What Qualities to Watch Out For in a Virtual Assistant

When hiring, you might ask yourself: what makes a good Virtual Assistant?

There are different signs that someone is the right hire for you – but to be an effective Virtual Assistant, there are a few qualities that you’ll need to watch out for as you’re either hiring or as you’re working with your VA.

Not surprisingly, these are all soft skills that are important as you work with someone remotely on your business.

Goal Oriented

Hiring someone with a goal can seem intimidating when you have a goal yourself, but if their goals align with your business, it can be very beneficial for you both.

When you ask the question “Where do you want to be in X years?” during an interview, watch closely for their answer.

It helps you as the employer to really pay attention to this answer as you’ll be able to find out what their plans are for their own future.

It doesn’t have to be this detailed plan, as long as they have a pan for the next step in their lives on how they want to be able to move forward.

It also affects the longevity of their employment as if their goals don’t align with the company’s, for example going to law school after a year of working, then you’ll find out easily if they could be fit the role for the timeline you need them to be.

Focused On Self Development

A Virtual Assistant who has either just started working on their self-development or has been developing themselves for a while can be a huge asset in your business.

Essentially, a VA who is focused on self-development is someone who has a powerful growth mindset and will be looking for ways to grow themselves.

What this can look like or mean for you as the employer is that your VA will be someone who can adapt to change, upgrade their hard skills, and has the potential to become a leader in your company.

Questions like “What’s something about yourself that you want to further develop?” can give you insight on what are the different ways that they’re currently working on with themselves.

Self – Aware

When someone is self-aware, they can easily handle feedback as well as redirect themselves as needed.

Having a Virtual Assistant who is self-aware means having an employee who can be self-managed, and essentially someone who knows what their strengths and weaknesses are and chooses what to do about it.

Asking the question “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” can show you if they’re aware enough to know what are the things that make them who they are.

Sets Boundaries

Someone who sets the boundaries of what’s okay and what isn’t okay shows that they’re able to handle stress well, as well as be able to step up and tell you if something was wrong.

While a Virtual Assistant who says “I’m available 24/7” might sound nice, in reality, this just means that they’re unable to stop working or set actual boundaries for them to be able to work out long term.

Someone who sets boundaries doesn’t take away their dedication to your business nor does it take away their motivation to do good work.

Setting a schedule with them that you both can work with and respecting that schedule is a way to know if they’re able to set boundaries, as well as gives you both the clarity on how to work better.

Motivated

Being someone who is motivated means that they are working towards something bigger than themselves.

One belief that I subscribe to is that it’s not your job as the manager or boss to motivate your employees, it is your job to inspire.

To show them what the vision is and to see who can be motivated by your company goal to keep going because they have their own motivations that align with it.

Either they have certain habits that help them stay motivated or they know how to refocus when things are difficult can be invaluable.

Knows How And When To Give Feedback

While someone who is honest and straightforward are two great qualities to hire for, in reality, you need someone who knows how to effectively give feedback and when to give it.

Being able to give clear feedback where there is that appropriate timing of when to give that clear feedback can spell out so much growth in your company, especially as it’s starting out.

This is a trait you can definitely train your assistants in, as long as they’re already someone who is open to feedback as well.

Constantly Learning

To be an effective VA, there has to be that belief that they need to constantly be growing themselves without a lot of push from the manager.

Someone who is constantly learning is someone who is always learning more about your industry or their skill – reading articles, watching informative YouTube videos, or even taking courses to further their knowledge on a topic.

One interview question I ask to filter for this is “When was the last time you learned something new?”

Good Communicator

Someone who is a good communicator is someone who can clearly communicate their ideas and express what they mean.

This doesn’t have to be verbal communication – this could also be someone who can communicate clearly through email or other written communication.

A lot of people underestimate the power of being a really good communicator but more often than not, virtual work relationships break down because of a misunderstanding or lack of communication.

This is a quality you’ll probably notice based on the way they articulate their thoughts and how they think through interview questions or how they respond to your emails in the first place.

Detail Oriented

When working with a Virtual Assistant, their focus is usually in the details and moving things forward, that’s why it’s important to find someone who cares about the details.

Someone who double-checks their work before submitting or reads through instructions before taking action shows that they understand the importance of being able to show up in the right way and get things done.

To be able to watch out for this, adding a requirement in the job ad such as “Have X be your subject line when submitting the application letter” can get you to easily filter for people who look for those details.

Empathy

This is hands down one of the most important qualities in working with a VA – someone who can care about you and your business, and also asks you “How do you want to get out of this?” whenever things get tough.

While having someone who can cheer you on in your business or give you emotional support through the tough times might feel nice, having someone who also wants to rise up with you can be essential to keep things moving forward as you grow your business.

In the end, it all goes down to your own values: what are the qualities that would match with you as you start working and hiring a virtual assistant for your business?

You can even just pick and choose 3 from this list and you’ve got an amazing virtual assistant who is ready to help you grow.

Do let us know in the comments below, what other qualities do you look out for when hiring?