If you want to hire a good virtual employee, you need to write a good job description.

Here’s how to do it:

Use relevant wording

If you want candidates to find you, make sure to use the words like “remote” or “virtual” they’ll be looking for. If you’re looking for a Content Marketer, also use keywords like “content”, “seo” and “blog writing” to make sure every qualified candidate can find your posting.

Be Clear

Describe exactly what you need and what a candidate can expect from the job clearly. This reduces the chances of any misunderstandings popping up later on in the interview.

For example, clarify these things in your job description:

• Information about your business — who you are, what you do, what you offer to customers.
• The activities involved in the job – what their daily tasks will look like.
• The skills and years of experience required – the qualifications they’ll need.
• The work hours of the job — specify the time zone your company works in and how many hours they’re expected to clock in.

Determine Where You Want To Hire From

The next step is identifying where you want to hire your virtual employees from. There are two options you can choose from:

Hiring people directly

Hiring a virtual employee yourself gives you full control over the process. This way, you get access to a large, global talent pool and can find someone tailor-made for your needs.

Most companies post job listings on LinkedIn and Angel to find candidates for their virtual employee positions.

The problem with this method is that it’s incredibly time-consuming.

You’ll spend tons of resources scouting and screening candidates. These could be resources you could’ve used on your operations instead!

A solution could be to use a Third-Party Provider like IA Recruitment, to manage this process for you. 

Hiring people through an agency

Another popular option is hiring virtual employees from a recruitment agency or a virtual staffing company. In this case, you inform the agency of what you need and they’ll give you a set of employees for your tasks.

As these are pre-screened employees, you won’t have to worry about vetting or spending too much training them yourself.

However, the downside is you’re only limited to candidates the agency currently has on their list.

Conduct Interviews

Once you have narrowed down your list of candidates, it’s time to start interviewing them online.

While some companies interview virtual employees via the phone, it’s always a better idea to video call them as you can check for body language and facial expressions.

Here are some key tips:

• Prepare your questions in advance: Always have your questions ready in advance as it’ll help you structure the interview efficiently. Also, as you’ve prepared the questions earlier, you’ll know the kind of answers you want.
• Make your candidate comfortable and relaxed: Interviews can be a daunting task for any candidate. Always try to make them comfortable and relaxed by easing into the interview. For example, instead of directly asking them about how they can help your company, run them through the hiring process to put their mind at ease.
• Take notes: When you’re dealing with tons of candidates, you’ll need to take notes. Note down how composed they were and what their answers were. This is going to give you enough information to judge them later on even if you can’t remember them clearly.

Start With A Trial Assignment

One of the best ways to determine how well a candidate fits your company culture and the key role responsibilities are by giving them a trial assignment.

For example, if you’re hiring a virtual content writer, ask them to write an article for you. This is a simple, real-time way to check how capable they are at handling the tasks you might give them if they’re hired.

This could be part of the hiring process, a paid project or their first assignment in their 3 month trial period, depending on your preference and negotiations with your ideal candidate.

Keep in mind that none of us are too motivated to deliver service without compensation.

For more tips, truth and tricks visit our IA Blog.

Wishing you all the best with growing your online team - it is so worth it.