5 Signs of a Great VA (Look for These Green Flags Before You Hire)

You’re growing your business, you’re drowning in work, and every blog post, productivity hack, and social media guru is telling you the same thing: delegate.

So you think, that’s it, time to hire a VA.

But hang on. Not all virtual assistants are created equal. For most business owners, the thought of handing over your baby is nerve-wracking. What if you trust your business to the wrong person?

That fear keeps a lot of busy entrepreneurs stuck. But it doesn’t have to. The key to hiring a virtual assistant is to know what green flags signal that this will be a good partnership (and what red flags should make you say “no thanks.”).

Green Flag 1: A VA Who Asks (A Lot) of Questions

A VA isn’t a mind reader. They don’t automatically know what kind of support you need or what processes you have in place.

During the discovery call, a good VA or agency digs deep. Expect questions about your goals, your processes, and your expectations, not just a list of things you want done.

For example, if you say you want email management, a good VA should ask what that means to you. Do you want them to send emails on your behalf? If so, do you have templates? Do you have a tone of voice guide?

Or do you mean you want them to sort emails? If so, how do you want them to determine urgency? Should they let you know if something requires immediate attention?

You might not have answers to all of these questions, and that’s OK. Establishing processes and expectations is part of onboarding. The important thing is that the VA makes an effort to really understand the goal behind the tasks you want them to do.

🚩Red flag: A VA who acts like an order taker and says “yes” to everything without asking for clarification or details. If you hire that person, you’ll feel like they need constant hand-holding.

Green Flag 2: A VA Who’s Honest About What They Can (and Can’t) Do

Let’s be real: the “unicorn VA” is a myth. People aren’t unicorns, and no one has proficiency in everything.

A good VA won’t oversell themselves. At Admin Virtuosa, for example, we have a VA on staff who is outstanding at managing the day-to-day details of business operations.

She doesn’t design graphics. She doesn’t create marketing campaigns. Could she do it? Probably. But it’s not her zone of genius, and it’s not what her clients rely on her for.

“Unicorn VAs” claim they can do everything for an entrepreneur, but they leave out the part about not doing everything well.

The best virtual assistants will tell you upfront if there’s something they can’t help you with—and they’ll often recommend someone who can.

🚩Red flag: A VA who describes themselves as a “unicorn” or “jack of all trades” who can handle literally anything you need. You’re better off hiring multiple specialists who are great at what they do than one person who’s mediocre at everything.

Green Flag 3: A VA Who Wants to Understand Your Business

The best virtual assistants don’t just want tasks—they want to help you take your business to the next level.

A green flag is a VA who asks about your company’s vision, mission, and standard operating procedures. That’s vital background for helping you achieve your goals.

And if you don’t have those pieces in place? Don’t worry. A great VA can guide you through creating those foundational pieces of a successful, scalable business.

You can also benefit from their experience, and what they’ve seen work (or not) in other companies they’ve worked with.

🚩Red flag: A VA who jumps right into your task list without learning SOPs and establishing workflows first. That is a shortcut to headaches and potentially expensive mistakes.

Green Flag 4: A VA Who Sets Expectations

A lot of entrepreneurs have the expectation they can just hand over a pile of tasks and say, “do it,” but it doesn’t work like that. Remember, the VA can’t read your mind.

A great VA will clarify communication channels and frequency—do you want a daily Slack chat, or is a weekly email enough?

They’ll also establish processes, outcomes, and turnaround times.

And importantly, they’ll set boundaries around their availability. Your VA is not a regular employee you can expect to be on-call for you eight hours a day every day. If that’s what you need, then a VA is not the right kind of hire for you.

🚩Red flag: A VA who doesn’t ask about how (or how often) you want to communicate. If you haven’t set an expectation for regular check-ins, you may end up feeling ghosted.

Green Flag 5: A VA With a Backup Plan

A VA is a person, not a machine. And people get sick. They have family emergencies. They take a day off once in a while.

When you’re interviewing a VA or agency, ask what happens if your VA becomes unavailable. Do they have a backup person or people who can step in? How will that person know what needs to be done?

At Admin Virtuosa, every client gets both a VA and a project manager. Everyone gets a weekly email update, and task lists are tracked in a project management tool.

If the VA is unavailable, the project manager is prepared to check the task list and step right in to prevent an interruption to the client’s service.

🚩Red flag: A VA who doesn’t have a backup plan or says something like, “Don’t worry about it, I never miss work.”

Don’t Just Hire Help—Hire the Right Help

If you’re thinking of hiring a VA as just a way to offload tasks, you are underestimating the value they can bring.

The best VAs don’t just take things off your plate; they support your ability to reach your business goals.

At Admin Virtuosa, we’ve done the vetting for you. Our VAs are ready to deliver the support you need (and even the support you didn’t know you needed). Schedule a call to see if one of them could be a good fit for you.

Questions to Ask a VA Candidate

When interviewing a potential VA, here are five questions you should ask to gauge their fit and ability:

1. Tell me about the last time you started with a new client. How did you figure out what they really needed?

2. What kind of tasks light you up, and which drain you?

3. How would you respond if I gave you three tasks at the same time and told you they were all urgent?

4. Have you ever had to step away unexpectedly? How did you make sure your client was supported while you were gone?

5. What do you need from me, as a client, in order to do your best work?

A well-chosen VA can be a game-changer, offering more time for growth and strategy. Admin Virtuosa provides expert guidance and a skilled team of VAs to ensure you find the perfect match for your business needs, avoiding common pitfalls in the process.

Discover how Admin Virtuosa's unique approach to hiring can connect you with the Virtual Assistant of your dreams, ensuring a perfect match for your business needs. Don't navigate the complexities of hiring a Virtual Assistant alone. Book a free discovery call and take the first step towards streamlined success.