Is a Remote Professional a Good Fit For Your Business? 5 Questions

The Key to Better Hiring: Ask Smarter Questions

Most interviews focus on what candidates say they can do. A better approach is to explore what they’ve done and how they think. Here’s how to dig deeper.

If you find yourself bogged down by repetitive or administrative tasks, a remote professional might help free up your schedule for bigger-picture business activities. However, you may set up a new hire to fail if your workload is too unpredictable or specialized.

Ask yourself:
Which tasks consistently distract me from high-priority responsibilities?
Could someone else handle these tasks efficiently with minimal training?

What Are Your Goals for the Next 3–5 Years?

Hiring a virtual assistant isn’t just about solving immediate problems—it’s about setting up your business for long-term success. If your goals include scaling your operations, boosting ROI, or building a globally aligned team, a virtual assistant might help you get there.

Ask yourself:
Do I want to delegate tasks to focus on strategy and growth?
Am I looking to create a more agile and cost-efficient team?
Will working with a remote professional align with my company’s values and vision?

If your 3–5 year goals point toward growth and operational efficiency, a virtual assistant could be an integral part of achieving them.

1. Behavioral Questions

These reveal how candidates act under pressure, showing their problem-solving and adaptability.

Example: “Tell me about a time you had to step up when others dropped the ball.”

2: Situational Questions

Situational questions help assess critical thinking and decision-making in real-world scenarios.

Example: “How would you handle a project if resources were suddenly cut?”

3: Demonstrative Exercises

Seeing candidates in action shows how they’d perform in the job’s daily challenges.

Example: “Let’s role-play a call with an upset client.”

4: Finding Cultural and Ethical Fit

Skills matter, but so do values. Cultural and ethical alignment ensures long-term success. Ask questions like:

“Tell me about a time you faced an ethical dilemma. What did you do?”

This helps gauge their integrity and decision-making in challenging situations.

“How would you respond if a senior manager broke company policy?”

This reveals whether they’re willing to stand up for company values, even when it’s hard.

5: Understanding Work Habits and Problem-Solving

Work habits can make or break productivity. To assess these, ask:

“If you inherited a messy, outdated system, how would you fix it?”

This question shows their organizational skills and ability to prioritize.

“A client hasn’t heard back from the team and is upset. What do you do first?”

Their response gives insight into how they handle high-pressure, client-facing situations.

Hiring Process Matters

Consistency is key. Asking all candidates the same well-crafted questions not only deepens insights but also ensures fairness. A structured approach leads to better comparisons and removes bias from the process.

Can You Build The Right Remote Team? YES!

Hiring a virtual assistant is no harder than managing any other employee – it just requires a few tweaks, best practices, and the right technology tools! Seeing the value they can bring to your business with those tools, and keeping expectations high – that’s all it takes to make this year awesome(ish). Don’t forget about your virtual assistants because remote professionals need love too.