If you’ve ever applied for a job before, you know the feeling of being on the other side of a desk while a stranger decides if you’re getting a paycheck next month or not.
Well when you’re the one doing the hiring, especially as you’re hiring your first virtual assistant, it can be as daunting as it feels to be on the other side of it.
This is why in this article, we’re going to break down the step-by-step process of interviewing a virtual assistant, as well as what questions you can ask to get a good gauge of an applicant.
At 2xYou, we’ve always believed that how an applicant behaves during the application process is what you can expect from them when they actually start working with you.
So it’s important that during the actual interview process where you can see live how they respond to certain things can give you a sneak peek of what could happen if you do end up hiring them.
We’ll break this down to Pre-Interview, During Interview, and Post Interview so you can have a good gist of what this could look like.
𝐏𝐑𝐄-𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐄𝗪
𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬:
Just prepare either a Zoom link or you can even have the interview through chat.
If you’re not hiring for a position where they need really good spoken English, chat should be a sufficient tool to be able to gauge the applicant.
That said, we do recommend that you at least talk to your applicant on video to establish that trust as much as you can both ways.
𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠:
You can either have your applicant choose the time, or you can set it based on their timezone unless you were requiring them to be available in your timezone.
Keep this one flexible, and preferably in the mornings their time so they can have good lighting for you to be able to see their face.
𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬:
In 2xYou, we have an interview matrix based on our company values, as well as the basic questions we like to ask applicants to get a good feel for them.
Below you’ll find the usual ones we ask, and what to look out for in their responses:
𝟏. 𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞?
This is to simply know what tools they have, and if it matches the kind of tools that you’ll need them to use.
Are they using a Mac? Which Windows laptop? Do they have good earphones that they can use while editing videos or listening to training?
And most importantly, how fast is their internet?
You can even ask them to share their screen as they do a speed test to see how their internet is to see if it can match the tasks you need them to do.
𝟐. 𝗪𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝?
While you definitely don’t have to be in the same country as them, knowing if they’re in the city versus in the rural area will help a lot in their productivity.
Are they in a place where if their internet goes out there’s a coffee shop or coworking space nearby? What’s their backup if the electricity shuts off unexpectedly?
Depending on where you’re hiring your Virtual Assistant from, it’s important to have backups in case things happen.
𝟑. 𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐌𝐞 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟
At 2xYou, we add more to this cliche question by asking the applicant:
“Tell me your story that isn’t just a summary of your resume.”
Whenever applicants answer this question, no matter how cliche, it’s a good way for you to gauge how they describe themselves, their outlook in life, as well as their goals so you know how to manage them if they do get hired.
Most applicants will probably just give a summary of their resume, which is why we always ask for more – it gives us more insight on what kind of person they’re going to be when they’re actually hired.
𝟒. 𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐨 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐓𝐨 𝐃𝐨 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐮𝐧?
This question is for you to check on their hobbies and their habits. Are they someone who can get productive easily because they prepare for it? Do they like to take risks by going on adventures? Do they like learning or consuming certain types of content?
Again, all of this is an effort in finding out if they’re going to work out in your business or not based on the current trajectory of their life.
𝟓. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝗪𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥?
As with any job interview, it’s important to know if their skills are going to be up to par with who you need in your business.
You can ask them follow-up questions on their experience about particular tasks and how they usually get things done.
Listen closely to their own process to see if it matches with yours or if it’s something you can work with.
𝟔. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐃𝐨 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬?
It’s important that you know what’s the easiest way you can give them information that they will actually take action on.
Are they a reader? A listener? Do they take notes and decide what to do next?
If they’re coming into your company they’re probably going to be learning a lot of different things about how you get things done and knowing this would speed up all that catch-up that they need to do.
𝟕. 𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬?
Knowing what kind of tools they use to get work done can help you know what level their skills are at, as well as be able to learn what other tools are available for the skill you need to hire for.
You can also ask them if they’ve worked with other tools before, and how it went.
𝟖. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝗪𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧?
This can be asked in different ways, such as:
“What was the most difficult project you’ve ever worked on?”
“When was the last time that you pushed yourself beyond your limits?”
This can give you insight on how they’ve dealt with things in the past, and how they will probably deal with things as they work with you.
𝟗. 𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐔𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐓𝐨 𝐘𝐨𝐮?
This is another way to get to know their hobbies and habits, and to see the structure that they’ve created around themselves.
𝐃𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐄𝗪
Here are a few quick tips on what to watch out for during the interview:
Were they on time, or early?
– Again, this is how they’ll probably be as an employee as well when it comes to attending meetings or finishing tasks with a deadline.
If you’re doing a video call, did they take the time to check if their background is acceptable or use a virtual background?
– If they did, this shows that they care about being professional and how they show up.
Do they look at their phone or get distracted by other notifications?
– This will show how they handle distractions when trying to get work done.
𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐄𝗪
As much as possible, try to give direct feedback to the applicant at the end of the interview for them to know if they’re moving forward or not.
But if you need time to think about it or look at other applicants, you can simply ask them to follow up with you at a certain date.
This is part of our 2xYou Interview Process, as if the applicant fails to follow up after a certain date, we take it as a sign that either they’re not interested in the position anymore, or that they weren’t able to take note of the small task.
But do let an applicant know of their status right away instead of making them wait – just like you have other applicants to consider, they might have other job offers they’re considering as well.
One of the most effective ways to know if someone is right for you and your business is by building clarity on who is it that you need in your business as it definitely makes the interview process easier to have that in mind.
Comment below, what has your experience been like when it comes to interviewing people virtually? Any stories?
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