You’re spending too much time on admin work or technical tasks instead of growing your business, and you’re thinking of hiring a virtual assistant to help. But hiring the wrong VA can lead to wasted time and low productivity. So, how do you hire a good one?

Start by creating a good job post, sourcing candidates, and filtering effectively

Write a precise job post that tells candidates why they should apply for the job. You can learn how to do this in our detailed guide (link in the description). Create your job post on WorkScreen, a hiring platform that helps you screen candidates for performance. You’ll receive a shareable link that you can post on trusted sites like:

• FlexJobs
• com/r/forhire
• and Onlinejobs.ph (if you’re hiring from the Philippines)

When candidates apply through the link, they’re automatically screened for performance. The system filters out unqualified applicants and gives you a shortlist of serious, qualified candidates, helping you hire faster.

Next, interview them

Once you have the most promising candidates, you can schedule interviews through the platform. Since candidates nowadays use AI tools to rehearse for interview questions and others get answers on the fly during live interviews, ask in-depth questions that cannot be easily faked. Focus on questions that revolve around history, lived experiences, and emotions.

For instance, instead of asking:

• “Do you have experience as a virtual assistant?”

Ask

• “Tell me about the very first client you worked with as a virtual assistant.”

Then go deeper with questions like

• “Where did you find that client?”
• “What made you decide to take that opportunity?”
• “What kind of work did you do for them?”
• “What was the most challenging part of that job, and how did you handle it?”

The more you dig, the easier it is to distinguish between a fake and a genuine candidate. Fake candidates will sound so polished or contradictory, while qualified ones will give detailed but messy responses.

And lastly, skill test them

Before hiring, assign a short real-world task through WorkScreen. This final step ensures they can actually perform on the job and will save you from costly hiring mistakes.

So, hiring the right virtual assistant can save you hours every week. Check out Workscreen to help you hire the best candidates fast.