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Busy business owners, executives and professionals sometimes have a hard time coping with their workload and get overwhelmed by all the tasks. There are times that they feel swamped and because of that feeling of helplessness, nothing gets done in the process. If this is the kind of feeling or atmosphere that you have, it might be time to hire an assistant or a virtual assistant to ease up on your busy schedule and for you to be more productive.

Now, finding the perfect assistant might seem easy at first glance seeing that there is an increase of virtual assistants in the web but it really is not as easy as you think. You will need to find one that fits your criteria and requirements and your budget as well.

Here are some helpful tips on how you can find the perfect VA for yourself or for your business:

1)    Figure out your budget and how many hours of work you need. It is very important to figure out how many hours of work done per week you need for a VA and how much you are prepared to pay. This ensures that you don’t go over budget and your VA can work on the amount you provide.

2)    Check what type of work you need done. You need to figure out what kind of work you need from the VA so that you can explain to your VA what tasks you want and therefore prevent wasting the VA’s time or yours for that matter.

3)    Gather as many candidates for VA as you can. Receive as many applications as you can and prepare a shortlist for your interview based on the VA’s qualifications and experience. Spend adequate time in recruitment for your VA since you want someone who can work with you well, so invest the time. Be sure that even if you have chosen the successful applicant that you also keep in mind 1 or 2 next to that applicant if in case the successful one does not work out well.

4)    Make sure that you and your VA agree on a trial period for work. Having a trial period ensures that you are really sure of the fit of the VA and your needs. Also this is sort of an adjustment period for the VA and you and will show or somehow predict the kind of work relationship you both will have.

5)    Agree on scope of work and specific terms of the VA’s contract. Agreeing on specific terms of employment and the scope of work will ensure that all needs are met and expectations are covered both on your side and the VA’s as well. This bodes well for everyone concerned and prevents miscommunication and disagreements for a better working relationship.

Sometimes finding the perfect VA is easy and sometimes it is not. The tips above are designed to be helpful in guiding you to meeting the VA that can satisfy your needs, if not exceed them. Sometimes also it could be a trial and error method. Different approaches work as well.