What makes up the perfect Virtual Assistant? What should leaders be looking for when they are hiring for this important position?
In this episode, LZ and I share the key attributes that make up a great VA from their decades of experience in interviewing, hiring, and being them.
They’ll leave our listeners empowered and equipped to find the right fit for the job, knowing exactly what to look for in a great VA.
Here are some takeaways we shared:
1. Look for a VA who is independent, a critical thinker, and a resourceful problem solver.
Make sure to find somebody who can find their own answers, and who isn’t always coming back to you for correction and guidance when they hit a bump in the road.
In a virtual environment especially, you don’t wanna be holding someone’s hand.
So the idea is that they are comfortable working independently, but that they can also navigate life independently. They can do hard things. If you give them a tough problem to figure out, they’re going to be resourceful enough to do it, and they’re going to do it independently.
As an executive or a leader, your time is too valuable for someone to constantly come back asking for redirection. Find somebody who’s really comfortable solving problems so that you can get out of the back and forth on the day-to-day tasks.
2. Look for a VA who is trustworthy and reliable.
You have to be able to trust your VA and know that if they can’t find the solution based on the original directions, you’re confident they will figure it out.
Trust is something you have to extend until proven otherwise. Granted, that might be hard if you’ve had bad experiences. And we all do. We’re not gonna work with all perfect people.
It’s best to enter the relationship with your VA and you hope that the trust you extend will be received back in return.
3. Look for a VA who anticipates your needs.
You want a VA who is 10 steps ahead of you.
Having someone who can work ahead of you provides peace of mind because you know you have a VA who can anticipate those things both now and in the future.
I’m going to give my VA a little plug here.
It’s one of her self-defined goals to get ahead of me and plan for me months in advance. This means she’s anticipating the things I’m gonna need far in advance so that I have peace of mind and we’re not working day-to-day. Instead, we’re a couple of weeks ahead.
It gives me great peace to know she’s able to be ahead of me in her thinking. To me, that is how you can lay your head on your pillow at night as an executive peacefully knowing that you have a VA who can anticipate those things.
If you’re tired and worn out all the time — or maybe not loving what you’re doing — chances are you’ve pushed yourself too far and another set of hands could be the difference that saves you.
And what if you could delegate just five tasks to save yourself 15 hours every week? Sounds counterintuitive, but the less you do, the more you can accomplish.
Download our free Delegation Matrix, so you'll have the tools you need to start your delegation journey.