There is a process when hiring anyone for any job. You want to ensure that you have taken the right steps to ensure that you have found the newest member of your team for your business. And most of the time, your virtual assistant is a wonderful component to the building of your team for your business. So you want to be sure when talking during your initial call (or you might call it an interview) with the virtual assistant you cover these questions.

1. Do you have experience in handling < insert task you want done>? As I have mentioned before about understanding virtual assistant, some virtual assistant specialize in certain areas and others have a broad array of services they provide. Also, this is a good time to have written down those tasks that you don’t want to do or those task that are not your strengths
2. What are your hours (times, days) of operation? Knowing the best times and days to be able to communicate with your VA is important to your business. This seems like an obvious one however, it is one that gets overlooked more times than it should. Also knowing the time zone the virtual assistant resides in is also relevant here. And this is a good time to talk about if you need them about a possible after hours rate. This leads into the next (one of the biggest) questions…
3. What is the cost for your services? How is payment set up and done ongoing? I mentioned this a bit in my previous article about virtual assistants. The price range for most virtual assistants runs between $30-$50/per hour depending on the specific skill set of the virtual assistant. Most virtual assistant have a payment system (such as paypal) set up so it is easy for them to invoice you and for you to pay them accordingly. Be sure you know how the payment schedule is arranged so there are no surprises when you receive an invoice.
4. Do you have the time availability in your schedule? You will need to know if the virtual assistant has 3-4 hrs a week or 3-4 hours available left in a month for your tasks. If you are looking for someone to be available about 8-10 hours week and they don’t have that much time in their schedule, then it would only lead to unnecessary frustration and confrontations if you hired them only to find out they don’t have the time.
5. What is the appropriate turnaround time for a response from you? This is a good question and most of the time overlooked however, it is important for you to know the normal response time for your virtual assistant to get back with you via email or phone when you need something. By establishing this upfront, you both are aware of the answer.
6. What kind of software and office equipment do you have? Most of the time things can be compatible with different systems however, you need to know what kind of software and equipment the virtual assistant has available to them. And if there is a specific operating system or software that you would like them to be familiar with, ask them here.
7. What is their work history & experience? This allows you to find out more about the work experience in regards to job functions and descriptions at previous jobs and what circumstances they have encountered in the working environment.
8. Do you have references I can contact? For most virtual assistants, I am not sure if this question gets asked however, the answer to this question can say a lot to you as a prospective client. In my opinion, if there is any hesitation to this question, I would think twice. Of course, some virtual assistants have a testimonial page or client quotes on their pages. If so, ask the virtual assistant if you may contact a couple of the people as references.
9. Personality- (something that is essential, in my opinion, to a good working relationship) When you are in the first conversation with the virtual assistant…what is your general feeling about them? Do they seem to be pleasant in their demeanor? Or do they seem to be possible not the right fit for you in some way? Trust your intuition (some might call it “your gut”) here.
10. Do you like what you do? When you receive this answer, you will know if they are sincere in their answer. You will hear the passion for what they do in their voice and that will tell if you have found someone who really cares about your business because they care about their own business. Passion for what they do can be such a great benefit to you and your business—sometimes more than prior work experience, because again they want to succeed in their business which means they will work hard for you —-their client.

When choosing a part of your business team, you want to be sure that you have gone through the proper steps to add those whom really fit in with you and your business. By asking these 10 questions and listening to the answers, you will be one step closer to complete your business team.