Hiring a Virtual Assistant - My Experience

by Joan Friedlander

When I recognized it was time to hire a VA, I decided to send out an RFP through www.assistu.com. Assist U is an excellent resource for VA·s because they offer a training program and certification for those truly committed to excellence in this business. For the next two months, the RFP system will be unavailable due to a restructure of the site to better serve potential clients. You can provide your email address to Assist U and they will contact you once the registry is available.

The RFP form took 45-60 minutes to fill out (on-line) but was well worth my time. It gives you an opportunity to indicate the exact nature of the work you need done, the personal qualities you are looking for, and the experience and education level you want. You are also asked about your quirks so that those who respond to your RFP can take your personality into account. How great is that? I was able to acknowledge that the biggest challenge with me would be getting the work out of my hands! (I'm one of those people who is able to do many of the things I delegate to my VA, but know it·s not the best use of my time.)

Within 2 days of completing my RFP, I received 6 responses. I reviewed the applications and resumes and decided to interview 3 of the candidates. With my questions in hand, I conducted my interview, and decided on one. I hired her, and the next day I fired her and chose another of the 3. Here's what happened. I hired the first person because she was technically more capable in the areas I needed help with. (My needs centered on marketing support for my newsletter, on-line article placement, and a couple of other things.)

Within hours of making this decision I realized that I liked the other person more, and though I knew she was slightly less capable currently, I sensed she was the type of person who would learn whatever she didn't know that would serve my needs. I actually felt a loss when I didn't select her and decided to follow my intuition on that piece. That was the summer of 2003 and I haven't regretted my decision for a moment. I was right, Angee learned everything she needed to in order to support my needs, and more.

It took some time for me to ramp up with Angee. I started out with an as-you-go basis until I got comfortable to committing to a mere 5 hours per month. I think it only took about 2-3 months to do so. I still only use her between 5 and 8 hours per month, and it's amazing how much she gets done in that time. My next step is to commit to 10 hours per month. I'm on my way!

P. S. Angee is still on my team (it's now 2008). She's got so many clients she can't take on any more, and I work with her about 7 hours a month, on the average. I've added other people to my team to get other things done. It's the experience of working with her that's really helped me bring on more.

 

by Joan Friedlander, © 2003. All rights reserved.