Guide to Hiring a Virtual Assistant
The Philippines recently became the world’s number 1 provider of outsourcing services. When you think about it this is not surprising at all. The Philippines is ahead of other outsourcing powerhouses like India and China when it comes to English-language literacy.
According to a 2015 UNESCO Report, the Philippines has a 98.22% literacy rate which is simply outstanding. English is also a constant subject in the Philippine education curriculum from elementary up to college. This gives Filipino remote workers high English communication skills. And this quality is what makes outsourcing Filipinos very appealing.
In fact, Time Doctor’s CEO Rob Rawson has openly said that the success of Time Doctor would not have been possible without the support of virtual Filipino assistants.
Without further ado, let’s discuss why you should and how you can hire a good virtual assistant from the Philippines.
Where to Find & Hire a Filipino Virtual Assistant?
A virtual assistant recruitment service provider is preferable to get help. This is a quicker, more reliable, and more efficient way. Hiring a VA that is incompetent can be a huge setback so play it better safely.
Here are the best websites you can turn to for help in sourcing and recruiting Filipino virtual assistants that can satisfy your needs and demands:
- Virtual Coworker – an offshoring service providing Virtual Assistants to Australian and US-based businesses.
- Outsourced.ph – exclusively serves small to medium-sized businesses.
- Awesomarky.com– offers personal referrals from different top freelancing groups in the Philippines. One of the most reliable.
- Virtual Staff Finder – links small businesses or entrepreneurs with experienced virtual assistants in the Philippines.
- Onlinejobs.ph – the largest job site for Filipino employees who seek remote working opportunities.
- Outsourcely – allows you to contact your employees directly, and hire them through their built-in communication tools.
- VirtualStaff.ph – a job board for Filipinos who work exclusively at home so you can get competitive rates.
What Interview Questions Should You Ask?
Once you have assembled a pool of promising candidates, it’s time to choose which one you’ll ultimately hire from among them. Don’t just settle to comparing their profiles on the recruitment sites or the resumes they are sending you. It is essential that you conduct a thorough interview with each of them.
Here are important questions you should never fail to ask:
Background Questions
These questions are aimed at giving you a general impression of who the prospect is as a professional and also as a person. The following sample questions include:
- “Do you already have another job? If so, where are you working and how many hours do you spend on the job?”
- “What is your favorite way to communicate?”
- “Will you work from home or from an Internet café?”
Skill Questions
These questions aim to assess how good a prospect is in the way you want him/her to do. The following sample questions include:
- “What do you consider your core skills and services? Which ones are outside your scope?”
- “On a scale from 1 to 10, can you rate your ‘XYZ’ skills?”
- “Can you send me three examples of your best work?”
Teamwork Questions
These questions will help you predict if the prospect is a good fit for your existing team or not. The following sample questions include:
- “Have you ever proactively addressed a client’s need? If so, how did you manage the situation?”
- “How do you manage relationships with difficult team members?”
“Have you worked for foreign employers before?”
What Type of Interview Should You Conduct?
There are generally only two types of interviews to choose from and you might not hire the best prospect if you pick the wrong one. Here are the two types of interviews that you can conduct when you try to hire a Philippine VA.
Video Call Interview
This is ideal if you’re hiring a virtual assistant for his/her English communication skills. After all, you’d want to see the candidate in action for yourself. It will be like sampling a product and deciding afterward whether to buy it or not.
Voice Call Interview
If you do not need your virtual assistant to have good English communication skills, such as a web developer or graphic designer, this is preferable. Many of the people in these professions are not so comfortable with video calls that if you talk to them on video, you might be able to assess their capabilities below what they actually are.
How Much Should You Pay Your Filipino Virtual Assistant?
There is no universal salary you should pay every virtual assistant. The salary should depend on the following factors:
- Skillset and skill level
- Relevant experience
- Job role
That doesn’t mean you can just set any salary you want though. Here is the salary bracket many well established-businesses use when hiring Filipino virtual assistants:
- General Virtual Assistant (GVA): $500 – $800
- Content Writers: $500 – $700
- SEO Virtual Assistant: $750- $950
- Web Developers: $800- $1400
- Graphic Designers: $700 – $1200
- Mobile Developers: $800 – $1400
Keep in mind this bracket is merely a guide. You can still set salaries beyond it.
What Skill Should You Look for in a Virtual Assistant?
You can only truly gauge a VA’s capabilities once he/she has started working for you. Set up a 2-week trial period to make sure your new VA is a good fit before committing on a long-term partnership.
Here are some of the important skills you should look for in your new virtual assistant:
- has the capability to follow directions
- takes the initiative
- is capable of meeting deadlines
- is a keen learner
Conclusion
By using this guide when hiring a virtual assistant from the Philippines you can achieve both a lower cost and a higher quality of work. Hire the right VA and it can do wonders for your business, especially if you’re an SME that could benefit significantly from any form of saving.
I’m bringing you this definitive guide to hiring a Philippine virtual assistant.
I know it will be of great help in your hiring endeavor. For more amazing insights regarding business delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to my newsletter by visiting Awesomarky. I am Mark Jan Enriquez, the man behind LinkedIn Growth, the most reliable rapid LinkedIn growth service provider.
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