What is the thing that led you to want to hire in the first place?
What work drains you? What do you constantly procrastinate?
Is there any work that you need to be completed, but don't know how to do it?
What would give you so much relief and happiness if it was off your plate?
What can you delegate that will free you up to work on revenue-generating activities?
4. SOPs for Role Responsibilities
If your Mission, Vision, and Values are your WHY, and the Role Description is the WHAT, your SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) outline the HOW: How will your VA complete the responsibilities you're asking him or her to do?
I personally believe you should have an SOP document for each tool you want your VA to manage. For example, your project management tool, your bookkeeping tool, your email marketing tool, etc.
"But Cassie," I hear you say, "each of those tools already has an extensive library of help documents!" Yes, you're right - but what they DON'T do is outline how YOU use this tool specifically in your business. Your SOPs should give clarity on how you uniquely leverage the tool in your business. For example, your Project Management SOP should include which statuses you use and when to change them. It should also include any automations that occur when someone takes a specific action. However, you can always link to the tool's native help documents if they are applicable to the way you use it in your business.
I could go on and on about how to write effective SOPs, so I'll leave that for another blog post on another day. Moving on to Essential #5!
5. Project Management Tool
Utilizing a Project Management tool will allow you to delegate tasks easily, view progress at a glance, assign deadlines, and even link up your SOPs. When used right, this tool will eliminate the back and forth of emailing or chatting, and eliminate instructions or decisions getting lost.
If you don't already have a project management tool, here are some things to consider:
Features & Functionality: Which tool has everything - or as close to everything - as you need?
Subscription cost: What can you afford right now?
Additional User fee: How much does it cost for additional users? Is there a guest or view only option? How many people are you hiring, and will they all need access to all the features?
Permission Levels: Is there a way to limit permissions or lock down certain things you might not want your VA seeing?
User Interface: Many people overlook this, but if you have trouble finding things, don't understand how features work together to support your work, or just don't like the way it's set up, you are much less likely to use it! Pick something you like and find easy to use - even if it's not the "most popular" tool out there.
What are some of the most popular ones? Asana, Trello, or ClickUp are very popular. We use ClickUp in my agency, though you can even use Google sheets or docs now, if you don't need fancy dashboards or reports. I recommend looking into their SmartChips if you go this route!
Still not sure which one will serve you best? You may benefit from my Strategic Ops Audit! We use my signature RELIEF framework to determine which tools you need, which you can eliminate, and even where you can delegate. Click here to request.
6. Application + Applicant Tracking System
Listen: Any time you can use a form to do something, you should!! And when should you? Any time you anticipate having multiple people taking the same action - like applying to work with you.
This does a few things:
It keeps your inbox clear and prevents you having to sort through scattered data
It gives you one place to view all your applicants
It allows you to review, evaluate, and track their status
It allows you to control what applicants share with you
It filters out people who are not serious enough about the role to fill out your application
When we implemented an application process for one client, they saw a 50% increase in the quality of candidates that applied!! All from implementing one simple form. (Read more about it here.)
What are some Application Must-Haves? Be sure to ask for an applicant's email, give them a place to share their portfolio/website/resume, and include boolean questions that will help you identify if an applicant meets your minimum requirements. You can also add a qualifying question to root out people who don't read directions. A common one is to say "On question 5, write in the word 'banana'. " I love using Airtable for this!
Bonus: How to Not Feel Overwhelmed as you Hire a Virtual Assistant (or other contractor)
If you have never considered some of the items above before, it can feel overwhelming. I encourage you not to slip into Analysis Paralysis! Here are a few tips on how to reduce the overwhelm:
Block time to create each of the 6 essentials above.
Use ChatGPT to generate ideas and help you get over the initial barrier of not knowing where to start.
Ask a friend, coach, or fellow freelancer to help you if you get stuck. The idea is that they know your business - maybe not as well as you do, but enough to help!
Use tools that will speed up your progress. Tango is an amazing tool that makes creating SOP 100x easier and faster. It documents your clicks and basically writes the SOP for you. Like many platforms, it's free to use unless you want/need to upgrade.
Hire someone to help you get this set up quickly! (Hint: we offer a Prep to Hire package!)
Remember that messy action is better than no action at all!! If you have zero of the 6 Essentials started, and you even get 50% of the way through some of these, you've now made so much progress!! It's absolutely better than nothing!! If you hire the right person, you can even delegate some of the building out of these things TO them. You may even want to include "Creating SOP" in part of your role description, so your VA knows going in that they'll be expected to document your processes.
You can do it!
When you're a solopreneur or small business owner, every moment counts. That's why having these 6 essentials in place before you hire can make all the difference for you. From defining your mission and vision to streamlining your processes with SOPs, each step is a key to success. By taking the time to prepare, you're not just making the hiring process easier for yourself, but you're also setting your new VA up for success.
With these essentials, you'll spend less time onboarding and more time growing your business and pursuing your passions. So, take the leap, hire with confidence, and watch your business thrive with the support it deserves. You can do it!
Need Help Getting Ready to Hire?
We offer a PREP TO HIRE package that includes...
A strategy session to help you determine which of the 6 Essentials you need to prioritize if you're on a smaller budget
Consulting on Mission, Vision, & Values
Our Role Description template for you to fill out
Up to 3 SOPs documented based on the responsibilities of the new role
One System Setup (either a Project Management tool or an Application / Applicant Tracking System)
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