Now that you’ve looked at the pros and cons of a VA, you need to understand how to hire a virtual assistant to boost the productivity and efficiency of your personal training business.

  1. Define the tasks that you would like a VA to carry out for you. Focus on minor tasks that are simply too time-consuming. Once you have a list of tasks, you can then estimate how much time would be required to complete these tasks. This will enable you to see how many hours you will be hiring someone for, whether it’s just to complete a few small projects, or whether you want to hire them for a set number of hours per week.
  2. Determine your budget. Based on the number of hours, work out your budget for hiring a VA.
  3. Write a job description. Draft a job description, detailing the tasks that you would like to be carried out, and the time that should be spent on these tasks. You also need to consider the primary channel of communication that you will use with your VA.
  4. Decide what platform you will use to find a VA. You can network, asking friends and colleagues for recommendations. You can also use freelancer websites, subscription services, or an agency. If you are looking for a dedicated VA, rather than having several people with different skills work on one task or project, then hiring an independent freelance VA is your best option. 
  5. Do a bit of research. Ask applicants or potential VAs to submit resumes and testimonials, and portfolios where relevant. Set up a Skype interview (allowing for timezones) as you can learn a lot about someone from this kind of direct interaction.
  6. The trial period. You might also want to consider hiring someone for paid trial period to assess their skills. You can also hire a few people for a short while, and then choose the best candidate for continued work. 

Keep an eye out for our next post which will look at what you need to look out for when hiring a VA.