What's this have to do with finding and hiring a Virtual Assistant (VA), you ask?

Well, people are often looking for referrals to "The best VA you know".  And they want that person right now to take care of a million things. But all too often they don't consider where that referral is coming from. And that's just one, fundamental reason that holds true for everything from restaurants to employees to health practitioners.

The thing is…Even if your referral source has worked with loads of VAs you don't want to just take the referral and run.

Entrepreneurs get in touch with me all the time because they're looking to hire a VA and want me to recommend one. While I've certainly worked with a lot of different ones over the years, and I'm happy to pass a few names along, I still always do so with a big warning…

DO NOT simply hire one of the people I-or anyone else-recommends. Or the first VA you run across. Do you due diligence!

Otherwise chances are you're going to end up with another outsourcing horror story for me to add to my files.

Here's why…

1. Everyone needs are different and every VA has a different skill set. If you want a VA to manage your shopping cart, and the one your friend referred you to is more skilled at social media and blog development, you've got a problem.

   It's your job to make sure the person you hire has plenty of experience doing the tasks you want done, in a way that's proven to be effective and efficient.

2. Your communication styles need to mesh. I prefer to work with my VAs via written communication most of the time, and phone occasionally. You might prefer phone over email. Or you might rather use video SKYPE.

   On top of that, you need someone who just fundamentally gets what you're after and what you're trying to say. And I've yet to meet a VA that studied Mind Reading in school. So the VA your friend loves may not understand you or what you want very well or very easily.

   Ineffective communication leads to massive frustration. Plus wasted time and dollars.

3. You need to have a little skin in the game. While most VAs are highly skilled and can largely hit the ground running, it still takes time to get to know each other. And time for them to learn your style and how you like things done.

   If you haven't spent any time on the hiring process it's too easy for you to bail the first time something doesn't go exactly as you'd planned or hoped. If you've invested time searching for the right Virtual Assistant (including interviewing and checking references on a few top contenders), you're less likely to walk away at the drop of a hat.

   Think about it…Most traditional employees are given a certain number of weeks or months to get up to speed. Because employers don't want all that hiring time, energy and investment to go to waste. And they don't want to have to start the process again. You should feel the same.

While you can successfully hire a VA based on a referral for a one-off project, the big benefits come when you have long-term relationship with a VA. You want them to become an integral part of your business support team. That doesn't happen overnight. And it doesn't happen unless you find the right Virtual Assistant to support you.

Take your time. Do your due diligence. Then once you've hired the best VA you can find for you, remember that it's up to delegate and communicate effectively to let them know exactly what you need. While it may take a little while for them to get things just right, it's going to be well worth your investment once they do.