If you listened to episode 112 of Rhodes to Success, you know that leveraging the power of your podcast interviews takes a lot more work than simply recording an interview. Not only are you booking, preparing for and recording great interviews, you are marketing and promoting them as well. The tips I gave you in episode 112 of my podcast are likely overwhelming unless you have an amazing VA on your team to help you with the process. So, how do you find a great VA? Here are some tips:
Referrals – Ask your friends in business, colleagues, peers, mentors, etc., who they can personally recommend. It is better to work with a VA who has worked with someone you trust.
Social Media/Email List – If you don’t have any personal connections that can recommend a good VA, reach out to your network via social media. Post on your LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. that you are looking for a VA and include a brief description of the duties you need them to fulfill. Oftentimes, your contacts will tag their recommendations right on your post, so you can connect with them right away. You can also send an email out to your list asking for recommendations.
A note about phrasing: Instead of posting that you are “hiring,” post that you are growing your team. Why? When you say you are growing your team, you are denoting that your business is growing as well! Additionally, VA’s are usually independent contractors, not “hired” as W-2 employees. To learn more about employees vs. independent contractors, visit my friend Carmen Torres at MyHRSpecialist.com. You can use her services to write a contractor agreement and an NDA, two documents I recommend you have your VA sign before working with you.
Online Marketplace – There are several online resources you can tap into to find a VA. Most of these websites allow you to post a role description of what you are looking for and interested candidates will submit a proposal for how they would meet those requirements and at what rate. Some resources to check out are Upwork, Freelancer and https://www.hiremymom.com/.
Once you have identified some potential candidates, start evaluating them right from the get go. During your initial email exchange, are they professional and prompt or are their typos in their emails? Set up a time to meet via Skype or a phone call and get a feel for whether they would be a good fit for you.
How to get started: When working with a VA, start by assigning them one project as a test run. Judge the quality and timeliness of their work based on that one project before bringing them into your team indefinitely. That way they will be able to prove themselves as a member of your team before they take on a larger amount of responsibility.
I encourage you to go listen to episode 112 of Rhodes to Success and even send that episode to your VA candidates, so they know what you expect! And remember, you don’t need a VA to book your podcast interviews. Outsource to me and my expert team of guest bookers at Interview Connections and we’ll get you booked on the best podcasts!
BONUS – If you are reading this and want to become a Virtual Assistant yourself, check out this episode of Interview Connections TV, and I’ll show you how!
