Finding the Right VA in the Oversaturated Virtual Assistant Market

Scroll far enough on TikTok or YouTube and you’ll find a video of an influencer talking about “how easy it is to make money as a virtual assistant.” The influx of such content continuously attracts the public in pursuing a career as a VA and has created an oversaturation in the virtual assistant market.

If we count remote freelancers as virtual assistants, the number of VAs globally can reach as high as 30 million, based on the number of freelancers on services marketplace platforms such as Fiverr and Upwork. 

The Philippines is home to the highest number of virtual assistants with an estimated 1.3 million Filipinos working as a VA. This number is expected to soar with the global VA market having a 4.5% compound annual growth rate.

The challenges of an oversaturated market

With the proliferation of individuals trying to break into the virtual assistant space, the quality of VA hires may be compromised. Finding the right VA in a sea of applicants might be difficult for employers, especially if it’s their first time doing so.

Although the competition between veteran and novice VAs is extremely tight, some may overstate their credentials to land a job or a client. Such situations might lead to client frustration as their expectations and standards aren’t being met. Further, this might develop into skepticism in the VA industry as a whole and may prevent businesses from hiring virtual assistants again.

While having thousands of talent available in this industry is great, employers must also remember that caliber isn’t always promised in quantity. However, these obstacles shouldn’t discourage businesses from hiring a VA. After all, their pros outweigh the cons.

How to find your ideal Virtual Assistant

Weeding out the candidates who aren’t fit for you will be a tedious process, especially if you have hundreds of applicants vying for the role. Bear these tips in mind to make hiring the ideal VA smoother for you.

1.      What do you need?

“Virtual Assistant” doesn’t only cover admin assistants, it’s an umbrella term for people providing their services remotely. Having a clear definition of the tasks, skills, and responsibilities you’ll require from a VA helps you identify candidates who will fit your needs.

Conducting an internal assessment will also serve as a basis for how your VA will fit into your workflow and their specific role. Do you need to hire a general virtual assistant that covers admin tasks or will you need someone in a niche role?

2.      What level of experience are you looking for?

Are you willing to train someone with zero experience or will you need a veteran virtual assistant? Checking this off your list will make the talent pool smaller and will highlight which candidates can demonstrate skills and knowledge they’ve acquired through the years or lack thereof.

Setting the experience level also lets you determine the budget range you’ll need to prepare in hiring a VA.

3.      Are they a good communicator?

Since your VA will be working thousands of miles away from you, excellent communication is a requisite to assure success in this role. Assess their ability to communicate clearly, promptly, and professionally through written and verbal interactions during the initial stages of the hiring process.

Having initiative and being collaborative are two key qualities one should look for to determine a VA’s communication skills.

4.      How is their technological competence?

Tools and software will be your VA’s instruments toward productivity. They should be comfortable using the necessary platforms required for the tasks you'll assign.

It will be helpful to inquire about their proficiency with relevant technologies, such as project management tools, communication platforms, or specific software applications to see if they match your requirements.

5.      What are your expectations?

During the interview, expectations regarding tasks, deadlines, availability, communication, and any other relevant aspects should be clearly communicated. This aligns both the candidate and the employer in having a productive working relationship.

Knowing your expectations will also be beneficial for the candidate as they can gauge their capacity to match your KPIs.

Hire a VA from The Remote Group

With the grueling time it takes to find a virtual assistant that will fit your needs, turning to an outsourcing partner will make things significantly easier for you. The Remote Group connects clients with highly experienced Virtual Assistants suited to their needs. Our VA services provide general admin roles, data entry, healthcare, and more.

Get in touch with our sales team today and hire the ideal VA!