subject: Top 5 Skills to Look For in Virtual Assistants [print this page] Top 5 Skills to Look For in Virtual Assistants
Ready to take your business to the next level but do not know where to begin? Hiring a Virtual Assistant might just be the easiest part, but spending time to look into the right credentials and skills of your VA will save you from trouble in the near future. Here are the top 5 skills you should look out for when hiring a Virtual Assistant:
1. Organization. Virtual Assistants are hired to fill in your calendar. Whether its appointments or event management, booking flights or e-mailing partners in your behalf; let's face it. There is a lot of work to be done. The first and best skill your Virtual Assistant should have is organization. Remember, you can't afford to have things forgotten and buried. Try giving them a few tasks to juggle during your interview and ask them how they would organize themselves.
2. Persistence. Being the assistant to the boss means following up on several details as well as finding creative ways to engage the client. A Virtual Assistant who gives up easily in the face of difficulty, might not be the person you'd like to consider.
3. Tech Savvy. Quite frankly, although you may not need someone to configure systems or string together code, it will be useful to have a VA who can understand basic technical skills.
4. Internet Savvy. You need someone who can stretch his/her use of the internet. Make sure you are not hiring a Virtual Assistant just because they have strong hold of the English language; instead, find out if s/he is keen on social networking systems, basic web development, and e-mail marketing.
5. Innovative. A Virtual Assistant needs to be creative for his/her own good. While organization might be a good skill, flexibility and innovation will determine how well s/he can overcome obstacles.
Hiring the right Virtual Assistant is all about knowing what you need done and how soon you can get it. Be keen on your criteria when choosing a VA, and you will be more than glad to know that your hard work has paid off. If you can't seem to find the right VA, find out how Sidekiiks can help you solve that problem.
