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August 10, 2020

How to Hire the Best Candidates for Your Remote Team

There’s nothing better than landing a great new team member-especially a remote team member. It’s a sign that your business is growing and you are ready to support additional people to help you get to the next phase.

But, finding that person is often easier said than done. And the stakes are high. According to a recent article on business.com, a bad hire can cost your business up to 30 percent of that person’s first year’s pay. More, if you factor in the time and expense that went into finding, onboarding, and training that person. If the bad hire hurt team morale or caused you to lose a customer, the costs can quickly grow.

While those numbers can be scary, take heart–it is possible to find and hire the right person. But, like most things in life, it’s easier to do it when you have a well-thought out plan and understand the common pitfalls that can lead to making a poor choice. 

 

Search Your Own Heart Before You Search for Candidates

A key ingredient in successfully finding the right candidate is understanding exactly what you want this person to do. This is easier to do before you start searching for a candidate and is best accomplished by writing a job description. To get started, consider:

  • The goals for the role. A year after you’ve hired this person, how will you measure his/her success? For example, do you want to see sales increase by ten percent? Improve retention rates? Increase your social media presence? Maybe it’s important that this person fits in well with an existing team or brings new ideas to your business. Whatever the goal is, think of it in terms of an evaluative measure that can be used to assess success.
  • The skills and background needed to successfully do the job. Thinking about the objectives for the new role, consider the skills and background that will help a candidate succeed. 
    • If you have people already in this role, get their thoughts on the right background and compare them to your own ideas.
    • Look at similar roles both within and outside your business and see what skills and backgrounds others are asking for in the role. 
  • The things that matter to your team. Do you have a team of night owls who are looking for a morning person to help balance them out or take customer calls earlier in the day? Maybe you have a team of project managers who would love to have someone with sharper design skills join the group. Thinking about the dynamics of your team and organization can make it easier to know more about who you are looking for when you start your search.
  • What “remote team member” means to you. Do you want someone to work set hours or are you more of a core hours shop? If so, what are the core hours? Are you open to someone located in a different time zone? Do you prefer someone who can personally meet with you for an occasional lunch or team meeting? If you have preferences in this area, be sure to make note of them at this stage.
  • Know what you value in this position. Are you looking for integrity, efficiency, intelligence? Maybe you want  someone who is proactive, a team player, organized, attentive to detail, and  handles correction well. Whatever the traits are that matter to you, identify and document them as part of this process.

 

Write a Job Description

Now that the ideas are churning in your mind, sit down and write a formal job description. You may want to include:

  • A functional and descriptive job title.
  • An overview of the job’s responsibilities.
  • Goals for the role.
  • The skills and background required to succeed.
  • Any specific hardware or software skills.
  • Information about why the job matters to your company.
  • Pertinent details about how you expect the remote work relationship to work. 

 

Share Your Thoughts

Once you have a draft, share it with others who know about the job or will be working with this person. Discuss the job until you get to the heart of what you want. Be specific. 

Continue to revise the job description until it really fits your needs and you have agreement that it captures what you’re looking to achieve by adding this role.

 

Create a Plan to Find the Right Person

When you are looking for a remote team member, you have the important advantage of not being limited by geography. You can find and hire a team member who’s located anywhere with good internet access. 

Using a platform like HireMyMom.com is a great way to source qualified candidates who are specifically looking for remote work. You can save time and money by turning to a site dedicated to connecting driven mom professionals with small businesses. 

If the prospect of a nationwide search daunts you, consider our concierge service to help reduce the amount of leg work you need to do. HireMyMom’s Concierge service was created for busy entrepreneurs and small business owners, like you, who need to hire help but don’t have the time or desire to go through the time-consuming process. With our full service Concierge service, our HR Specialists will do it all for you start to finish and present you with the top candidate(s). 

 

Prepare to Interview Candidates

With candidates identified, it’s time to develop initial interview questions before the first interview. What are some questions that would help you spot those who do and don’t have those skills or qualities?

In the Book, “Who” by Geoff Smart and Randy Street, they outline a thorough process for hiring “A” players. The process may be overkill for some smaller remote roles but the basics of the process provide a solid foundation for selecting the right candidate. 

The interview questions Smart and Street recommend are easy and conversational. They recommend an initial phone interview asking the following questions:

  1. What are your career goals?
  2. What are you really good at professionally?
  3. What are you not good at or interested in doing professionally?
  4. Who were your last five bosses and how would they rate your performance on a 1-10 scale when we talk to them?

Each of those questions should be followed up with “tell me more”, “how” and/or “what” to dig deeper to gain more insight about the candidate and their performance, work ethic and skill level. 

Once you’ve discovered who passed your first interview, Smart and Street recommend the “Who Interview” which “is designed to give you more confidence in your selection because it uncovers the patterns of somebody’s career history and is a chronological walkthrough of a person’s career.” They recommend walking through their past five jobs and asking:

  1. What were you hired to do? How was your success measured in that role?
  2. What accomplishments are you most proud of? Be listening for correlations relating to the expectations of your job. 
  3. What were some low points during that job? Or what part of the job did you not like? In what way were peers stronger than you?
  4. Who were the people you worked with? Ask specifically for the boss’ name. Ask what that person will say were their biggest strengths and areas for improvement. That lets them know you will be calling and they are more likely to give you an accurate response. 
  5. Why did you leave that job? Dig deeper into their response with more questions to more fully understand. 

 

The Reference Checks

The last step of the selection process is to check the candidates references. This will be an opportunity to see what others think of them. You may want to ask them some of the same questions from above to see how similar their responses are. 

Taking the time to get a more full and complete picture of someone’s work history, personality, strengths and weaknesses will help you determine who is the best match for your role. Knowing what you want and what your goals are will help guide you in the interview process. The rest will be determined by the answers you receive!

 

Avoid Common Pitfalls

With all the work you’ve done so far, you are likely sailing toward the right pick for your opening. Still, beware of these common pitfalls:

  • Short changing the thought process to determine exactly what you are looking for or needing from this role. 
  • Limiting the job description so that it includes only skills needed or tasks to be accomplished. It does not include the goals and outcomes for the role.
  • Conducting  interviews that are too are short and do not give you an accurate representation of the candidate. 

 

Enjoy the Process!

Hiring the right candidate with the right skills for the right job can dramatically impact your company’s productivity, outcomes and goals. Your biggest asset is usually those you place on your team. They can help you succeed or they can hold you back. Embrace the opportunity and the process to find the right fit.

 

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July 27, 2020

Are You a Leader or a Manager?

If you lead a company or a team, you likely hold the title of leader, manager or even owner. So what is the difference between a leader and a manager? The dictionary defines a leader as, “the person who leads or commands a group or organization.” And it defines a manager as, “a person responsible for controlling or administering all or part of a company.”

Perhaps the best way to convey the difference between a leader and a manager is metaphorical. Managers handle the processes whereas leaders handle the positioning take for example climbing a mountain. A manager will make sure you have all of the right equipment, a timeline to follow, and ensure that proper safety and procedures are followed. A leader on the other hand will make sure that you’re climbing the right mountain.

Leaders set direction and have traits that inspire others while managers take care of all of the processes, operations and resources.


Character Traits of a Leader

According to the Center for Creative Leadership, the characteristics of a great leader include:

  • Integrity
  • Delegation abilities
  • Strong Communication
  • Self-Awareness
  • Gratitude
  • Learning Agility
  • Influence
  • Empathy
  • Courage
  • Respect

 

Character Traits of a Manager

In Project Smart’s article “Top 10 Qualities of an Excellent Manager” they list the following traits:

  • Creativity
  • Structure
  • Intuition
  • Knowledge
  • Commitment
  • Being Human
  • Versatility
  • Lightness
  • Discipline
  • Big Picture/Small Actions


Top 3 Differences Between Leaders and Managers on the Job

It’s easy to see how the two roles can be confusing and sometimes have overlapping traits. The following is a breakdown of typical tasks and the role each plays on that task completion.

  1. When completing tasks – managers take stock of what needs to be done, they assign these tasks to the appropriate team members and then oversee the tasks until the project is complete. A leader will motivate and encourage his or her team to reach the finish line and complete the task but the delegation is something they often lead to the manager.
  2. When supervising others – managers supervise their staff. They are also responsible for job review and performance and making sure that everyone does their part. A leader is often more flexible and less likely to hold others accountable. They cheer the team on, motivate them to do the work, and urge them to follow their lead when it comes to getting things done.
  3. When budgeting and reaching monetary goals for the company – a manager often has specific sales targets that need to be met for their department. Leaders often leave this task to the other team members. 

 

Other Differences


The Best of Both Worlds

It’s important to have both the motivation and drive to encourage task completion but also that focused resilience to ensure the job gets done right, on time and cost-efficiently. This is why you need to have both roles in your company. 

If you’re a small business owner, you could be playing the dual role of leader and manager. Part of being a good leader is listening to feedback and being a continual learner knowing that there’s always more to learn and ways to grow.

If you’re ready to take the next step and grow your company, HireMyMom offers access to high-quality, experienced and qualified candidates for every need of your business. To find out more, visit our Employer / Small Business page here.


“Management is doing things right. Leadership is doing the right things.” Peter Drucker

 

 

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July 13, 2020

How to Effectively & Successfully Manage a Remote Team

Digital transformation has really changed the workplace environment. In fact, if you are deemed a “non-essential” business, chances are, you’ve now had to adapt to a work from home environment in order to stay operational.

The trouble with remote office management is that employees who might have been readily available in-house can become difficult to manage remotely.

In this article, we will cover the basics of effective remote team management plus provide our top 3 software choices to help you maximize your team’s performance, productivity, and cost-efficiency.


Are you a great remote boss?

As a remote team manager, it’s important to hold yourself accountable for the outcome of your team. Here are some questions you can ask yourself each day to help you stay on track:

Are you providing the proper reports, tools, and training to your team?
Are you making yourself available to your remote workers in case they need assistance and clarity?
Are you taking the time to review the processes?
Did you share clear expectations with your team and assign tasks accordingly?

5 Tips To Help You Manage Remote Teams Effectively

1. Check-In With Your Team At The Start of Each Day
Team check-ins are extremely important to ensure productivity. Whenever possible, it’s best to conduct team meetings at the start of the day to go over any pressing matters, any priority changes, and cover new deadlines.

2. Set Clear Objectives
Remote office environments have many benefits but at the same time, there are certain setbacks that can arise from miscommunication. A huge part of the miscommunication can stem from not setting clear objectives. Because you can’t have in-person contact, it is important to ensure your objectives are clear, concise, and achievable within the members of your remote team. You can start by making a list of tasks that need to be complete and the timelines in which to complete them and then break down these tasks into smaller steps. Once the steps have been determined you can assign them to one worker or a team.

3. Monitor and Track Progress
Once you have your objectives in place, you will need to track your progress and monitor your team (without micromanaging them) in order to ensure deadlines are met and the quality of work isn’t compromised. The use of a Project Management Software can be highly effective when assigning tasks to your remote team and we will cover our top 3 picks later on in this article.

4. Communicate Effectively
They say strong communication methods are the driving force behind highly effective teams but in a remote environment, this can sometimes be hard to achieve especially if you are dealing with a large number of people. 

Fortunately, there are a variety of communication platforms that allow you to see and hear each other, share screens, and provide comments and feedback on projects as they progress. Some of the most common platforms include Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Hangouts.

5. Provide the Right Tools
Because you’re working with a remote team, it will be extremely important to make sure they have all of the right tools in order to perform their roles optimally. Some of the basic equipment includes; a quality laptop, cell phone, printer/scanner/fax, and software such as Microsoft Office.

 

Our Top Picks For Project Management Software

When it comes to Project Management, having the right software can really impact your ability to effectively communicate, collaborate, and meet tight deadlines. Here are our Top 3 Choices and why:


Monday.com 
– Monday.com offers customization and full control.
– It offers several channels of communication, allows for collaboration and selective visibility.
– It allows you to allocate tasks, keep track of time, and visually lay things out within its dashboard feature.
– Monday.com can integrate with a variety of software from your email platform to your e-commerce store and accounting software.

AirTable 
– Database dynamics that easily integrate with platforms like Excel
– Drag and Drop tools for simple and easy form build and use
– Customizable views and dashboards

Basecamp 
– It allows for both business and personal projects to be managed
– It offers both desktop and mobile access 
– It offers one of the most comprehensive to-do list features
– It provides easy file transfers

 

Staff Reward Programs

Staff rewards can keep your team motivated and celebrated which can boost productivity and in the long run, your revenue.

Here are just a few of the ways you can reward your remote workers:

Verbal Recognition
Often just a simple acknowledgment towards your employees, when they go above and beyond, is all it takes to make your worker feel appreciated. You can give them shoutouts in an email, group chat, monthly newsletter, or have a customer of the month recognition through social media.

Digital Rewards
Digital Rewards are an easy way to appreciate your staff. You can set up a point system and assign points for certain milestones and goals that your team reaches both together and individually. They can then turn in their points for a digital gift card of their choice. 

Treat them to Lunch
Even though you can’t physically take them out to lunch, you can still treat them to it through the use of a service company such as Skip the Dishes and Uber-Eats which offer a variety of lunch options and provide delivery to almost any location.

Provide Extra Vacay Days
Any remote worker would appreciate having an extra day off to be with his or her family, friends, or just take a day for themselves to relax and unwind. 

By adding an extra vacation day into your reward system you’ll find workers putting in more time and energy so they can achieve that extra day off.

 

Are you looking to expand your company? At HireMyMom we have a selection of rock star candidates who can really help grow your business. Visit our Employer section here for more details.

 

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June 29, 2020

The Toughest Work From Home Challenges – and How to Solve Them

Working from home has many benefits, from more freedom and flexibility to a quick 10-step commute to your home office.  Although it’s mainly a positive experience for most, there can be challenges involved, especially to those new to working remotely . . .  or maybe when we’re in the middle of a pandemic!

Here are our tips on working through those challenges successfully.

 

Expectations

Working from home with kids or family around is not the same as the bliss of a quiet home or corporate office. Not surprisingly, your day is going to look different, and you’ll have to be proactive about planning your schedule and tasks. It may be helpful to start with a list of what needs to get done (the night before preferably so you can plan accordingly) and hit the ground running in the morning. Circle or star the tasks that require focus and uninterrupted thinking. For me, that’s writing, creating content and talking with clients so I like to do those first thing in the morning while everyone is either sleeping or busy with their own tasks. Other work tasks like email, social media or research do not require as much deep focus so I can plan those for the parts of my day when I know I’m more likely to be interrupted.

I’ve also found batching my work helps my productivity and allows me to get more accomplished. When you get zoned in on a certain tasks and aren’t stopping and starting by checking email, taking phone calls and things like that, you can knock out a week or month’s worth of blog posts, social media or other similar tasks.

Distractions

Whether working from home or a traditional office, distractions are part of every job.  When working from home those distractions include family members, postal deliveries, social media alerts, and things like podcasts that can be a little too tempting. If you struggle at all with independent work, it can be even more challenging.

Instead of eliminating these things entirely, give yourself breaks to do what you’re tempted to do during work time, such as listen to your favorite podcast, play a quick game with your kids, put in a load of laundry or start dinner.

Your distractions can become a healthy part of your life, as long as you work to manage them while still getting things done.  Create a schedule that allows time for the extras or “distracting” parts of your day while still completing your work.

Kids and Family

While kids and family can be a huge bonus to the remote work life, they can also cause distraction and maybe even a bit of frustration when you’ve been together 24/7 for months during a pandemic.  Sometimes you’ll need to have focused work time, meetings or conference calls that demand your attention and that’s where having a plan is imperative.

When possible, set clear boundaries such as if the door is shut, it means no coming in. You may want to put a post-it note there if you are on an important call or recording a video interview as I’ve had to do. In my home, my family knows if my office door is shut and they need something, they can text me and I’ll respond as soon as my call or interview is finished. It also helps that I do most of my calls on speaker phone so they can hear me talking and know not to come in. If you have small children, it may mean swapping focused time with your spouse or hiring a neighbor to help out so you can have some uninterrupted work time.

To help manage your home, create a list of what needs to be done. Consider age-appropriate chores and tasks for each family member. Have a family team meeting and discuss the tasks, chores and expectations. Knowing your family, you can decide if assigning tasks to each person is better or if allowing them to choose what works better for particular needs. Take advantage of meal prepping services if you need a break from meal planning and shopping.

For the never-ending snack needs for younger kids, consider “meal-prepping” some ready to go snacks each night — or weekly if they are non-perishable. Create a shelf in your pantry or in your fridge where they can grab a snack if you are busy.

For your kids play time needs, ask the moms of your kid’s friends if they’d like to swap play times so the kids can play at their houses one afternoon and at yours another day.  Or you may find a high school or college kid that is home that can take the kids to the park or pool or even play games with them. When they are with you, you may need some fresh ideas and extra activities to keep them busy.

When the weather is beautiful, consider taking your work outside! Take the kids and go to a park while you work on those tasks that don’t require intense focus.

Isolation

Whether you have family around you or are at home alone, we all need social interaction from others. Be proactive in engaging and interacting with others you work with and those you don’t. Instead of simply waiting for schedule meetings, sometimes it is helpful to have that “virtual” face-to-face coffee break or an informal face-time chat with a friend or colleague.  They may also be feeling isolated and will appreciate you making the effort to visually connect with them.

Another way to fight the isolation blues is to work on your goals. Setting goals and actively working on yourself, your marriage, your parenting and your business will bring positivity to you as well as those who will appreciate your determination and accomplishments.

And don’t forget about the importance of getting outside for some Vitamin D. There are real benefits to taking breaks, getting some sunshine and going for walks. Fresh air and sunshine can be helpful to clear the mind and help reset your mood. If you can’t get outside, then any kind of physical activity can help you feel healthier and invigorated during your day.

 

So there you have it, knowing what to expect and being proactive to overcome these challenges makes all the difference. Each day is likely to be different and when you have a bad one, simply learn what you could have done differently and vow to do better tomorrow.

Are you looking for your dream work from home job or a rock star candidate to help grow your business? Whether you are seeking freelance work or to hire a great remote team member, HireMyMom aims to be your #1 choice! Let us know how we can be of help!

 

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June 22, 2020

3 Powerful Ways Remote Teams Can Help Your Small Business Grow

If you are a small business owner, chances are you’ve faced the challenge of how and when to hire someone to join your team. Many small business owners start out by themselves or with only one or two others, but as the business grows so do the roles and needs. And with the recent mandatory shift to working remotely, more businesses are seeing the benefits of a remote team. But what many may not know is there are many other positives to this virtual work approach.

 

More for Your Money

You get a bigger bang for your buck when hiring remote workers. Job seekers looking for remote work value their freedom and flexibility over an office job and may be willing to work for less than a traditional employee. And many small businesses have found they can fill many roles with independent contractors which is more cost effective than hiring an employee with benefits. 

The average cost of health insurance for U.S. employees is close to $15,000 according to SHRM. When you consider those cost savings, hiring independent contractors for remote work sounds even more advantageous.

The IRS has set guidelines for determining if someone is an employee or an independent contractor. In general, if the business owner is paying for the result of the work, rather than the ability to control how the work is performed, then the position is likely suitable for a contractor rather than an employee.

 

More Specialized

Instead of hiring one person to do a variety of jobs, having a remote team allows you to hire multiple team members each with a unique set of skills. Many virtual professionals today work for more than one person and therefore get very good in a set of skills. No longer do you have to hire an “all-in-one” candidate to do customer service, administrative tasks and social media.

Instead, you could look for specialized talent like:

  • A Facebook ads specialists to create and manage ad campaigns to bring more sales and customers to your business.
  • A customer service person to respond to your customers needs and questions.
  • A content manager to create and manage content for social media, blogs and email campaigns.
  • A marketing person to create lead magnets and other marketing ideas to grow your business.
  • An email marketing specialist to create email campaigns for your customers or to improve the client onboarding processes.
  • A YouTube, Instagram or Pinterest specialist to increase brand visibility, drive traffic, grow your email list and increase your customer base.
  • A virtual assistant to manage your day to day tasks such as email, phone calls, and other routine tasks so you can focus on your business.
  • A project manager to oversee your projects and keep them running.

 

Better Retention 

With remote positions, you can attract and retain quality professionals. In a recent study, 95% of employers reported that working remotely has had a high impact on their employee retention rate.

For moms, working remotely provides the ability to have a better work / life balance. For instance, if a child is sick, mom can continue to work while monitoring their child. In the same way, she can take a break to go watch her child’s school performance and make up the time if needed. Having the ability to work remotely is hugely valuable to moms which makes remote positions very attractive. 

 

Having the ability to hire the right person for the right job and pay a fair rate enables small businesses to grow faster than having to hire full time employees. When combined with all the additional benefits, establishing a virtual team becomes a real advantage for many small businesses.  If you’re looking to grow your remote team, we’d be grateful to help! 

 

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June 9, 2020

5 Tips for Hiring a Remote Team Member

Entrepreneurs often find themselves wearing too many hats. And at some point, it becomes obvious that hiring a contractor or team member make sense for growth, sustainability and sanity.  

Remote work has revolutionized the way small to medium businesses conduct themselves. It’s become an attractive and affordable option for many reasons and  COVID-19 just helped raise awareness of how feasible and advantageous it is. Once you’ve decided to hire your first or next remote team member, you’ll need some guidance on the process.

 

Here are 5 tips to get you started with your new hire:

 

Crafting Your Job Description

The first step is to get the job title right. You want to make sure you attract relevant candidates to your posting — and your job title is your headline. Think about what roles and responsibilities you’d like your new hire to take on and match the job description to them.

Your job description should define the overall goals of the role. 

What is the main goal of this role? This should not be just the most important tasks of the job, but also the outcomes you desire for this role.  For instance, is your goal an increase in sales? Is it building followers on social media and attracting new clients? Or are you looking for the highest levels of customer service? Knowing your goals will help drive your job description and the qualities and skills you are seeking in a candidate.

If you are seeking an assistant to take over some of your day-to-day duties, it’s sometimes helpful to keep track of your typical day. Pay attention to the tasks you like doing and the ones you don’t and write them down. Do the same for tasks you struggle with. It’s a lot easier to put those into your job description so you can attract the right candidate who is qualified and experienced with the areas of your business you need the most help with.

 

Where to Find Your New Hire

There are many places you can post your job to:

  • Social media like Facebook and LinkedIn
  • General job sites like Indeed or Monster
  • Niche or boutique job sites like WeHireHeroes.com (Vets) and HireMyMom.com 


With the social media and general job sites, you are likely  to get upwards of a thousand or more applicants in a 24 hour period. That’s one reason many have switched to the more niche sites where they can attract high quality candidates without spending days sifting through resumes. Boutique sites filter out the best of the best leaving you with quality candidates who are serious about working for you to choose from. We cover other advantages in this blog.

(Note: At HireMyMom our professionals are independent and not employed by HireMyMom. We do not charge any commissions to the job seeker or employer.)

Screening Your Candidates

Once you’ve received applicants for your job posting, it’s time to start reviewing who you want to interview.  Here are some keys to moving through this step:

Cover Letter – ask for specifics in the cover letter title to filter out those who are not paying attention to detail.
(Traits: attention to detail, invested time, not cut and pasted).

Portfolios – you can ask for samples of their work to evaluate the quality and efficiency (depending on the job).
(Traits: Depending on the portfolio you can ask for web design examples, market research samples, or ask them to submit a short video answering a couple of questions).

Resume – make sure the resume you’re presented with is professional and speaks to the traits and skills you are seeking.
(Traits: Attention to detail, articulation, grammar and spelling, time invested).

Skill Tests – there are some really great online skill tests available that you can ask your candidates to complete to help you determine their personality traits and competencies. One to consider is 123Test.com. 

Conducting Interviews


When it comes to the interview process, a couple of the most common platforms for video interviews are Zoom and Skype.

It’s important to ask the right questions during the interview process. We’ve put together a really great interview cheat sheet featuring our Top 10 Interview Questions To Ask that you can download here.

The last step in the interview process is to screen for references. You can ask your candidates for 3 references but there are other ways you can screen them too. 

If they have a LinkedIn profile you can preview it to see if they have any referrals or endorsements. You can also preview any shared social media profiles so get a better understanding of their work (if applicable) and personality traits.

 

Creating Your Job Offer

Once you’re ready to take that big step you can prepare your job offer.

Job offers will vary depending on whether you are bringing your candidate onto your payroll or hiring them as an Independent Contractor.

The common job offers will include the following:

The job classification – part-time, full time, contract-based, etc.

  • Hourly or salary rate.
  • How and when candidate will be paid.
  • Expected work hours if certain hours are required.
  • For employees: benefits, vacation allowance, and any other job perks disclosed in the job description.
  • Conditions of employment – include contract term (if applicable) and probationary period.
  • Start date and training / onboarding period.

If you’re in need of some guidance for independent contractors, check out our article 7 Essentials to an Independent Contractor Agreement.)

At HireMyMom, we feel blessed to have helped thousands of employers find talented remote team members for their businesses for over 13 years now.

We hope you have found this article useful. If you’d like more information about HireMyMom and the services we provide to employers you can visit our employer page here.

 

 

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June 1, 2020

Top Jobs and Tools for Today’s Virtual Assistant

The year is 2020 and times have sure changed compared to where we were last year. A huge part of the COVID-19 prevention has resulted in the closure of many small to medium sized businesses. For the companies that can continue to operate, they have been able to convert to remotely running their businesses to meet the changing protocols within their cities and states.

The demand for a quality virtual assistant is becoming more of a necessity now, which means great news for VA’s around the world.

In fact, as the world revolutionizes to functioning almost 100% remotely, businesses are recognizing the true value and positive impact a virtual assistant can make on their company’s growth, success and retention rate.

Today, we’re going to cover the top highly sought after virtual assistant jobs as well as the most utilized software pertaining to these roles so that you can take advantage of the many workplace opportunities that are arising.

 

Administrative Assistant

The need for administrative assistance has become increasingly popular especially now when a lot of businesses have been pivoting to accommodate the changes from COVID-19.

Common tasks for administrative assistance include; email and calendar management, scheduling meetings, booking appointments, answering and returning phone calls, initial research and more. If you are interesting in attaining training as a VA, look at some of the training options available here.  

Commons Tools and Apps

Email & Communication

You’ll want to become well versed in the most common communication platforms such as

Email Marketing

You could also be expected to send out emails through software like;

Booking Calendars

It’s also important to learn the most popular Calendar applications such as;

 

Content and Website Maintenance

A virtual assistant can become a huge support for an online business’s website.

Whether you are helping with writing or editing of blog posts or maintaining the overall content of the company site, more and more businesses are leaning on their virtual assistant to help with this time consuming and sometimes highly repetitive task.

Suggested Software Experience:

Website Platforms:

Content Management Software

 

Customer Relations Management


With so many businesses now operating online and e-commerce on a steady incline, the key to customer retention is to stay on top of the customer service department..

Building a really great customer service protocol helps ensure that customers are happy, coming back, and referring others.

If your job as a virtual assistant includes handling aspects of the customer relations department, you’ll probably be responsible for handling customer inquiries and any concerns/issues. Providing solutions quickly and effectively helps deflect any unhappy customers and converts them to happy ones. This leads to positive word of mouth advertising and customer loyalty.

Below is a list of the most common CRM platforms:

 

Project Management

The debate is on for companies right now … do they need a virtual assistant or a virtual project manager? The answer in most cases is both!

Virtual assistants have started to take on many hats in their roles. We’ve already highlighted the three most common roles in points 1-3. 

There’s a difference between a VA’s role to take tasks away from companies and alleviate workloads compared to managing other departments and teams to ensure projects get done. 


Companies are recognizing a synergy between the two so we are seeing an increase in the level of responsibility a virtual assistant can take on. 

If you do find yourself taking on the role of project management, you’ll probably be responsible for tasks like; streamlining projects and timelines into project management software, creating a balance between short and long term goals within the company and ensuring they are met, research and analytics, all while helping each department stay on time, task, and budget.

Most common Project Management Software include:

 

Bookkeeping 

As a virtual assistant, bookkeeping tasks could fall on your plate from time to time or all of the time.

It’s an important skill set to have because let’s face it, everyone needs to be vigilante with their books (including you!!!).

If you’re a VA who will be taking on some accounting tasks, you’ll probably find yourself doing; accounts payable, accounts receivable, data entry, and inventory to name a few. If you are interesting in getting some training as a bookkeeper, look at the training options available here.  

Commonly used accounting software:

Social Media Assistance

In order for any business to succeed, there will be some level of social media marketing involved.

Whether the company you work for uses Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or LinkedIn, as a VA you could be fitted with the task of handling some of the social media management.

There is an overlap especially where your role requires managing areas of customer service. Some tasks you might find yourself doing include; posting content, fielding comments on social media posts, tracking engagement, answering questions in social media messenger apps, and more.

Commonly used Social Media Management Software:


Chances are you’ve worked in some of the software programs we have mentioned. The more experience you have in these platforms, the better. If you are lacking training, be sure to check out the Training & Resources section of HireMyMom for some FREE and some paid training options. 

Some benefits that you can draw attention to during your interview include; less transitioning and training, faster onboarding, and an overall cost efficiency for your future employer. They also make a great asset to your resume.

At HireMyMom, we have experienced a fluctuation in employers seeking out virtual assistants. The opportunities range from part time to full time which is perfect depending on your availability. Are you a VA currently seeking employment? Start here.

(We also have plenty of resources to help you spruce up your resume, cover letter and more. Check out our tips here.)

 

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May 12, 2020

Small Businesses Making Lemonade with COVID Lemons

Beauty is produced from struggling. Take a pearl for example. Without an irritant making its way into an oyster, it would have no reason to coat layer after layer of nacre on the irritant which after many years produces a beautiful pearl.

The same is true for the butterfly. Through the process of struggling to emerge from its cocoon, the butterfly gains power it needs to strengthen its wings to be able to fly.

We are all in a struggle right now whether it be health, finances, isolation, or some other struggle, we are joined together through it. 

But like any struggle, you can choose to find a way to make lemonade out of the lemons you’ve been handed.

Here are a few small businesses from our HireMyMom Community doing just that:

Big Sky Internet Design is a small family-owned website design company building websites for the Agriculture Industry since 1998.  Due to Covid-19 they discovered that many 4H, FFA, and other youth county organizations were not going to be able to hold their annual sale/auction due to the lockdown. Tom Bruch, owner of Big Sky Internet, decided that they could do something about that. They created easy and affordable websites for youth organizations to be able to have auctions online.  Now these students who have spent countless hours and sometimes large amounts of money, have a way to reach a market interested in buying their livestock. 

Dudley Court Press is a hybrid publishing house for authors. A couple of their remote team members homeschool their children. As “stay at home” orders became the norm, the rest of the Dudley’s team found themselves homeschooling as well. 

“The stress was palpable,” Gail Woodard, Dudley Court Press CEO shares. “We decided to devote half our weekly team meeting to sharing experiences and advice. The impact on the new homeschooling moms was so positive that we decided to offer a free, weekly Zoom-based Homeschoolers’ Support Group through April. Our first session was a great success with new homeschooling parents relieved to have ‘experts’ to chat with.”  

Ben Walker, of Transcription Outsourcing LLC is in a CEO peer group of small business owners. These business owners have been helping each other in their respective areas of expertise at no charge through webinars and online meetings.  He shares, “I’ve been helping one fellow business owner here with brainstorming how he can pivot his event staffing company and all his skills and knowledge into a new business. All of this has been done with absolutely no expectation of anything in return.” It’s just one small business owner doing what he or she can to help another business survive and thrive through this season.

Marsha Means, MA is a part of a team of coaches who are offering new Covid-19 support groups that are free to those who have lost their income ($10 for with an income). Marsha shares, “If you’ve lost someone to covid, or if you are anxious and overwhelmed, I invite you to join me and others to share, process, and to support each other as we face the loss, the fear, and global trauma all humanity is experiencing.”

Barkha’s Custom Sourcing specializes in sustainable and ethical sourcing of fabric. Currently, they are organizing a large donation of stock fabric to the Sewing Masks for Area Hospitals – Atlanta project. They’re a non-profit that is building networks in and around Atlanta — and all across the U.S. — to make sure our healthcare workers have the PPE they need to fight the battle against COVID-19. 

Barkha Malik, owner, shares, “While masks sewn by volunteers at Sewing Masks for Area Hospitals – Atlanta are not viable by themselves, hospital staff are using them over their N95 masks to extend their usefulness. These masks can be sanitized and reused.”  Anyone interested in sewing masks or getting involved to learn more about the Sewing Masks for Area Hospitals – Atlanta project by joining their Facebook group here.

In a world with a lot of bad news, it’s great to be reminded of the positives going on around us. Hats off to all you small business owners making your own version of lemonade!

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May 4, 2020

Is Remote Work the Way of the Future?

The year 2020 has turned out to be far different than anyone could have ever expected. Outside of essential services, the survival of many businesses now rely on their ability to run remotely. Remote work is now one of the best and only ways a business can survive through these trying times. 

But even before COVID-19, remote working was starting to flourish and become a worldwide phenomenon.

Let’s dive into how remote work has transformed from optional to essential. 

Growing Populations = Increased Commuting Time and Costs

With the populations of our major cities increasing at a rapid rate and the methods of transportation to and from work becoming increasingly strained, many businesses started looking at ways to diminish travel time, expenses and stress that derives from commuting to and from work each day. This is one of the reasons remote work options started to come into play.

The Benefits of having a Remote Workplace for Businesses

Many employers have been choosing to have remote workplace environments for many reasons including:

  • lower operating costs,
  • the advancement of tools and technology,
  • improved productivity and quality of work and;
  • access to a broader spectrum of qualified workers.

 

Leadership and Communication in the Remote Workplace

As stated above, there are many benefits for companies who choose to create remote work environments for their employees. The key to having success in these remote working situations relies heavily on two things; Communication and Leadership.

Remote work success starts at the top of a company’s organizational chart – the Leadership. It’s up to the leaders to set the bar for policies, and procedures in remote work. 

There should be a clear and well laid out structure of supervision to motivate work from home employees and aspire them to hit their productivity goals and provide them with flexibility at the same time so they can create the perfect work-life balance. 

Strong communication is key to the success of any company but due to the lack of physical accessibility in a remote work environment, having clear communication protocol is essential. 

Two considerations when laying out your policies and procedures for communication include; access to important information and the right tools and software to communicate with.

Remote Work as an Emerging and Essential Trend

Ten years ago, remote work was almost unheard of. This is because over the past decade there has been some key technological advances made and an influx of software options available for remote workers that has made running a remote work environment much easier and affordable to implement. 

In some cases, it would cost a company more to NOT work remotely and have to source out office space, equipment and other in house essentials.

One of the biggest challenges for employers on the fence between remote work and in office work environments is not having the ability to monitor and implement strategies for sustaining productivity amongst their employees.

Some case studies however, have emerged reporting favorable findings that remote workers are more productive than in-office workers. Take CoSo Cloud for example; their survey reported a 77% increase in productivity within their remote workers.

 

COVID-19 and Remote Work

Many years ago, remote work was not an option because of the lack of the right equipment and technology to do so. 

Fortunately, we are in a position to transition to remote work almost immediately which helps sustain a business when faced with a crisis like COVID-19.

Not only has this type of work become essential for our economy, but it’s also important to the health and safety of helping businesses survive.

Remote work can help businesses operate while governments have been closing non-essential service storefronts and emphasizing the practice of social distancing and self isolation. 

 

What the Future Holds for Remote Work …

There is an endless amount of software offerings that support almost every aspect of business from logistics to accounting to marketing to sales and customer service. 

Of course some exceptions to remote work abilities include businesses that rely on human to human physical contact such as health and wellness companies and manufacturing facilities.

For those companies in a position where remote work is a possibility, NOW is the time to do so. 

The key takeaway to this article is that time is of an essence and there is no time for debate. The future IS in remote work environments in order to sustain non-essential businesses that would be forced to shut down if not providing remote work environments. 


The Benefits to Doing so far Exceed the Setbacks. 

If your business is ready to take the next step to hiring remote workers, HireMyMom has become a go-to source for finding skilled, trained, and highly qualified employees to help businesses grow and sustain. Here are 7 Reasons Why Moms Make The Best Remote Workers For Small Businesses.

Review what companies are saying here or if you’re ready to start your search, you can get started here. 

 

 

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April 15, 2020

How to Use This Time to GROW Your Business 

How is your business doing at this time? Are you thriving, barely surviving or somewhere in the middle?

I know for many, business has slowed. So I want to propose that we make lemonade from lemons. 🍋

What are some areas of your business that you could improve upon?  What are the weak links? Or where do you get bogged down in your business?

These are the areas you could use this time to improve upon and accelerate your growth.

Here are a few ideas on how to use this time in a positive, business growth way provided by some of the talented Mom Professionals on HireMyMom…. who would love the opportunity to work for you right now.

📈 Update or implement CRM to maximize your customer communications and sales efforts.

📌 Get your business on Pinterest to increase brand visibility, drive traffic, and grow your email list! So many businesses are missing out on this huge source of traffic.

🎯 Create or improve client onboarding process. Welcome clients to the company with an informative, value-based email campaigns.

📩 Hire someone to manage your inbox and customer service, so you can focus on what makes your business awesome!

⏰ Automate systems in your business.

📊 Create and update processes and workflows.

💡 Revamp your website and content.

📝 Create new content for social media, marketing and blogs.

💻 Digitize your training manuals and other documentation.

📸 Elevate your branding with lifestyle images or new product images.

🖥 Create an online course to sell your expertise.

🧾 Get your accounting and bookkeeping in order.

🎥 Create webinars from your expertise to attract new clients.

🌿 Create health engagement for your team: wellness check ins, online challenges and more.

How many of these do you need for your business? 

Each of these are jobs that the talented Mom Professionals ♥️ on HireMyMom can help you with!  And I can tell with 100% certainty they will SO APPRECIATE you!

Click here to POST your JOB now!

 

 

 

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