Employers are finding excellent virtual assistant (VA) services provided by top quality VA’s in the United States. The need for virtual assistants is growing and many employers prefer hiring VA’s in the U.S. for various reasons. They may want a virtual assistant that has impeccable English and grammar skills or an innate understanding of American culture. Some employers prefer to work with someone in their own time zone. Others may feel that they do not want to contribute to the “outsourcing of America” issue, prevalent in today’s news.
Where to Begin a Search for Virtual Assistant Services Based in the United States
Here are a few virtual assistant services companies in the U.S. that offer professional virtual assistants qualified to manage any job.
- Assistu.com can “assist u” in finding the perfect VA. To start the search for a virtual assistant, the employer submits a registry form and is contacted within two days, by one or more interested virtual assistant. The employer can set up a phone meeting to discuss details. Assistu.com is unique because all of the virtual assistants have completed and passed a 20 week training course administered by Assistu.com. The VA job site state, “Assistu VA’s are the only VA’s in the world who are specifically trained to be VA's, and then certified based solely on what they prove they can do.”
- IVVA.org. International Virtual Assistant Association offers virtual assistants for businesses that need ongoing help, but not a full-time employee. Employers can search the IVVA members directory or submit a “Request for Proposal” to find a VA with specialized training and experience.
- Elance.com At Elance.com, virtual assistants, along with a host of other independent contractors, list their profiles, skills and portfolios. Employers can either search and sort through thousands of profiles posted by virtual assistants, or post a job on Elance and accept proposals submitted by candidates. Elance does provide some verifying testing, but most of the information on the virtual assistants profile is provide solely by the VA. Elance does provide helpful ratings and reviews from previous employers. The employer must also sort through the virtual assistant’s profile if he is looking for one based in the United States.
The U.S. Department of Labor lists two certifications and advancements to look for when hiring a virtual assistant. Depending on what responsibilities the virtual assistant will be handling.
- Certified Professional Secretary (CPS)
- Certified Administrative Assistant (CAP)
These certifications can be earned when certain experience or educational experience is met and passing exams. Currently there are no set standard specifically for virtual assistants but IVAA has three certificates available.
What to Consider When Hiring a Virtual Assistant
Avoid wasting time and money, consider these points:
- Employers should decide what tasks to automate or streamline. Why waste money on inefficiencies? For example, don’t pay a virtual assistant to read e-mail until all filters, auto responders, and automatic forwarding software is in place. Refine every step before adding more employees.
- Make sure all delegated tasks are well defined. Save precious time and money by getting the work done right the first time by fully defining the job, leaving little room for error.
- Ask the virtual assistant for a completion time frame for the work assigned. Professional, experienced virtual assistants will have no trouble submitting this information.
Delegating tasks to a virtual assistant frees up valuable time, giving the employer extra time to focus on bigger issues or projects. Virtual assistants can do any task that does not require their physical presents. Of course, to get the most out of the VA/employer relationship, the employer must be at ease with communicating remotely with the virtual assistant. For some this may take time to get used to. Eventually the working relationship will become automatic and both the employer and the virtual assistant will be working smarter and more efficiently.
Dagmar Barlow - Dawn Barlow is a graduate of UC Riverside majoring in English and education. She worked in the travel industry for several years, taught ...
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