You know you need a WordPress Virtual Assistant (VA) for your business and website, but how do you select one that will best fit your current needs and one that can grow with your business? Preparing to interview a WordPress Virtual Assistant by being able to provide current information and the future goals of your website and business will help. Taking some time to gather this information prior to speaking with a potential WordPress Virtual Assistant will go a long way in finding the right person quickly.
Here are my suggestions and questions for preparing to interview a WordPress Virtual Assistant:
What is the primary reason you want to hire a WordPress Virtual Assistant?
From my experience working with small businesses and solopreneurs, most people hire a virtual assistant either to do things they don’t know how to do or things that don’t have time to do. Either way is a valid reason. So what are those primary reasons? Here are sample reasons:
- No dedicated website or technical person to perform tasks related to a WordPress website.
- No time or no desire to work on the website.
- Limited or lacking skills to manage or update the website.
What is your budget for WordPress website support?
Pricing and rates for a WordPress Virtual Assistant vary widely so it’s best to go in with a budget of what you’re willing to pay. Many VA’s won’t list rates on their websites and the ones that do will usually offer monthly package pricing. Ask yourself these questions related to pricing for services:
- Do I need help with one project or do I need monthly support?
- Am I open to package pricing or do I prefer hourly pricing?
- Am I looking for budget services or premium services?
- Do I want to work with a VA in a specific country, like the United States or Canada, or the United Kingdom?
- Am I willing to pay a premium for a VA with more experience or one that has specific skills?
What skills are important for your WordPress Virtual Assistant to have?
Ideally, you’ll want to hire someone that has some familiarity with the software and services that you use for your website and business. It’s not likely that you’ll find someone with all skills that you would like though. You want to make sure your new virtual assistant has the skills to perform the most important or primary tasks that you need help with. Everything else can most likely be easily picked up but you’ll want to make sure that person is willing to learn those other tasks if that is important to you. Ask yourself these questions related to skills:
- Do I know the active WordPress theme and plugins on my website?
- Do I know what company my website is hosted with?
- Do I have any premium plugins that require a license?
- What external services do I use that connect with my website? (i.e. email marketing, payment processors, etc)
- What are the primary tasks I need my virtual assistant to do?
- Are there any non-WordPress tasks that I need help with?
How much support do you need?
It’s helpful to have an idea of how much time it will take to perform your tasks. If you haven’t done the tasks yourself or if this is your first WordPress Virtual Assistant, this might be challenging. You most likely will not be the first or only client for your VA so you’ll want an idea of how much time it might take for your tasks to get done. Ask yourself these questions related to the availability and turnaround time that you require:
- Do I need my tasks performed on specific days or times of the day?
- How will I send my tasks to my VA? Some VA’s might use project management systems like Trello or Asana while others may use something as simple as emails? What is my preference?
- How quickly do I need my tasks completed or turned around? Can my VA handle expedited requests?
- Will I need or required regular phone meetings or updates from my VA?
- Do I care if my VA contracts out any of my work?
Creating your first task list
After considering these questions and compiling information about your website and business, you’re ready to create your initial task list for your new WordPress Virtual Assistant. Prioritize the list by what list you want to be done first and then next and so on. You’ll be able to use this first list for creating specific questions when interviewing your potential WordPress Virtual Assistant.
To find a virtual assistant that specializes in WordPress support click here, Virtual Assistant WordPress. Or you are welcome to reach out to me here.