If you’re an entrepreneur or midcareer professional, chances are you have a demanding schedule. The business environment is rapidly changing, and there’s simply no time to spend on mundane tasks. For times like these, knowing how to find a virtual assistant can be an absolute game changer for your business.
Managers can outsource tasks like email inbox management, scheduling, and reception at the push of a button with a VA. This leaves core employees more time to deal with mission-critical tasks like business development and client relations. Wing Assistant offers vetted, fully-managed virtual assistants for startups and small businesses, but we’re not alone. Let’s take a look at some of the top sites for filling this clutch role.
Top Websites for Finding Virtual Assistants
In an ultra competitive business environment, smart professionals outsource task overflow to a VA. Wondering which virtual assistant platform is best for you business? Read on to find out.
Here are some of the top platforms to find and hire a virtual assistant:
- Wing Assistant
- Upwork
- Fiverr
- Freelancer.com
- Onlinejobs.ph
- People Per Hour
- Guru
- Remote.co
- Zirtual
- Belay
- Wishup
- Virtual Staff Finder
- Support Shepherd
Let’s dive in to find out which service is best for your business.
Find A Virtual Assistant through Wing
Wing Assistant connects busy professionals with a dedicated, fully-managed virtual assistant for a flat fee. Wing leverages a global workforce, and all Wing VAs are fluent in English and trained for success in the workplace. Assign your Wing VA unlimited tasks during agreed-upon working hours. Many Wing Assistant VAs also specialize in niche industries, including:
- E-Commerce
- Real Estate
- Web & App Development
- Healthcare
- Social Media
- Digital Marketing
- IT
You can also request a Wing VA with specialized skills like content marketing, sales, reception, or bookkeeping. Clients receive a bill monthly for the VA services and can opt for a full or part-time plan. After a brief call and screening, VAs can start almost immediately. Once in place, your Wing VA responds within minutes via text, email, Slack, WhatsApp, or another platform of your choosing.
Get Your Next VA on Upwork
Upwork is a well-known talent hub, and for good reason. The company hosts thousands of freelancers with a variety of skills. According to Upwork.com, VAs charge an average of $18 to $35 per hour. Simply post a listing for your job and include all of the relevant information, then accept bids, review profiles, and choose the right candidate for the job.
Competition among prospective VAs on Upwork can be intense, so be prepared for a deluge of responses if you’re offering a sought-after position. On Upwork you can find a virtual assistant from anywhere on the globe, so also keep time zone differences in mind when hiring.
While many businesses rely on Upwork every day, buyer beware: With a service like Upwork, you’ll have to do virtually all of the vetting yourself based solely on user reviews. This can be super time intensive and does not ensure the success of the person you hire. Upwork also charges clients and freelancers fees for projects, which can turn off top talent and be a hidden cost in your team’s VA budget.
Find a Virtual Assistant through Fiverr
If you have a one-time task that needs a quick fix, Fiverr may be the best option for you.
Many tout Fiverr as being a cheaper option than Upwork or Wing Assistant for finding VAs. If you want to find a virtual assistant for a one-off job, it may be a good option for you. The platform lets employers list their jobs and accept proposals from motivated talent. But as the old adage goes, sometimes you get what you pay for. Some users report that Fiverr contractors can be unreliable. There is also no hourly contract option on the platform and interview and screening options are inefficient for serious employers.
Wing Assistant pre-vets all VAs and trains them to ensure professionalism. With guidance from our Operations Team, your Wing VA arrives ready to make an impact on day one. You don’t have to worry about timely onboarding and training.
Use Freelancer.com to Find a VA
Some VA skills like content marketing and social media posting are easy to fill on Freelancer.com. VAs bid on projects, allowing you to select the most motivated candidate who fits your team’s budget.
One major downside to Freelancer.com in user reviews is that it’s sometimes difficult to contact support staff. This can relate to closing your account or issuing complaints about Freelancer performance. Of all the sites listed here, it appears that Freelancer.com is consistently one of the least reliable. The site’s performance could change, but it’s best to investigate other options before going this route.
Onlinejobs.ph is a Good Place to Find a Virtual Assistant
Onlinejobs.ph connects hiring managers with contractors based specifically in the Philippines. It’s relatively easy to a virtual assistant on Onlinejobs.ph; just search through dozens of employee profiles based on the particular skill your business needs. Employees can focus on several skills, including SEO, data entry, content writing, Facebook marketing, PPC, Lead Generation, and more. Not surprisingly, the rates for employees are very competitive.
While hiring from an international talent pool can be cost effective, it does place constraints based on time zone differences and potentially on communication. Wing Assistant offers the option to hire solely US-based VA talent. This is particularly useful for businesses like real estate, where some geographical awareness is sometimes useful. Wing Assistant also offers bilingual English-Spanish VAs who can help with customer service.
People Per Hour is a Good Place to Find a VA
People Per Hour touts itself as the number one freelancing community on the web. The company hosts freelancers for typical skills like design and digital marketing, but also offers access to professionals with more specialized skills like fonts and typography, music and audio, or animation. Post a project to review and accept proposals, or search for freelancers yourself among the site’s listed profiles.
One useful feature of the site is the project stream, a way to receive real-time notification, track freelancer progress, and review chat history all at once. Some users complain about the site’s fees, and it can be harder to find newer, more cost effective talent on the site due to the limited number of bids for new freelancers.
Guru is a Good Platform for Finding VAs
Among the many platforms offering to connect employers with VA talent, Guru is angling to be the value option. You won’t find many bells and whistles on this platform, but this might make it a good solution for startups and small businesses.
Guru has a Find Freelancers tool that lets employers find freelancers that fit their needs. Make payments through the site’s secure payment system. The site allows users to build a team of multiple freelancers and track progress via status updates. Track time hourly and set multiple freelancers to work on the same project in separate WorkRooms.
Look for Your Next VA on Remote.co
Remote.co is a great resource for finding and posting remote jobs, but it’s more of a forum as opposed to a tailored solution. Over 140 companies post remote work opportunities on the site, and it has been recommended by reputable news sources like CNN and Fast Company.
Remote.co has a lot of good press, but at the end of the day it is not a tailored solution. Simply put, the employer must do all of the work to find the right candidate, which often costs time and money.
Wing Assistant connects you with a Customer Success Manager charged with ensuring your project is a success. After a brief phone interview with your Wing CSM, you can meet vetted, experienced VA candidates who can help your business. If a problem should arise or you want to use a different VA, your Wing CSM can quickly adjust so there is no inconvenience to your business.
Zirtual
Unlike many other platforms on this list, Zirtual specializes in providing virtual assistants. Your dedicated assistant can handle a vast majority of tasks. Zirtual is highly rated in anonymous surveys from employees, which is always a good sign. Happy employees show up to your project motivated and excited to learn. Management at Zirtual are also invested in employee success.
This helps hiring managers, as Zirtual employees have the full faith of the organization as well as a strong foundational skillset. Two cons that users frequently report are that there is no possibility for rollover hours and no ability to hire on a project-by-project basis. This could spell a hassle depending on your desired billing structure.
Wing Assistant offers VAs for a dedicated VA for a flat monthly fee just like Zirtual. Unlike Zirtual, each Wing account has access to our proprietary task management software, messaging platform, and additional apps like Sales Boost for sales and lead gen, and Pie by Wing for social media management.
Belay
Like Zirtual, Belay specializes in staffing virtual assistants. Hiring companies fill out a brief questionnaire and submit it through the website. A Belay client success consultant connects with the employer to learn more about the business and sign a customer agreement. Belay will then connect you with a VA to suit your needs.
Unlike Zirtual and Wing Assistant, many Belay VAs are not dedicated. This means they may split there time between many clients. A VA who multi-tasks may not be a problem for the majority of companies, but some businesses require subject matter knowledge and a unique set of competencies for success. Wing Assistant VAs work on one project at a time, allowing them to focus on the ins and outs of your business and avoid confusion and costly errors.
Wishup
Wishup collects information on the type of tasks your business needs done and connects you with the right VA for the job. The company’s website also features a blog, podcast, reviews, and case studies to help you with choosing the right virtual assistant solution for your business. Work with your Wishup VA Monday through Friday from 9AM to 6PM PST or EST.
While fixed VA hours can be good for some businesses, Wing Assistant allows you the flexibility to determine your VA’s hours. Since Wing VAs are global, college-educated, and fluent in English, they can work with your schedule. Assign your Wing VA unlimited tasks at the end of the day and return to the office to a bunch of completed work. It’s a great way to start the day.
Virtual Staff Finder
Virtual Staff Finder has served businesses in over 45 countries and helped to hire over 8000 VAs. The platform offers a Virtual Staff Finder where employers can search for talent via the site. Like onlinejobs.ph, talent is located almost exclusively in the Philippines.
As with many other platforms that offer a broad talent pool, it’s up to the employer to wade through all the potential hires to find the right match for your team. Be wary of the time it will take on a platform like Guru to find a quality candidate with the particular skillset you need.
Support Shepherd
Support Shepherd connects overseas talent with businesses in a variety of industries, including:
- Agencies
- E-Commerce
- Tech
- Real Estate
- Media
- Professional Services
- Service Businesses
Employers can also hire in places like Latin America or the Philippines.
How to Find a Virtual Assistant: Key Considerations
As with any new hire, there are many considerations that you must take into account before hiring a VA. Here are a few considerations to finding the right VA:
- Interviewing/Screening
- Experience
- Reviews
- Trial Periods
There’s no substitute for experience in any role, and virtual assistants are no exception. Assessing experience begins with a thorough resume review and an interview with the candidate. Then look at performance reviews and seek out previous employers or clients for candid assessments.
Before committing long-term to a VA, you’ll want to screen them properly. This process can include several rounds of interviews and meetings with key stakeholders within your organization. There may be technical skills you want to test, or a trial period you want to enforce. Establishing a process for VA onboarding can itself be time consuming.
Once the interview and screening process is in place, you’ll need to execute it. That’s where a managed service like Wing Assistant can save you invaluable time. After all, the whole idea of getting a VA is to save time, so why should the search for the right VA take even more time?
You might consider giving your new VA a trial period of a few weeks to ensure its a good fit. Unfortunately, if it’s not, you may have to go back to the drawing board and find new talent.
Find the Best Virtual Assistant for You at Wing
Part of being in a management role is knowing how to strategically deploy resources. Time is arguably the only resource that’s non-renewable, so it’s especially important to be protective of your time.
Knowing how to find a virtual assistant is just the first step to more productivity. But shouldn’t take up all your bandwidth. It should be a quick process that allows your team focus on core tasks that keep the business moving forward. Take a look at the platforms listed here and do your own due diligence. If Wing Assistant is a good fit for your business, contact a Wing Customer Success Manager today.
