Sep 25, 2014 08:19:00 AM Edited Oct 30, 2014 07:55:34 AM by Brittany S
Sep 25, 2014 08:30:48 AM Edited Oct 30, 2014 08:46:41 PM by Gillian Michele N
Sep 25, 2014 09:42:53 AM Edited Oct 30, 2014 08:46:43 PM by Marcia M
Sep 25, 2014 10:34:21 AM Edited Oct 30, 2014 08:46:44 PM by Suzanne N
Sep 26, 2014 02:38:49 AM Edited Oct 30, 2014 08:46:46 PM by Marcia M
Nov 1, 2014 01:08:00 PM by Sheikh Ahsan A
Hi Brittany,
You are not right. I have seen that the clients are offering low rate. But if you want good work you have pay a good money.
I am a VA and I am making clients satisfied by my work
Sometimes clients are leaving experienced freelancers. Why ? because they change a good amount of money.
If you want to save your money and hire a VA at a low rate, then you have to suffer much.
Get a good VA, get good quality of work.
Thanks
Nov 21, 2014 04:40:03 PM by Junelle A
whoa, where did this come from? oDesk fix this please, sheesh.
Nov 20, 2014 03:38:54 PM by Leisa G
@Sheikh - I agree. I always say if you pay peanuts (small amount), you get monkeys.
@Marcia - I agree with you also. I see job descriptions asking for a VA when the client really needs an app developer or something entirely different. I think maybe sometimes they ask for a VA hoping that the person does know how to do the task, but can be paid a VA salary or wage instead of an app developer's wage. In other words, less money paid out.
May 31, 2015 11:21:40 PM by Robin B
Jun 22, 2015 04:51:18 PM Edited Jun 23, 2015 04:39:30 AM by Abul H
Hi Brittany
I would like to express my personal opinion here. The very first thing that you need to do is to see a contractor's profile and find out their job success rate, feedback, video resume etc and if that satisfies your need then call them up for a skype video interview and ask all the questions that you feel is necessary to make an inform decision. I've been working as an Administrative Consultant for the last five years and what I can say from my experience is that the very first thing that an employer look for is that cheapest hourly rate and believe me when I tell you this, quality comes with money. I mean you cant expect a Ford Escort to provide with the prestige of a BMW 700 series car. So my suggestion to you would be, if you have a stable business and you know that you are growing then look for those VA's that has a high hourly rate because once again "with money comes quality"
Thanks
Jun 23, 2015 07:06:48 PM by Eiriz Kimberley R
Hi Brittany,
I started out a VA myself. In my seven years in Upwork working as a VA, I rarely had problems with clients. One client, in fact, I have been working with from day 1 until now! When I do have to end a contract with the client, the one reason that always pops up is a mismatch of the job description and the actual work the client gives. For instance, one client said he needs a VA. When we started the job, he asked me to code email templates and do graphic designs--none of which were included in the job description.
Maybe you have to be extra specific with what you're looking for? I am currently happily working with a client as her project manager and she has referred many other clients to me so I can train VAs for them. We've been operating for half a year already and have been a success!
Hope this helps 🙂
Jun 24, 2015 05:30:56 PM by Shan W
Hi Brittany,
I'm sorry to hear you're having trouble finding a suitable VA. The problems could be any of the above that others have mentioned. One solution, however, is to have a procedures manual that lays out the steps in the different tasks you want your VA to do so that there is no question about what's expected. It's very time consuming to create them but can save a whole heap of misunderstandings once they're done. It can then be the VA's task to keep them updated if processes change.
The other thing that makes a procedures manual a great idea is that it can be passed on to the next VA if someone you've been working with is unable to continue with their contract.
I've recruited staff on behalf of clients (while working as a VA) in the past and I would never make advertisements public. I'd contact people individually and invite them to interview which helped me select only those who I thought were going to be a great fit. I'd then proceed the way you did - creating a list of interview questions, speaking to them on the phone to ensure they understood what was involved and setting small tasks at first to see how we both worked together.
It's been my experience that when working virtually one has to communicate a hell of a lot more and a lot more precisely than one normally would in a physical office - that's where the procedures manual comes in as it saves having to repeat one's self over and over.
Hope some of this helps!
Shân