You’re advancing in your business and beginning to feel overworked. Maybe you’ve finally gotten to the point where you want to spend more time with your family.
You think it’s time to hire a personal or virtual assistant.
Hiring an assistant can free up your time to focus on the bigger picture, spend more time with family, or have more time to spend on hobbies.
The personal assistant or VA can spend time doing tedious but time-consuming tasks, overall giving you more energy throughout your days.
Your assistant can also be a second pair of eyes and ears. You will have the benefit of someone working closely with you who can provide a second opinion or insight that you might have missed.
Keep these things in mind when hiring a personal assistant or VA:
1. Write down what you want to delegate. First, decide what you need help with. Start by paying attention to what you spend time on during the day or week. What are easy, repetitive tasks that you can delegate to someone else?
Do you need help with administrative tasks such as preparing a meeting agenda, managing your inbox, managing your calendar, or filing documents?
Do you need help coordinating travel such as reserving flights and hotels, booking reservations, or setting up itineraries?
Will the personal assistant be in charge of personal tasks such as grabbing your coffee, picking up groceries, or doing errands for your home?
Will the personal assistant be empowered to support your business? Examples include creating processes or meeting with clients.
2. Determine your budget for the role. Next, think about how much you want to allocate to hire an assistant weekly.
What value will a personal assistant or VA bring to you or your business?
If you are hiring a part-time or full-time assistant, what are the extra costs that may come into play (such as workers’ compensation insurance, health or medical costs, paid time off, and taxes)?
3. Are you hiring an independent contractor, part-time, or full-time assistant? Will you be hiring locally, or remotely? Decide how much help you need to begin with, and whether or not that help will be in person.
If an assistant works remotely for you, will they need to be available during a specific time period so that you can communicate with them?
Do you have the budget for a personal assistant to work part-time, full-time, or as an independent contractor?
You would not be responsible for the independent contractor’s benefits. As a specialist, they may require less on-the-job training but at a higher hourly cost.
Hiring an assistant to work for you part-time would cost you less than hiring a full-time assistant, both in salary and possible health benefits.
Overall, people generally look for full-time employment. It’s possible that hiring a part-time assistant may limit your candidates.
Do you want your assistant to be local to you or work remotely? Hiring remotely can expand the pool of candidates who apply.
4. Write the job description. It’s important to think about how the assistant will be spending their time working for you and what qualifications or skills you may require.
What experience do you want the personal assistant to have? What traits are you looking for that would make this position successful? Keep in mind that some things (like attention to detail) are difficult to train.
If the position is part-time, will the candidate be able to grow into a full-time role?
What kind of on-the-job training or benefits can you offer applicants?
5. Use the hiring process as an opportunity to learn about the candidates. Everyone can make a resumé look impressive, but that doesn’t always mean they are the perfect candidate for the job.
Include a sample task for the assistant to do so you can see how they work. Think about a task that will require the applicants to demonstrate traits you’re looking for.
Think about a task (or tasks) an assistant would do regularly. Ask them about their process to achieve a certain goal or finish a task.
The best part about hiring a personal assistant or VA is that you can completely tailor the job role to what you need.
When you find and train the right assistant, your everyday life can feel easier!
With someone doing tasks that shouldn’t be on your radar at all (like researching flights), you’ll have more time and energy to give to your business, family, or personal growth.
AFFIRMATION REFLECTION: I Value My Time
Time is a valuable commodity. I am learning to apply excellent time management skills.
I am grateful for the time I have here on this Earth. I realize I am only here for a short duration. Due to that fact, I am extremely aware of time management.
I take all the time I need to evaluate what is worth my time. I schedule time in my life for all my priorities. I take a look at what is precious to me and order my time schedule accordingly.
I reprioritize my time according to what is most important, somewhat important and minimally important. I ensure that I schedule time for myself, as I am my most important commodity.
I use good time management skills for my time off as well. I give generously to my down time. I know that replenishing the well is necessary in order to nourish my garden.
I take time when I get home to play with my dog. I greet my family with love. I sit down and enjoy a healthy meal. I get plenty of rest.
I am excellent at creating work/life balance. I am enjoying my time off more. I leave all my work worries at the office. I leave my home problems at home.
I do what is necessary to resolve my issues. I take care of my mental and emotional health.
Today, I am proud of how well I manage my time. I understand how important my time is and schedule my life accordingly.
SELF-REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
1. How can I manage my time better?
2. Where can I cut out unnecessary time wasters?
3. Which priorities do I want to spend more time with? How can I add this to my schedule?