How to define your virtual assistant’s roles and responsibilities

Long gone are the days where your average Australian virtual assistant is being left with only the basic admin work to do, and top tip: if you’re only using yours for this, trust us – you’re wasting their talents massively. 

Thousands of qualified workers from across all industries are turning to remote VA work in 2024, meaning that the spectrum of experience and talent businesses can benefit from is exponential. Not only does the VA industry boast more flexible hours and better job satisfaction, but the extra boost to help with the cost of living means more and more savvy, smart workers are putting their skills to good use in gig form.

So, the job description you use to attract top talent is everything. Are you in the market for someone sales-focused, or with hefty health or legal training? Does it matter that they know their Oxford commas from their possessive nouns? Do you require the kind of Photoshop prowess that’d put a graphic design AI tool to shame? Is an obsession with all things funnel conversion critical to your bottom line? These are things you need to be able to articulate in your job ad – so let’s dive in to see if you could use a helping hand.

4 top tips for writing a killer job ad

Be direct and specific with the role

Stray away from vague rules and outcomes from what you want in an ideal VA candidate – everything needs to be outlined clearly. So, have a think: What do you need right now? What would the day-to-day entail for your VA? (Bonus: These sorts of ‘day on a plate’ summaries bode very well with candidates because they can visualise whether those tasks will be both in their skillset and enjoyable enough).

List what sort of tasks they’ll perform, how many meetings they can expect to contribute to and whether there’s a differing timezone expectation on them. Give some insight into your culture and team, who they’ll be working with or reporting to, or how you handle challenging scenarios.

Understand your VAs key skills and interests

While you should list the industry-specific experience and technical skills that would make a great employee, don’t forget to place as much weight on the soft skill characteristics as well. In an ideal scenario, you want to attract someone who actually enjoys the work that you do, and finds it stimulating and motivating. 

Remember, this type of detail not only serves to attract the right person, but also to steer away the wrong ones. For example, someone who isn’t energised talking to customers isn’t going to last long in a role that requires email or phone communication. 

On the other hand, someone who thrives working autonomously might find hours of batch content creation and data management tedious. Someone who isn’t used to a fast-paced legal or medical environment may find being in one stressful, or a corporate diary management gig overwhelming.

For time-poor business owners, this exercise is crucial – it will make for a much better working experience for the both of you, and give you a higher chance of retaining someone long-term.

Set clear goals and KPIs

Incentives and outcomes work really well with many VAs, especially if they’re remote and contract-based – you can line up tasks against key deliverables and measure the impact your VA has, which is a great motivator. 

As well as this, it allows your ideal candidate to see upfront that their contribution will be seen, valued and rewarded accordingly. When VAs work remotely, it can sometimes prove a challenge to integrate with in-person teams and feel that they have a meaningful effect on operations. Obviously, many VAs will know how to overcome this and make their mark regardless, but anything you can do to ease this is a worthwhile endeavour.

Some initial key KPI’s you can put in place for your VA could be:

• Task completion rate
• Appointment scheduling efficiency
• Conversion rate for funnel setup
• Overall response time on client emails
• Deadline completion rate
• Client satisfaction surveys (NPS or forms)
• Social channel growth

Don’t low-ball, the right person is worth every cent

You know that old saying: ‘pay peanuts, get monkeys’? It’s really true, because sure – there are countries in the world where VAs will work for wages comparable to their respective exchange rate and cost of living, but it won’t result in the best outcome for you.

A VA who offers to work for the cheapest price can cost you significantly more in the long run – not only in time wasted (their time AND yours – which is money, as we all know) but in potentially compromised passwords and critical business intel. 

A great working relationship should never start with a race to the bottom on price, and local, Australian VAs will charge comparably to what expertise they can bring. In addition to that, many have to factor in their own insurance and professional fees (basic costs to be legally insured and operating as a contractor). Be sure to list your price clearly by the hour, day or month, including any overtime payments, and do so upfront.

💲 DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE RATES REPORT NOW:

It’s never been easier to hire a virtual assistant in Australia than through the VA Lead Network, and it all starts with knowing what current VAs are charging for their unique and niche services.

Download the 2024 Rates Report for free to get started.

Use our free job ad template (it really works!)

If you’re ready to hit the ground running on your 2024 growth goals, below is a job description template to send you on your way.

Use it to get started attracting the best talent.