It’s one thing to hire remote talent, and completely another for your team to have the virtual assistant skills to propel your company forward. I’ve seen so many PM company owners who hired remote team members and then regretted it because these ‘professionals’ weren’t ready for this industry.
It’s not enough to hire someone who’s asking for a low salary and makes a promise to deliver. You have to vet your remote team members. Virtual team building is impossible if your hires aren’t qualified to begin with. We’ve been hiring remote workers for years, and here are the virtual assistant requirements that I recommend your vet your remote team members for:
Communication Skills
Good English is a must, but not the only thing you’re looking for in good communication. Effective communication while working remotely has many layers. Can this employee write concise emails and express themselves properly during meetings? Do they let the team know if they’re late on a task, or do they try to cover it up till the last minute?
You need to make sure that their comprehension skills are excellent. If you’re not on the same page as your remote employees, they’re going to turn into liabilities eventually. Collaboration and teamwork is the backbone of your company, and you’re as strong as your weakest link. Remember that when you’re about to hire someone.
Ownership Skills
When you hear the phrase ‘virtual assistant’, the picture that probably comes to mind is a low-skill, bottom of the barrel worker who’ll deal with menial tasks.
The reality is nothing like this. You do NOT want someone in your team without any ambition or professional goals.
What you DO want is someone with the self-motivation and discipline to excel at the job without being asked to. They need to understand that they’re a part of something big and that your company will grow or break because of the effort they’re putting in (or the lack thereof).
We had a guy working with us a few years ago—great guy, but he didn’t “show up”. His work ethic wasn’t great despite his skills. Eventually, he ended up missing out on work (routinely) because he didn’t see himself growing with us, and he didn’t see us growing as a company either.
It’s seriously important to hire remote team members who resonate with your core values and company culture. People who take ownership of their work and go beyond the call of duty.
Customer Service Orientation
Each remote team member needs to understand that they’re a part of a whole, and that all their work is geared toward making your clients happy. If they don’t see your business for what it is, they won’t be effective at what they do.
Of course, this applies tenfold to remote workers who’re going to directly deal with home owners and residents.
| If you’re unsure how much you should pay your remote team members, we have a complete guide that can help you. |
Technical Proficiency
This is probably the most important of virtual assistant skills. If your remote team members doesn’t know their way around a computer, if they can’t figure out your PM software or lack basic cyber security common sense, they’re going to be an issue until you’re able to train them.
Also, it’s important to see that they have a proper workstation (good computer, phone, and stable internet connection + a backup connection). This isn’t a skill, per se, but you should never ignore this.
Industry Knowledge & Experience
It takes a long time to train someone for the PM industry if you don’t have prior experience doing so. That’s why you should really value anyone who’s got experience in the job you’re hiring for. You can bypass the difficulties that come with training new hires with our RTM Direct package, in which we screen, hire, and train your remote workers for you so they’re equipped with the virtual assistant skills to be profitable from day 1.
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