VA Series 3/5: How to Interview VAs and Make SureThey Can Do The Job in 2023
In this blog, we are going to go through the actionable steps to make the interview process as easy as possible when you hire new team members for your team - specifically virtual assistants
I am going to break it down step by step so you can copy it to have the same success we did
Let’s jump in
In the last blog, we covered how to narrow your field of candidates by having them submit an application with a loom inside it, and submit a test project, and now its time to meet with them to make sure they are not weirdo and fun to talk to
Here is a High Level of the Process we are going to be breaking down:
First Review test projects and rank the candidates, as mentioned each candidate should submit a small test project before the interview
Next Scheduling with candidates. We recommend creating a Calendly link for your interviews.
A scheduling link allows you to block off times on your calendar when you want to batch your interviews.
By doing this you don’t have to do any emailing back and forth to get a time picked. you send a link to all candidates and the first ones to book get an interview. Make sure to block off a few hours each day for the interviews.
Conducting the interview - we will cover this in-depth including some questions we always ask in our interviews
1. Finish Reviewing the Test Projects and Rank Candidates
Once candidates have completed an application and test project, you will have a pretty good idea of who they like and who they don’t.
We like to re-rank everyone once the projects are submitted and then see how it compares to the original rank we gave everyone based on their application and loom video.
It’s pretty simple for us - we just have everyone’s name in a spreadsheet and we will give them a grade of 1-10.
I will usually combine the score so if someone was a 7/10 after their application and I thought they got an 8/10 they would be at a total score of 15.
This makes it easier to follow candidates and measure them as we start the Zoom interviews
As you can see we have grades and then comments for the test project and we also make comments from the interview process
We ended up hiring 2 out of the top 3 people.
2. Create a Calendly link for your interviews and Send the link out in bulk
Calendly is not sponsoring this blog it’s just a tool I like. If you’re listening Calendly - what’s up!
Calendly is a software that integrates with your calendar so that you can send someone a link, they can see the times you are available, and they can book a time to chat within those times.
It’s good for everyone since scheduling can be annoying.
So what we do is create a Calendly link for applicants, take all the people we want to interview, and send them 1 email with all their emails in BCC.
By doing this, we only have to send one email and they can’t see each other and we put the link for them to schedule time with us.
Be on the lookout for this it almost always works out this way - the people who schedule the interview first, usually end up being the best. It’s because they want it more than the other people and are trying to take action.
We usually hold interviews in the mornings when we are hiring.
So we will block 9 -11 am Monday to Wednesday and do 3-4 interviews a day.
That way we don’t have too many in 1 day and get people mixed up but also we can get it done pretty quickly and efficiently.
3. Conducting the interview and what questions to ask
So the actual interview is important but if you think about the steps you have taken so far, by the time you have the actual interview, you should have a pretty good idea if this person can do the job or not.
But this is also why we have the interviews after a few steps.
I am not a fan of cold interviews and you shouldn’t be either because we have found people can be really good at interviewing and really bad at working.
And we made the mistake of hiring people just based on interviews.
For us, the interview is mainly to see if this person is a good cultural fit. Meaning, do I like talking to this person and do they have a high-energy personality.
We also like to see:
How well does the person speaks English
See if they show up on time for the interview.
See their tech setup.
These are the main things to look for but we do typically ask a few questions and here are a few of our favorites, we will link it below the video if you want it.
One tip I wish I had known at the beginning was to first starting was record all the interviews. It will make life way easier when you are reviewing candidates since it all starts to blend a bit.
You can watch these at 2-3x speed later and also this allows you to focus on the interview instead of having to take notes.
Best Practices
Before we wrap up, here are a few best practices:
The interview started from the moment this person began interacting with your application process. You want to look back at how fast they responded to the job post, how long it took them to do the test project, and when the interview starts do they show up early or at worst on time? How are they dressed? Do they have a good tech setup?
As soon as this person starts to message you or interact with you, their interview has started and you want to treat every single thing they do going forward as part of the interview and study it.
For example, how fast are they responding? Are they sending a thank you email after the interview? Are they on time or showing up early for their Zoom interviews?
All of these matter a ton - because they are showing you what they are going to be like when you start working together.
Do not be afraid to ask difficult questions in the interview, but also do not be too aggressive. It’s a fine line but you will learn it after 1-2 interviews. Philippine people are sometimes shy and if you push too hard they will be very uncomfortable, but on the other side of the coin, there are some things you just need to hear them say.
Alright, guys!
Before I finish this please check out the video on my YouTube channel! 👇
Alright! In the next blog guys, we are going to cover the onboarding process and how to make sure the person you are hiring gets off to a great start working with you.
