If you’re looking for an assistant who will do more than streamline your workload and ensure no pesky admin tasks fall through the cracks, a virtual personal assistant could be the game-changer you need. Of course, a remote executive assistant can handle a wide range of tasks, from managing your calendar to handling customer inquiries, with 57% of businesses reporting increased efficiency after hiring an EA. Still, if you want them to handle more than just the professional aspect of your life, the option to hire a virtual personal assistant can make your life easier. This would allow you to rely on them for a lot more tasks, freeing up additional time and work off your plate. In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about hiring a virtual personal assistant. Whether you’re new to virtual assistants or looking to improve your current setup, we’ve got you covered. Keep reading to learn more!

First, What Is a Virtual Personal Assistant?

A virtual personal assistant is a remote professional who supports you with a variety of tasks, aiming to streamline your operations and boost your productivity. Unlike a traditional assistant, a virtual personal assistant works from a different location, leveraging technology to perform their task efficiently and with as much synchronicity as possible. Another thing that sets them apart is that they handle administrative, organizational, and personal tasks - going beyond the business aspect of their client’s life. These tends to include scheduling appointments, managing various email accounts, and coordinating social calendars. booking travel arrangements, and handling personal inquiries. Essentially, this type of virtual assistant takes on tasks that you might not have the time to do, both personal duties and work-related, allowing you to focus on higher-priority business and achieve a better work-life balance.

Step 1: Assess Your Virtual Personal Assistant Needs

Before hiring a virtual personal assistant, it’s crucial to pinpoint exactly what you need help with. This will guide your recruitment efforts and ensure you find someone whose skills match your actual requirements, leading to a more efficient, potentially long-term working relationship. Here’s how to set the foundation for you to hire a virtual personal assistant! 

Assessing Your Business/Personal Needs.

You should start by evaluating your current workload (both life-wise and business-related) and identifying tasks that are time-consuming, repetitive, or easy to delegate. Consider areas where you could use extra support, this can range from managing emails, scheduling meetings, or handling travel planning to online grocery shopping, date night scheduling, and handling your social calendar. 

Identifying Tasks to Delegate.

Create a list of tasks you’re currently doing yourself and categorize them based on priority and complexity. Break them down into daily, weekly, and monthly activities. This will help you start understanding which tasks can be delegated to your new virtual personal assistant. For example, routine tasks like data entry or appointment scheduling are ideal to start, whereas strategic decision-making should remain under your direct control. Now, if you wanna learn how to best delegate to a virtual assistant, read our latest guide about it! 

Setting Expectations and Goals For The Role.

Clear expectations and goals are essential for a successful personal assistant partnership. Before you start the recruitment process, define what you hope to achieve with their help, such as improving response times, increasing productivity, or freeing-up two hours of your days. Set measurable objectives to track progress, if possible. Otherwise, consider how you could measure the impact of your new assistant in your day-to-day life. 

Step 2: Where to Find Virtual Personal Assistants

Finding the right virtual personal assistant involves exploring a few avenues to find the most efficient and cost-effective alternative. Each option has its own advantages and drawbacks, and choosing the right one can significantly impact the success of your hiring process.

Use Freelancer Platforms for Hiring Virtual Personal Assistants.

Online freelancer platforms are among the most popular places to find virtual assistant candidates. Websites like Upwork, Freelancer, and Fiverr offer access to a global pool of freelancers with varying skills and expertise. According to a 2023 report by Statista, 54% of businesses use freelance platforms to find remote workers, including personal assistants. While this shows these platforms are reliable and decently affordable, the screening processes are not the best and there’s a cut taken out of your assistant’s paycheck, as you can’t pay them directly. 

Hiring Through Virtual Assistant Agencies.

Another cost-effective option, and our favorite to be honest, is to partner with virtual assistant agencies. These agencies vet their candidates and provide you with a shortlist of pre-qualified professionals who are among the top of their fields and base locations. Agencies like us, A Team Overseas, are known for their extensive networks and capacity to match you with assistants who fit your specific needs. The higher level of service and support provided, as well as the hands-off recruitment process, makes this type of engagement highly convenient. 

Freelance Marketplaces for Virtual Assistants

Freelance marketplaces like PeoplePerHour and Guru also offer access to a range of virtual personal assistant candidates. These platforms allow you to post job listings and receive applications directly from freelancers, similar to a few freelancer sites. The advantage here is the ability to interact with potential candidates before making a decision, and then handle the hire yourself. 

Step 3: Keep in Mind These Details Before You Hire a Virtual Personal Assistant

Hiring a virtual personal assistant involves key steps to ensure you find the right fit for your needs. It also requires you to have a clear understanding of a few details you should know before you decide to hire this kind of professional to support your daily life and business operations. Here’s what you should know to make an informed decision!

1. Give Them a US Phone Number. 

Ensure your virtual personal assistant has access to a US phone number if you're based in the United States. Otherwise, make sure they have a number from the country you’re currently living in. This is crucial when it comes to streamlining communication and allowing your assistant to handle tasks with full autonomy, especially for making appointments, handling customer service calls, or any tasks that require them to represent you over the phone. A lot of tasks might involve interacting with US-based services, and having a local number can help avoid international call charges and ensure they can actually have access to services that require these numbers.

2. Make Them an Authorized Person for Medical and Legal Affairs.

If your virtual personal assistant will be handling tasks related to your healthcare or legal matters, it’s important to formally authorize them to avoid long back-and-forth discussions and huge amounts of time wasted. This usually involves giving them permission to speak with doctors, manage appointments, and access medical records. Similarly, for legal matters, they may need authorization to act on your behalf. Make sure to complete any necessary legal documentation, like the HIPAA release forms, to grant them the authority they need.

3. Prioritize Proactivity.

One of the most valuable traits in a virtual personal assistant is proactivity. You’ll want someone who doesn’t just wait for instructions but anticipates your every need and takes the necessary initiative to make your life easier. Of course, they’ll be managing your schedule, organizing your inbox, and reminding you of important deadlines - but you’ll feel a significant difference in the positive impact they have on your life if you hire someone who takes action instead of waiting around for you to give them a to-do list. At the end of the day, a proactive assistant can not only help you reduce your workload and help you stay on top of things but also ensure you free-up mental bandwidth to achieve greater balance. 

4. Give Them Access to All Email Accounts.

If you’re working with a remote executive assistant who will strictly collaborate with you for business-related matters, it makes sense to only give them access to your work email. But if you’re going to hire a virtual personal assistant, they will likely need access to your email accounts to manage your communications effectively. This will allow them to have the freedom needed to sort through your inbox, respond to key contacts, send out appointment requests or thank you messages, and flag important emails for your attention. Of course, it’s crucial to set clear guidelines on which emails they can handle and ensure they understand the importance of maintaining your privacy and full confidentiality. If you want to learn more to get started with inbox management, check out our playbook! 

5. Ensure a Great Understanding of Your Personal Context.

For your partnership to be truly effective, your assistant needs to have a good understanding of your personal life. Otherwise, you’re just treating them like a business executive assistant and not leveraging the full extent of their capabilities and previous experience. This doesn’t mean sharing every detail, but they should know enough to make informed decisions on your behalf. All in all, they need to know who you are, what you’re trying to achieve, and how you like to live for life. Whether it’s understanding your preferences, being aware of key personal relationships, or knowing your work-life boundaries, this context will help them better manage your day-to-day tasks. 

6. Provide Access to The Family Calendar (if relevant).

If your virtual personal assistant will be involved in managing family-related tasks, it may be helpful for them to have access to your family calendar - whatever this looks like. It includes you and your partner’s date night schedule, your kid’s school activities, or your extended family visits. Having this information will allow them to coordinate schedules, plan around important social events, and ensure there are no conflicts between your work life and your personal life. It’s particularly useful if they’ll be handling travel arrangements, booking appointments, or organizing events that involve multiple family members.

Ready to Hire a Virtual Personal Assistant? Partner With Us!

If you’re looking to hire a virtual personal assistant and need help recruiting the best talent out there, we’ve got you covered. At A Team Overseas, we understand what is like trying to find the right assistant for your specific needs. That’s why we created our remote assistant subscription-based services to hire the best fit for you at an affordable cost, offering our full support both before and after onboarding. Ready to hire a virtual personal assistant without adding more work to your plate or breaking the bank? Get in touch with us today to schedule your free consultation!