If you pick one over the other, you’re wrong.
Both are equally essential. You want a VA that fits with your culture and also has the chops to deliver quality work.
We already went over soft skills in a previous article, so this time around, let’s focus on hard virtual assistant skills.
If soft skills involve emotional intelligence and personal attributes like adaptability and time management, then hard skills fall under the technical side of the skills spectrum. These are learned and may be required to carry out specific tasks.
Hard skills include the following:
Every VA should be great at research, no matter their role.
It’s a no-brainer for content writers who have to turn into subject matter experts almost overnight. For social media managers, it’s a must to create a successful brand awareness campaign.
Exceptional research skills also come in handy for customer service reps who encounter a concern that’s not in the knowledge base, or for an operations manager in charge of proposing new goals for the company.
These are among the most common virtual assistant tasks — and for good reason.
If you’re like other CEOs with a jam-packed calendar, then you need someone to help you manage your schedule. And, more importantly, to keep your priorities in check.
This is a huge responsibility that’s best assigned to an executive assistant. Since they’re your right-hand person, they can act as gatekeepers who filter requests for your time. They’ll make sure your calendar is organized, free from unnecessary meetings, and in accordance with your preferences.
Related: How to Hand Off Your Calendar to an Executive Assistant
Have a tough time reaching inbox zero despite spending hours on email alone?
Then you may want to look for a Filipino virtual assistant with email management experience.
Letting them handle your inbox will free up your time and allow you to focus on more important stuff, like growing your business.
Related: How to Delegate Your Inbox to a Virtual Assistant
Without platforms like Google Suite or Microsoft Office, it will be tough for remote teams to collaborate and work seamlessly.
That’s why one of the most essential skills for a virtual assistant is knowing how to use these tools.
Your VA doesn’t have to be a spreadsheet wizard if you’re not looking for a data analyst, but it would be a sweet advantage if they knew basic formulas and functions.
Related: Essential tools for remote work delegation
Reporting is another common virtual assistant skill business owners should look for.
You don’t want team members who just state the obvious and read from their presentation word for word.
With proper reporting, your virtual assistant can measure project results, identify areas for improvement, and help your business succeed.
To keep your business afloat, you need to know where your cash is going.
Some companies will hire an accountant to manage their bookkeeping, while other business owners even do it themselves.
But if you want to save both money and time, hiring a virtual bookkeeping assistant is your best bet.
Related: How much can you save when you hire a remote bookkeeper?
In the digital marketing world, posting content regularly helps brands avoid vanishing into the black hole called irrelevancy.
So whether you’re hiring a social media manager, content writer, or a general VA, two fundamental things they need experience with are uploading and scheduling content.
Other VAs may also have to juggle posting on social media with uploading blog posts on WordPress and setting up emails on Klaviyo. Be clear in the job description about the platforms they’ll be using for content management.
Great customer service is the key to happy, loyal customers — with a study by HubSpot Research stating that 93% of consumers are likely to turn into repeat buyers when their experience is positive.
If your e-commerce business is taking off and you can’t keep up with all the inquiries, a virtual assistant who at least knows basic customer service will be a major asset.
Since they interact directly with customers, they serve as representatives of your brand. They should be friendly, professional, and knowledgeable about the company and its products. Here’s how you can help your VA master their customer service duties.
Last on our list of critical virtual assistant skills is project management.
Project management covers plotting timelines, identifying potential risks, and ensuring that everyone involved is on track with their assigned parts.
In other words, it’s a massive undertaking.
But for a VA with project management skills, it’s something they can definitely handle.
If you want your projects to have more direction and your team to work more effectively, then have one on board. You won’t regret it.
Set your VA up for project management success by:
A lot of virtual assistant tasks require technical skills like research, reporting, and project management.
These are easier to quantify than soft skills, with assessment tests helping you separate the qualified from the unqualified.
But if you really want to guarantee they’re a good fit for your company, you need to factor both hard and soft skills into your hiring decision.
Sounds challenging? Then get in touch with us at Shepherd. We can help you find a well-rounded Philippines virtual assistant at 80% less than local counterparts. Tell us more about your ideal candidate today.
We'll find you amazing remote employees in the Philippines.
