Some employers can work with a VA, and some need traditional help.  Which is best for you?

This may seem to be a foolish blog to write.  After all, I want your business.  But honestly, I only want your business if you  need me.  I can help you if you need me.  I can’t help you if you only think you need me. 

Working with a virtual assistant is very different from working with someone in the office.  In the office you can walk up to the person and chat.  You can look over her should onto her screen and discuss  things.  You can leave her sticky notes with information all over her desk.  You can see her functioning, so you believe that things are working.  And when you see she’s winding down, you give her more  work.

With a virtual assistant, you give your list of tasks to a computer screen via email or chat.  And then a few hours or a few days later all of the work is done and you have your deliverables uploaded or in your email.  You don’t know how it got done or where, but it’s done and you can move forward with what you need to do.

You, the employee, need to determine what kind of person you are.  Do you need to have visual confirmation of an
assistant?  Does it make you feel better to be able to see someone at a computer, at a desk, on a phone?  Do you need to micromanage?

If any of these apply to you, you should probably work with a traditional assistant.  When you hire a VA, you send
her work and put it out of your mind until the deadline appears.  Of course you can check in and see how things are going, but for the most part, you know she’s independently working and you can work on your own tasks.  When she’s done, she will wait for you to give her more work. 

Virtual Assistants are task driven.  Once the task is done, we cannot busy ourselves filling the copier with paper and cleaning up the break room to pass the time until the next round of work happens.  We have to wait until you supply us with another task.

We would love to be able to help your business, but make sure choosing us is the best thing for you, because in the long run, it will benefit us both.

Just a quick note today.  As you can see, I have been extremely busy and haven't had time to post.  But that's a good thing.  Because it means it's time for a change.

Your Gal Friday is going to grow.  It's time.  I've got some wonderful people joining me.  I know them extremely well and trust in their abilities.  I couldn't do this without them.

So stay tuned.  The website is going to reflect all the new happenings very soon.  Thanks!

Even before you hire your freelancer, you should have asked him what his bandwidth is for being able to help you.  How many hours each week can he devote to your business?  Of course, there are many freelancers out there that will commit and tell you exactly what you want to hear because they want your business.

Unfortunately, not all of them can deliver on their promises.  But, you don’t have to go too far into the work relationship before you discover if your freelancer was honest or not.  Make the first project something simple, but with a definite turnaround time.  Did they commit to that time and follow through?  Was it an hour late?  Several hours late?  A day late?

Also, connect with them via phone or chat or email.  How quickly do you get a response back?  Now, I understand that if you’re in California and it’s 10pm and you’re sending an email, your New York freelancer is fast asleep.  But during the normal business hours, you should be able to get in contact with your help.

You should be first in your freelancer’s life, even if he has twenty other clients he’s working with.  For me, that is an important aspect of this business.  If I was physically working at your office, you could walk right up to my desk and talk with me.  You should still be able to do it virtually.

If you’re not getting quick responses and agreed-upon turnaround for your projects, your freelancer has taken on too much responsibility and it’s probably time to start looking for someone new.

A few weeks after I had been working with a new client, and he had given various secure information, we were chatting on the phone and he jokingly said “and please don’t steal my credit card” well after I had already been given access to it.

Trust seems to be an afterthought with many people.  I think you just get so busy, and you’re so glad to have someone to help you that you just start throwing out instructions and information and you don’t stop to think about the information that you’re sharing with your freelancer.

Depending on the type of work you are doling out, it is quite possible that you will be sharing usernames, passwords, credit card info and more with your virtual help.  Before you do, there are a couple of things you can request of your freelancer.  The first is easy – ask them to submit to a background check.

Background checks are a good idea.  They don’t cost much, and that can save you a lot. Don’t feel ashamed to ask for one.  You’re trying to protect yourself and your business.  And if you want the background check and the freelancer balks at the idea – walk away.

The second thing you can do is have your freelancer tell you about her home office setup.  If she’s using Wi-Fi, is it secure?  How is critical information stored on her computer?  If paperwork is printed off, is it being shredded?

Trust between you and your freelancer will come gradually.  You’ll begin to understand each other, how you work, how you communicate.  But before that happens, use a few preventative measures to protect your information.

Well, it’s amazing what an ice dam can do to throw your entire schedule off!  So, let’s get to it.  The last step in selecting a freelancer.  Your job is posted and you’re getting applicants.  What should you do?  Take your time and do your research!

You are going to get a lot of applicants.  And most all of them are going to sound fantastic – because everyone looks good on paper.  But you can’t just judge by the resume and cover letter that’s handed over.  These two bits of information are void of any humanity.  They have been padded, buffed, polished, scrubbed, written, re-written, edited and spell-checked dozens of times.  (They should be!)  These documents have become so sterilized, using all the right keywords and lingo to get noticed on a search engine, that it’s virtually impossible to tell anything about the quality of the person.

Apart from the shiny, cookie-cutter resumes, there’s a bit of a darker side – the outright fabrication of backgrounds.  I am always surprised at how many people lie on their resumes.  I know people pad – and that is easily detected – but to completely lie about your education or experiences – it doesn’t make sense to me.  Unfortunately, you’re going to receive applicants that are completely BSing you.  How do you know?  You aren’t going to know immediately, but there are some preventative measures you can take in order to protect yourself.

1.       If an applicant catches your eye, reply back with some specific questions about experiences he has listed.  If you need someone for a specific software program, ask detailed questions about that program.  Someone who has actually done the work is going to give you a solid response.  Someone who is just hoping to squeak by is going to sound very generic.

2.       If you’re not sure about a response – if it sounds a bit to “professional,” – Google it.  You might find an applicant has just copied and pasted information from another website in response to you.

3.       Do a phone interview.  If this is going to be someone you need to be working with solidly, someone you can trust with your business affairs long-term, please do the interview.  Honestly, if you can make it a video interview, even better.  At a job long ago a team did a phone interview with a candidate.  He sounded knowledgeable.  They brought him on board…only to find out that he really didn’t speak English.  Someone else had done the interview for him.

4.       If you’re using a freelancer website to hire, check all of the previous work done.  Check the comments.  Ask for references from those previous clients.  That’s probably the best thing about using those sites.  You can get some kind of history for that person that you might not get elsewhere.

Just pay attention, follow your instincts, and take your time when selecting your freelancer.  A little bit of patience will go a long way in securing the most talented person for the job.

Now that you know what you want in a freelancer and you know where you’re going to look, your next step is to post the job “out there.”  It doesn’t matter which website you’re going to use.  The key to getting yourself a good freelancer is great communication when you’re posting for your job.

I have read thousands of job posts.  Many are not adequate scripted to help the freelancer submit a proper bid.  Let’s make up an example.  Let’s say I want to hire a web page designer for my new business.  I rush right out to my favorite freelancing website and post:

WEB DESIGNER FOR NEW BUSINESS NEEDED.

And that’s it.  Now, I’m sure you’re thinking “oh, nobody does that.”  Yes.  Yes, they do.  Quite often.  This does not tell the web designers who might be interested ANYTHING about the job.  Freelancers, (however awesome we might be!), are not mind readers.  In order for us to properly bid on a project, we need to have as much information as possible.  Here’s another example of a bad post:

NEED FIVE PAGE WEBSITE SET UP. ORIGINAL DESIGN.  FLASH. INCORPORATE A STORE, VIDEOS, SOUND.  $150 MAX. 

Again, these posts happen, and happen frequently.  Before you post, make sure you have a good idea of the general rate of pay a freelancer might make on your job.  In the case of the example above, you would be insulting any good designer.  I know you want to save money – but do not…. DO NOT save it at the expense of your business.  The old adage “you get what you pay for” rings loud and clear when you’re dealing with freelancing.  Don’t cheap out where your business is concerned.  I have been hired to clean up after a “cheap” freelancer, in effect, costing the employer more money than if I had just been hired directly.

So, let’s get back to our example.  I know I need a website, but I’m not website/techie savvy.  My business is all about birdhouses.  I can still post a good job description that will help me key in on the right freelancer.

NEW BUSINESS OWNER WANTS TO EXPAND TO THE INTERNET AND ISN’T SURE WHERE TO START.  I HAVE OVER 500 PRODUCTS THAT I WOULD LIKE TO START SELLING ONLINE SO I WILL NEED A STORE SET UP. (CONSIDERING VOLUSION SOFTWARE, BUT WILL LISTEN TO YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS.)  I ALSO WANT TO HAVE A BLOG ONSITE, A CONTACT PAGE, A FAQ PAGE, AND PERHAPS A SALES/CONTESTS/COUPON PAGE.

I NEED SOMEONE WITH EXCELLENT COMMUNICATION SKILLS (EASTERN TIME ZONE, PLEASE) IN ENGLISH WHO CAN LISTEN TO MY IDEAS AND MAKE THEM HAPPEN ONLINE.  AN INTEREST IN BIRDS AND THE OUTDOORS IS GREAT, BUT NOT NECESSARY. LOCAL CANDIDATES TO TOLEDO WOULD BE GREAT SO WE COULD MEET UP TO DISCUSS, BUT AGAIN, NOT NECESSARY. 

It’s not perfect, but it gives a designer a lot more to go on.  If you aren’t technically savvy – let them know.  If you are, then state exactly what kind of software or coding you are looking for.  The more information you give, the better your return on candidates.

One more piece of information on the job post.  Freelancing websites allow freelancers to ask you questions.  Respond.  Always respond.  The more questions that are asked, the easier it is to give you a solid bid and timeline for completion.

Our last step will talk about your list of candidates – this is one step you won’t want to miss!

When you Google (and yes, it bothers me that “Google” has become a verb!) the term “hire a freelancer,” you get a list of websites enticing you to “Choose from 1000s of freelancers,” “Hire freelance rockstars,” and “Free quotes.”  It all sounds mighty glamorous, and it’s hard to know where to start.

Don’t worry.  Most of these websites are generally “the same” meaning they offer the same people, just on different websites.  Most freelancers have their profiles on at least three different websites.  Probably more.  (I include myself in this list.)  On our side of things, we need to make ourselves exposed to as many eyes as possible – competition is fierce.  So when you’re searching on different sites, you may get the same person returned to you.

At this point I’d like to say that I do not endorse any one particular site.  I will tell you that I registered on eLance, Guru and oDesk when I started out.  Those seem to be the “top 3” when I talk to my other freelance associates.  They are all good and all bad in their own way.  I’m not here to talk about what each site needs to do to be better, or to sing their praises.  When you, the employer, start searching, you just need to know you’re going to get in touch with a good list of people.

To be fair, let me list (posting them in the order they currently appear) the top 5 Google returns for “hire a freelancer” so you have the links at your fingertips.

·         www.freelancer.com

·         www.elance.com

·         www.freelancedesigners.org

·         www.project4hire.com

·         www.guru.com

Of course, you don’t have to just use these sites to find good freelancers.  Talk to your own business associates and ask them if they’ve used a freelancer before.  If you want someone local, you could try Craigslist.  Even better, go to your state government’s unemployment agency and look through their talent bank to find someone.  I know when I was unemployed, I would have been thrilled to have someone offer me a “work at home” job!

Stay tuned for step 3 when we talk about posting a job to get the right freelancers bidding on your projects.

The first step in finding your freelancer seems a bit obvious, but I think it often gets overlooked.  Ask yourself this:  What do I need done?  (I said it was obvious.)  It is very important to know exactly what you need.  If you don’t, you might end up getting a freelancer that is single-faceted when you need someone working in ten different directions.

So, think about the job or jobs at hand.  Maybe you’re swamped with invoicing right now, and you can’t see the forest for the trees (or the debits for the credits, as the case may be).  So of course you’re thinking you need someone who has some good account reconciliation skills.  Great.  You run out, grab that person, have her start working, and once the pile of invoices starts to shrink, you can start thinking about the rest of the tasks on your plate.  You need someone to update your tired website.  You need someone to do some research on products you’d like to sell.  You’re a complete wreck when it comes to social media.

And now you’ve got multiple tasks, but you’ve just brought on one person who is extremely capable at one thing.  So, what do you do?  Your invoices will always be piled up, so you need to keep her.  But she doesn’t have the skills you need “technology-wise” to reign in the rest of your tasks.

Before we go on, I just want to say that I don’t believe that all, or even most, freelancers are single-faceted.  But many are.  Many have focused their skills on the niche they enjoy or feel comfortable in.  That’s not a bad thing.  That’s how people develop their expertise.  It's actually very necessary and very needed.  And if all you needed was just one expert to do one thing, you'd be fine and you wouldn't need to be reading this blog.

My point here is that if you write out a list of everything you’d like to get out of a person – a wish list – you’re going to be better off in the end because you’ll have been looking for someone who can assist you in all (or most) of your tasks.  It will be so much easier than having to hire one person for each task, and then trying to manage it all.  Too many cooks can spoil the pot!  (There is my cliché saying for the day!)

Come back for the next blog when we move on to Step 2, Where to Search for a Freelancer.

I would like to take a moment to welcome you to my blog.  I’m starting this to offer up some hints, suggestions, thoughts and ideas about employers, freelancers and the relationship between the two.  I hope you find things interesting here.  I tend to speak from experience and give real-life examples when I can, rather than just talk in “big picture” sort of terms.  I’m not that great of a blogger.  I try not to be formal, and I speak plainly yet personally.

Sometimes I lag a bit in between posting.  That's a positive - that just means I'm hopefully busy helping you out with your business!

Tomorrow I’m going to start out with a little series on how to select a freelancer for your business.  I hope you’ll join me!