Looking for the right talent to add to your team is not a light task. It is time consuming going through a number of applications, expensive, and if you don’t know what you’re doing, you can end up wasting time and money by hiring the wrong person.
Because of this, there has been a growing demand for recruitment agencies who employers can partner with to do the screening, vetting, and interviewing of top candidates. Since the pandemic has forced most of us to work remotely, the rise of employers hiring offshore staff has only grown higher.
In 2020, Remote Workmate partnered with XX employers around the world to provide offshore staffing solutions. We have since maintained a mutually beneficial working relationship with our clients, one that is favorable to both parties for years to come.
However, as passionate as we are about helping businesses and companies build their virtual teams, there are certain clients whose virtual staffing needs are not what we at Remote Workmate envision the company to provide. We list them below and explain why we cannot work with them.
Employers who want an all-in-one VA
Some employers have unrealistic expectations for the role they want to hire for. A lot look for a jack-of-all-trades of some sort in a virtual assistant. They want a social media manager, copywriter, graphic designer, and strategist in one.
Freelancers and virtual workers nowadays see through those types of job advertisements and know they will be working four or more different jobs for the pay of one. We try to discourage employers from hiring this way as it is unfair to the VA. While there are some out there willing to put on different hats for their employer, they will only do it for a reasonable salary which most of the time, the employer will lack the budget for.
We at Remote Workmate aim to provide employers with quality VAs as well as quality work experience for the employees they hire from us. Because of that belief, we refrain from working with companies who want more for less in a VA.
Employers with on-demand hiring needs
Sometimes our decision to work with a business, company, or employer depends on their hiring needs. We work best with those who are looking to hire virtual assistants for a specific role that constantly has tasks and who intend to keep them for a long-term basis. Roles like administrative assistants, copywriters, accountants, real estate assistants, and others that have everyday responsibilities.
In other words, we turn down employers whose nature of business is project-based or anything that comes and goes in a matter of a few months. The reason we do this is because it becomes difficult to retain quality employees when they have no idea when their next tasks will be coming. It also leaves our Customer Success Managers (CSMs), the persons who serve as moderators between clients and Workmates to ensure a good working relationship, with an irregular schedule and a VA progress that is difficult to track.
Employers who won’t manage their VA properly
One of the ways a successful and long-lasting partnership between employer and VA can be possible is dependent on the employer’s willingness to invest time and knowledge into mentoring their VA. This is particularly critical for the first two weeks to one month of already working with the VA.
An ideal employer is comfortable with delegating, would communicate clear instructions and expectations to their VA from the beginning, provide support when needed, and equip them with the right tools and technologies to be effective.
Remote Workmate assesses all that during our Discovery Call. To be clear, we do not require employers to have managerial skills and a set work process and tools in place for us to partner with them. However, if we feel that they aren’t willing to listen to insights on how to manage their VA, we can safely predict that the working relationship will be difficult and would have to turn them down.
Employers who low-ball their offers
Some employers don’t realize the amount of work that goes into the recruitment process, so they are turned off by the fee. But we don’t just do the screening of hundreds applications and interviewing a number of candidates before setting employers up with the best talent we can find. We also do HR and payroll management, as well as guide the employers who are unsure how to manage their VA. The amount of time they save on recruiting and the likeliness of retaining their VA by hiring us justifies our professional fee, so when we meet a low-ball offer, it is highly unlikely that the work will continue.
Additionally, it’s hard to place a candidate with an employer who low-balls their offer, especially if we have already shared the candidate’s desired salary with them. We establish a candidate’s market value by the years of experience they have and the amount of their previous salary. When we match them with an employer, it’s because we’ve done the research and know they can afford the candidate’s salary. So if they still try to offer less, it creates an uncomfortable situation for us and the candidate.
Who we do want to work with
There are employers who fit our ideal client profile of being experienced in managing an employee, having the proper systems and tools in place, and seeing the value in the service that we give them.
Our success formula depends on that and a candidate that has the skills, initiative, and right personality to be a valuable and permanent addition to your team.
If you’re ready to hire your Workmate, schedule an obligation-free Discovery Call with us so we can talk about your specific needs and help you increase productivity and grow your company.
