While chaos may be a ladder in superhit TV shows, it’s certainly a pit in business. Especially if you’re the one running it. As a busy entrepreneur, you have too much on your plate and running a business takes all of it. If you’ve fallen victim to the superhero complex and insist on doing everything yourself, know that you’re stunting your business’ growth.
If you’re stretching yourself too thin responding to emails, preparing documents, and fielding phone calls, it’s time to hire a virtual executive assistant. Traditionally, executive assistants have been the face of a company, greeting customers and working on the C-suite executive’s behalf. But you no longer need an executive assistant sitting next to you. Knowledge workers today can work remotely and in fact, it is good business sense to hire a virtual executive assistant.
What is a Virtual Executive Assistant?
A virtual executive assistant performs administrative tasks remotely. Hiring a virtual assistant (VA) proves to be more efficient than hiring a full-time executive. Unlike in-house executive assistants, VAs are contract workers and are paid for the number of hours they work. Since virtual assistants are not permanent employees, you don’t have to provide for healthcare benefits, insurance or even taxes. If you want to see your business grow, stop doing it all yourself. Hire a virtual executive assistant to take over recurring admin work and instead channel your focus towards achieving your vision.
What Can a Virtual Executive Assistant Do?
A virtual executive assistant can provide general administrative support, run errands, conduct research and data analysis and may also be assigned to bookkeeping systems. Here’s a list of the tasks that you can delegate to your virtual executive assistant:
- General administration
- Email management
- Transcribing voice memos, conference calls
- Data organization
- Answering phone calls
- Basic bookkeeping
- Keeping tabs of bills payable
- Web research
- Managing social media handles
- Posting updates
- Managing complaints
- Replying to customer queries
Steps to Hire a Virtual Executive Assistant
To hire a virtual executive assistant, craft an organized approach. The best way to go about it is to contact an expert virtual assistant platform where you can choose from multiple skilled VAs.
1. Prepare a job description
Preparing a job description is the first step towards hiring a qualified virtual executive assistant. It should briefly describe the organization and its objectives and clearly state the tasks to be performed by the assistant. It should also mention the required levels of education, skill and experience as well as specific skills required, if any.
2. Spread the word
Once your job description is ready, it’s time to post it on different platforms. Look at the most popular job portals to source candidates. If you want to avoid the hassle of posting online, reviewing candidates, performing background checks, and training them, hire a virtual executive assistant from a qualified platform like Wishup. At Wishup, you will find no dearth of trained and experienced virtual assistants ready to work for your business.
3. Vet applicants
Once your listings start receiving responses, shortlist candidates for interviews and assessments. Post the interviews, start working with your new virtual executive assistant. Brief them on the role and expectations and start delegating daily tasks.
Virtual Executive Assistant Job Description Samples
Go through these job description samples to hire a virtual executive assistant for your business.
Virtual Executive Assistant Job Description Sample 1
Job summary
We're looking for a virtual executive assistant who can do calendar management and email management for our startup as well as coordinate with the candidates and set up interviews. The ideal candidate should be detail-oriented and an efficient communicator. Similar job experience is not a mandate, but we do need someone dependable who will work hard and bring a positive attitude to the table.
Roles and responsibilities
- Calling all the candidates that have applied to our job portal and understanding their skill set
- Coordinating with candidates and setting up interviews
- Working alongside co-founders in setting up meetings
Job requirements
- Graduate or above
- Experience in a similar role preferred but not required
- Ability to multi-task and work independently
- Can work from home
Virtual Executive Assistant Job Description Sample 2
Job summary
Looking to hire a virtual executive assistant who will be a point of contact and will offer assistance to executives in the company. If you are good at multi-tasking and can support busy managers, this is the opportunity for you.
Roles and responsibilities
- Preparing reports, memos, invoices letters, and other documents
- Answering phones and routing calls to the right person
- Handling basic bookkeeping tasks
- Recording minutes from meetings
- Using various software and spreadsheets
- Making travel arrangements for executives
- Performing office duties like ordering supplies and maintaining databases
- Provide general administrative support
Job requirements
- Experience as an executive assistant or other administrative support experience
- In-depth understanding of MS Office
- High school diploma
- Good at time management
- Professional level verbal and written communications skills
How Much Does a Virtual Executive Assistant Cost?
Hiring a virtual executive assistant is extremely cost-effective as compared to hiring a full-time employee. How much they cost you will depend on where they come from. Here’s how much virtual executive assistants from different countries cost.
| Country | Cost |
|---|---|
| USA | $30-40/hour |
| UK | $30-40/hour |
| Australia | $10-20/hour |
| India | $10-20/hour |
| Philippines | $10-15/hour |
Benefits of Hiring a Virtual Executive Assistant
1. You save a lot of time
Virtual executive assistants take care of routine and repetitive activities, leaving you with enough time to focus on the ‘core’ operations of your business. Waste no more time on fielding phone calls and answering emails each day. Hire a virtual executive assistant to get more hours in your day.
2. Operational flexibility
Since virtual executive assistants can be hired from any part of the world, it allows you to be available to your customers 24 hours a day. In fact, you don’t even need to spend months looking for the right person. Simply look for a qualified VA online and onboard them in hours!
3. Save money
When you hire a virtual executive assistant, you pay them based on the scope of work and the number of hours they work. This is a boon for small businesses and startups who don’t yet have the capital to invest in fixed monthly salaries and benefits. Overall, hiring a VA gives you a high return on a small investment.
4. Choose from a global talent pool
When you limit your search for an executive assistant to your state or even your country, you limit your chances of meeting multi-skilled talent that can help your business grow. But when you hire a virtual executive assistant from an online platform, you can choose from a global pool of skilled assistants.
Stop taking it all upon yourself and take all the help you can. Sign up for a free consultation with Wishup and meet your virtual assistant in no time!