In the first post I wrote about values and having a Virtual Assistant who cares about your business as much as you do. The next thing you need to think about are technical skills. You need to know what you want to your Virtual Assistant to accomplish for you. Not all Virtual Assistants have the skills to accomplish technical tasks for you like creating a custom Ezine (Newsletter), set up a shopping cart and integrate it with your website or help you build your list.
When looking around for a Virtual Assistant you will find that they do not all have the same kind of skills and that is okay. Some are very skilled technically and can help you to get your online business up and running quickly. Others are good at managing your calendar, booking reservations and things that a traditional personal assistant does. You will need to have a list of the tasks or projects you want handled for you before you interview a prospective Virtual Assistant. Having that list will help you know what questions to ask them and find out what technical skills they possess. You will also want to ask them about what kind of results they have produced for their clients. Getting the answer to that question will give you a better idea of their skill and knowledge level along with helping you to weed out the novices from the experts.
What you really want in a highly skilled Virtual Assistant is some one who has the technical skills combined with business management experience. Not someone who has just been a personal assistant handling calendars and making reservations. Similiar values, caring about your business, technical skills, a proven track record and solid business experience all are attributes that you want to look for when you hire your Virtual Assistant.
