How To Hire A Virtual Assistant

A Virtual Assistant (VA) is a highly versatile professional who can help streamline operations, manage administrative tasks, and provide essential support to busy executives or growing teams, all from a remote location. Whether you're an entrepreneur looking to free up time or a scaling business in need of flexible support, hiring the right Virtual Assistant can significantly increase productivity, reduce overhead, and help you stay focused on high-impact work.

Understanding The Role & Responsibilities

Virtual Assistants provide remote support across a wide variety of business functions. Their responsibilities depend on your company’s needs, but typically include:

• Managing calendars, scheduling meetings, and booking travel.
• Answering emails, fielding customer inquiries, and managing inboxes.
• Conducting online research and preparing reports or presentations.
• Updating CRMs, databases, spreadsheets, or project management tools.
• Assisting with social media posting, content scheduling, or light design work.
• Coordinating with vendors, clients, or internal team members.

Some Virtual Assistants specialize in specific industries or niches, like real estate, e-commerce, or executive support, while others offer general administrative services.

Skills To Look For In A Great Virtual Assistant

A great Virtual Assistant is proactive, organized, tech-savvy, and an excellent communicator. When evaluating candidates, look for the following key skills:

Time Management & Organization

Top VAs are masters of efficiency. They should be able to manage multiple tasks and deadlines without letting anything fall through the cracks.

Strong Communication Skills

Clear and professional communication, both written and verbal, is essential, especially when working remotely and representing your brand.

Tech & Tool Proficiency

Look for candidates experienced with tools like Google Workspace, Microsoft Office, Slack, Zoom, Calendly, Trello, Asana, and CRM platforms. Familiarity with AI tools or automation is a bonus.

Attention To Detail

Whether managing calendars, inputting data, or proofreading communications, accuracy is critical in this role.

Adaptability & Initiative

The best VAs don’t just wait for instructions. They anticipate needs, solve problems independently, and suggest ways to improve workflows.

Discretion & Professionalism

Because Virtual Assistants often handle confidential information, trustworthiness and professionalism are must-haves.

Other Transferable Titles

Virtual Assistants come from a variety of backgrounds. If you're looking to expand your talent pool, consider candidates with similar titles or experiences, such as:

Administrative Assistant

Administrative Assistants often bring experience managing schedules, coordinating communications, and handling daily office operations, all transferable to remote work.

Executive Assistant

EAs typically have experience supporting high-level executives and managing multiple priorities. If they’re open to remote roles, they’re highly qualified VAs.

Operations Coordinator

With a focus on logistics and process management, these candidates often have the right systems thinking and organizational skills for virtual support.

Customer Support Specialist

Customer Support Specialists with a background in client-facing roles often bring strong communication skills, responsiveness, and empathy, great traits for a VA.

Freelance Project Manager

Freelancers with project experience often bring multitasking capabilities and remote work discipline, making them strong candidates for VA roles.

Interview Questions

Ask these questions to evaluate a candidate’s communication, autonomy, and problem-solving skills:

1. How do you prioritize tasks when supporting multiple clients or team members?
2. Describe a time when you proactively solved a problem without being asked.
3. What tools do you use to manage your day-to-day tasks and communications?
4. How do you handle changes in priorities or last-minute requests?
5. Tell me about a time you managed a calendar or scheduled appointments—what challenges did you face?
6. What’s your experience with customer communications or inbox management?
7. How do you stay organized while working remotely?
8. What would you do if you were unsure how to complete a task but couldn’t immediately reach your manager?

These questions help uncover how a VA handles ambiguity, stays self-directed, and communicates in a remote environment.

Evaluating & Making The Final Decision

When evaluating Virtual Assistant candidates, look beyond resume keywords and focus on real-world reliability, communication style, and responsiveness. Strong VAs will:

• Have a track record of supporting clients or teams virtually.
• Demonstrate autonomy and problem-solving skills.
• Show proficiency in the tools and platforms your team uses.
• Communicate clearly, promptly, and professionally.
• Align with your working style, whether that's daily check-ins or asynchronous collaboration.

Trial projects or test assignments can be helpful in evaluating real-world performance, especially if the VA will handle client communication or time-sensitive tasks. References from past clients or managers can confirm trustworthiness, consistency, and work ethic.

Partner With Premier

Hiring a Virtual Assistant is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to gain back time, increase team efficiency, and stay focused on what matters most. Whether you're looking for part-time administrative support or a full-time remote operations partner, Premier can help.

We connect companies with professional, pre-vetted Virtual Assistants who are detail-oriented, reliable, and ready to support your business. Let’s find the perfect VA for your team. Contact Premier today.