There are so many things to consider when trying to find the right Virtual Assistant. Are their qualifications legitimate? How committed will they be to the role? The most important factor to finding the right assistant lies not only in their skills and capabilities, but also in understanding their motivations when applying for the role you are offering.
Who are you after?
The first step is to be certain you have a clear idea of exactly what it is you’re looking for in a staff member.
“Make sure you’ve got clear position descriptions, and a clear idea of what you want them to do,” says Lisa Spiden, managing director of Fibre HR. “Be clear on what you need before you even meet people. A trap that a lot of small businesses get into is to think they’ve got a jack-of-all-trades role, and then they go and interview people and look for the person that they like, but it’s not necessarily the person who’s got the skillset they need. The planning around what you need is critical to get the right person.”
“Are the needs in the next three months the same as the business in the next six months, 12 months, two years?” asks Spiden. “That allows you to structure around whether you’re looking for something short term for a fixed term contract, whether it’s someone that you need longer term in your business, or whether you potentially need to over-capitalise in getting someone more experienced for a longer term.”
Headhunting
Typically, the most suitable candidate for a new role is happily employed, doing something similar for another company. Headhunting is the process of getting in contact with such individuals and trying to tempt them to come and work for your business. Understandably, it’s usually a much more expensive option than simply filing a job ad, but you get what you pay for.
“Headhunting is all about flattery,” says Spiden. “Actually contacting people and saying ‘we’ve identified two or three people we think are brilliant in this space, and you’re one of them’.”
Showing a prospect your measure of respect for them will start the relationship on a positive note, rather than just giving the impression you’re cold calling to find anyone with their skill set.
As headhunting can be a protracted and delicate process, it’s worthwhile to take the time to cultivate networks of talented people in your industry in case you need to hire them one day. Spiden explains that her company hosts networking events and sends out regular newsletters in order to target particularly desirable niche players.
“Sometimes, if you’ve got niche roles, there are only a handful of people in the market that are worth talking to. What you want is to have them engaged with your business so that, if and when you are ready to recruit them, they’re already familiar with your business, they feel flattered because you’ve been in contact with them, and they’re ready to talk straight away,” she says.
Other than the price it tends to attract, the major downside to headhunting is that it can upset competitors.
“If you’re working against a competitor and they know you’re head hunting their staff, it becomes a little bit of a fair game, where they start potentially headhunting your staff as well.”
Show what’s in it for them
Advertising a position may not necessarily get you the perfect employee, but it does usually attract a greater range, and is less involved and expensive than headhunting. The most crucial step in finding the right employee this way is to understand the mindset of the job hunter differs from those being headhunted.
If you choose advertising over headhunting, it helps to understand that the perspective of the candidate has shifted from ‘I feel very flattered to work for this business’ to ‘what’s in it for me?’ Right from the outset, you need to consider whether the position you’re advertising is attractive enough to the calibre of candidate it requires.
“You’ve got to take a few steps back and review what’s actually on offer,” says Jonathan Weinstock, director of LaunchTwo People. “First the company’s got to get themselves right. Do they have an attractive proposition, and are their expectations realistic?”
Once you’ve refined the appeal of the position, it needs to be clearly outlined in all advertisements for the role.
“What you need to do when you’re writing your ad is pitch around what you’re going to give them, not what they’re going to give you,” says Spiden. “They’re asking: does it fit my morals? Am I challenged? Am I being rewarded for the type of work that I’m doing, and do I actually respect the business that I’m working for?”
Don’t overcomplicate the ad
Although it can be tempting to go to special lengths to make your ad stand out, it’s important not to let any advertorial embellishment obscure what is actually involved in the job.
“Another trick for small businesses is not to over-complicate the ads,” says Spiden. “It means a lot of people in the market don’t know what the role is, so you won’t get people applying. You need to make sure that whatever you’re advertising, people actually understand what that job is.”
Phone screen
Once applications have closed, and you’ve selected a handful of candidates, it’s wise to screen your selection by phone before getting them in for an interview. LaunchTwo People’s Weinstock notes that this is a good way to save time in the recruitment process.
“Typically, I’m looking for passion and energy, what their career goals are, what they’re good at professionally, and what they’re not good at or not interested in doing,” he says.
Screening by phone also gives you the opportunity to get some of the more difficult questions out of the way. It’s less stressful for candidates to answer strength/weakness questions over the phone, thereby giving the recruiter a better idea of the candidate’s self-perception.
“Quite often I tell them we’re going to ask for references in advance, and ask ‘what are they going to tell me that you’re not good at? If I speak to your last three bosses, how would they rate your performance when we talk to them?’” says Weinstock. “It’s like a soft threat. Based on those questions, we ask follow-up questions. Just those three or four questions give you a really good indication of the person.”
Interview goals
Before you go through the process of interviewing those who made it through the phone screening, reiterate why the business needs the candidate in the first place, and ensure your questions address these needs.
“Make sure that you’ve set down what you need this person to do before you actually interview them,” says Spiden. “What competencies do you need, what skills do you need, what experience do you need? Make sure that you specifically go through all of those and ask questions that draw out whether they’ve got those capabilities, skills and experience.”
Personality vs. skills vs. motivation
A candidate’s personality is as important as their experience and capabilities, if not more so. Skills can be taught, but an employee’s personality, and how it coheres with the company’s culture, can’t be changed.
“Fit is very important,” says Spiden. “You can train someone to do actual skills, but you can’t train someone to change their behaviours, or it’s a lot harder. In the interview process, if you have a gut feel or you can identify the person is a bad fit for your business, it’s a high risk taking them on because you probably won’t be able to change them.”
Many recruiters will argue that a candidate’s commitment to a role is more important than the relevance of their experience and qualifications. In much the same way that it’s difficult to mold a person to suit an office, if a candidate isn’t committed to the idea of the role, they’re much less likely to perform it well.
“It’s about looking at the drive and the motivator, and that moves onto that retention factor,” says Kathie Kelly, a recruitment professional based in Brisbane. “I have someone that’s being placed in a role currently. They haven’t worked in that industry before, and they’ve had limited sales experience. Because they’re very motivated about doing the job – it’s been identified through psych testing and through behavioural questioning that they’ve got the potential to do it – with the right manager in place, they’ll probably exceed someone that would’ve come in with the experience.”
Induction is important
A crucial part of actually retaining the right candidate once you’ve given them the job is to make sure they are comfortable with their professional and social context within the company.
“Induction is absolutely critical,” says Fibre’s Spiden. “Once people get people on board, they forget that they need to do any planning when they start.”
A new employee will typically decide whether they want to work for the business within the first week.
“It may not be that they leave within the first week, but they will know within the first week whether they know this business is a long-term solution or fit for them, or whether it’s a short-term fit,” she continues. “As a result, you’ve only got one opportunity to get their engagement, and that’s right at the beginning, so plan their induction.”
Don’t rush
Recruitment is a process that should not be rushed. Finding the right employee for a particular role can be a lengthy process, and settling on someone who is simply good enough could cost your business money in the mid- to long-term.
“Do not rush this,” advises Kelly. “It’s an important decision for the future of your business. It’s not just about bums on seats, it’s about what the expectations of the business are, and what they hope the candidate will deliver to the business over the next 12-18 months.”
Image credit: Thinkstock
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Virtual Assistant Australia
