You’ve already heard about the advantages and benefits of working with a Virtual Assistant but there are also some drawbacks.

When you’re working with people online, whether its a coach or consultant, a blog designer, a virtual assistant, or a JV (joint venture) partnership, you don’t always have the benefit of meeting them in person. Without that opportunity to talk face to face, you’ll need to rely on other methods of deciding if this person is someone with whom you want to work.

Referrals

If you’re searching for a virtual assistant, blog designer or a freelance writer, ask your friends or members of a forum or network - maybe even Twitter - for a recommendation. When someone you trust has experience working with someone and the experience was a positive one, it may put your mind at ease to know that the quality of their work can be verified by a reputable source.

References

The next best thing to getting a referral from a friend or colleague is asking the potential contractor or consultant for references. Any experienced virtual worker will have at least one - preferably three - current or former clients for you to contact.  In addition to my portfolio, I have several clients who would be willing to vouch for me and I try to match the reference to the type of service being requested. For example, if someone is asking about my blog design services, I will put them in touch with someone for whom I’ve done a blog design. If its an inquiry about my press release writing, I’ll give them contact information to someone for whom I’ve written a press release. I also like to give my clients a little “heads up” if I’m using them for a reference. I do this for two reasons: 1) so that they will be expecting an email rather than deleting it because they don’t recognize the name and 2) if they’re going to be unavailable I can find someone else so that I’m not disrupting their busy schedule nor making the potential client wait.

Resumés

Asking an independent contractor such as a virtual assistant or blog designer for a resumé is a bit of a controversial topic. While some virtual workers, especially those who are new to working online and may not have an established client base, won’t mind giving you a copy of their resumé, many will scoff at the idea and will politely refuse to provide you with one. The reasoning behind this is that some virtual assistants see providing a resumé as something a potential employee would do. When hiring someone who is self-employed and works as an independent contractor, its more appropriate to ask for references.

Keep in mind that when you are hiring someone to be a part of your team or part of the process of developing your online business, they will have access to many aspects of your business. Because of this, trust is essential. I have experienced firsthand, in my own business and those of some of my clients, situations where ideas were stolen, websites were held “hostage”, and complete strangers with very little experience have solicited unnecessary services. Also, don’t rely on certifications or badges as verification, particularly in the Virtual Assistant industry. The VA industry does not have legalized standards, does not require any kind of license and is not regulated by any agency. This means that there are some excellent VAs who may not have pursued any kind of certification and there are some unprofessional, unreliable VAs who have spent the money on obtaining several different badges for their website.

The bottom line is to be cautious when you’re making the decision to work with someone online. Take some time to verify the information they have given you and pay close attention to any red flags or gut feelings you may have.