Easy…
“Can you send me a resume?”
Even though people ask this question to VAs all the time, as a general group, we don’t like it.
I think it’s because it means we’re being thought of as employees. Remember, administrative assistants don’t get paid very well and often have to take a lot of orders and abuse from bosses. When we leave that world to start our own businesses we want to leave that world far far away! Being asked for a resume is something that happens when you apply for a job, not when someone approaches you looking to hire a contractor.
I know it’s only a word and you’re just learning how this process works, but you can ruffle a lot of virtual feathers by asking for a resume or trying to get someone to fill out an application.
When you hire a plumber do you ask to see a resume? No. You might ask for a couple of references but never a resume. You just want to know that they’ll do the job well – that’s what matters.
A lot of this is simply educating the public, which is what the goal of this blog is. We want to get rid of the mindset that a Virtual Assistant is going to be your own remote employee. That’s not the case.
Instead of asking for a resume, check out the ‘ABOUT’ information on a VA’s website, ask to see samples of work and some testimonials. It’s perfectly acceptable to ask for a couple of references, but if you ask to see a resume, you can be certain that your innocent question was not well received!
As with everything else these days, simply do a Google search for the name of the VA you have in mind. That will tell you a lot.
I would love to see a comment or two here from someone wishing to work with a Virtual Assistant so we can hear the other perspective!
I know this is a new realm of possibility for some people, but would anyone ask their accountant or even their electrician for a resume….No
As a VA, I would be more than happy to present references and testimonials to attest to the fact that I can do what I say I do.
In fact, most of what I do as a VA has very little to do with what I did as and Admin Manager, except the ability to figure out how to get something accomplished! As an administrative professional, I have spent my career figuring out how to get things done for my boss, my client, myself…my job, as I see it, is to make my client look good.
Not every VA will be a good fit, but not every electrician will do exactly what you want either. The onus is on you to do your research, your google searches, your interviews….not all will be a good fit.
If you want to grow your business, check out a VA – if you want extraordinary results…don’t ask for a resume.
My response to that question was always, do you ask to see your plumber’s resume?? And then I show them my website (which is my business storefront) which includes testimonials on it from past clients and my portfolio.
It is true that the VA profession is still new for many people in the business world. Many of us contribute daily to educating others about what we do. We need to remind most of them that we are contractors, not employees. I actually don’t take it personally if someone asks me to see my resume. I simply direct them to my website and ask them if I can put together a proposal for them.
I think with the VA industry still being fairly new and “mainstream”, it may be hard for some business owners to step out of that “assistant = employee” mind set.
I’ve yet to have anyone ask for a resume but I have had potential clients ask for references which is an excellent idea. Actually, I take that back…one potential client did ask for a resume OR some samples of my work so I sent her links to the blogs I had set up for other clients since that was what she was specifically interested in.
Anyway, asking for references is much more appropriate than asking for a resume.