How To Hire An Assistant

Business is booming and you need help! I match virtual assistants to help interior designers manage and grow their business but not all interior designers want to work with someone virtually and that’s okay. You need to do what’s best for you and your business. Are you at a point where you could use some help? Are you getting so busy you are overwhelmed? Are there certain aspects of your business that you dread and continue putting on the back burner? Have you recently considered hiring help? If you answered yes, to any of those questions then this post is for you!

You’ve realized you need help, now what? Take a few moments and make a list of the things you need help with – what tasks do you feel would be the easiest for you to let go of, what tasks do you dread doing and what tasks would really make you feel less overwhelmed if you could outsource them.

Now review that list of tasks – is it possible to outsource them to a virtual assistant or should you consider hiring an in-office assistant? Are these tasks going to take someone 40 hours per week or 20 hours per week or are they really on an as-needed basis? If you need a lot of help with renders, floor plans, administration, sourcing, social media and marketing among other things those can all be outsourced to a virtual assistant. However, if you need help with organizing fabric libraries, running errands, site visits and overseeing projects than an in-office assistant is what you’re going to need to hire.

Whichever route you take it’s best to put together a job listing including the required education, experience and details of the job. The clearer you can be on the job description, qualifications and your expectations the better. You are going to need to advertise for the position online, in a local job board, on LinkedIn, in a Facebook group or in the local newspaper to start generating some resume. Review the resumes and set up interviews.

There are pros and cons to hiring both a virtual assistant and in-office assistant.

Virtual assistants are typically 1099 contractors, they work on an as-needed basis and you can either hire one direct or through a virtual assistant agency. You don’t have to worry about providing them a work space, equipment, benefits or keeping them busy for a certain number of hours. The great ones are super reliable, professional and easy to work with.

The con to hiring virtual is that they are virtual – they are not able to run errands, do site visits or organize things in your office. If you don’t need these types of services, then there really isn’t a con to hiring a virtual assistant.

When you hire an in-office assistant, they are typically an employee that is going to need a work space, equipment, set hours and benefits. They are there in person to help with tasks that require them to be in the office or at a job site. Some business owners like knowing they can see their assistant face-to-face on a regular basis.

Along with the tasks you need completed, your personality also plays a big part in whether you hire virtually or not. I’ve worked in the virtual world for thirteen years and am very used to working with people over the phone, email and Skype or Zoom. Some people aren’t comfortable working in that way and that is okay!

Just as becoming an interior designer isn’t for everyone, working with a virtual assistant isn’t for everyone. And sometimes working with an assistant period isn’t for everyone. But if you are struggling and you need help please let me know.

I’m always happy to answer questions about hiring an assistant whether it’s a virtual one or one that’s in your office.