Interview Process - Making the details fall into place from the get-go

For me, the essential key to a successful partnership between virtual assistant and client is the relationship. Tasks can be learned as can a new software package, but relationships are based on synergies and must be present from the beginning.

To this end, I've developed an interview process that gets us off on a GREAT start to seeing if there is a connection. The process is comprised of four steps and they all must happen.

Step One: 15-minute introductory call. This call is set up for us to introduce ourselves, hear each others voice, and an opportunity to ask basic questions of me, my practice, and/or my interview process.

Step Two: Assessment. I have an assessment of approximately 12 statements in which you rate yourself from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree. These questions have been designed to help me ascertain your grasp of virtual assistance.

Step Three: Initial interview call. Please set aside 60 minutes for this telephone call. This interview is an opportunity for us to ask traditional interview questions. We'll be able to

gauge at the end each other's workload, workstyle, pet peeve in order to make a decision about moving forward in the interview process.

Step Four: Deeper discussion interview. For this call we will need to set aside 90 minutes. This conversation allows us to explore how we each deal with more involved issues within our businesses. For example: we'll talk about trust, collaborating, conflict resolution, time management, etc. In general these are the parameters in which our expectations and boundaries are set.

After this last conversation, we will make our decision about moving forward and working together.