Hiring an Executive Virtual Assistant: Things to Know in 2024

In today's fast-paced business environment, efficiency and adaptability are key to maintaining a competitive edge. Companies are increasingly turning to executive virtual assistants to streamline operations, enhance productivity, and manage essential tasks.

But what is executive virtual assistance anyway? And more importantly, how can it help you out? In this article, we are going to have a deep dive into the role and how having an executive virtual assistant can make a difference in your career.

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What Is an Executive Virtual Assistant?

An executive virtual assistant is a highly skilled professional who provides administrative, technical, and strategic support to executives, business leaders, and high performers from a remote location.

They are equipped with the next-level expertise and experience needed to keep up with the pressure and pace that their clients need them to be in.

Compared to traditional in-office executive assistants, though, executive virtual assistants perform their work from a remote location. This is made possible by their mastery of various digital tools, platforms, and applications. They can be based anywhere in the world and are still able to deliver quality work.

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What Does an Executive Virtual Assistant Do?

In the modern business landscape, virtual executive assistants play a crucial role in enhancing operational efficiency and enabling executives to focus on high-priority tasks. They handle a wide range of duties that vary based on the needs of the executive and the organization. By delegating routine and specialized tasks to a virtual EA, executives can concentrate on strategic decision-making and business growth.

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The Different Responsibilities of a Virtual Executive Assistant

Executive virtual assistants wear many hats and take on a variety of responsibilities to step up to what their clients need and prefer. These include:

1. Project Management and Delegation. Overseeing projects, delegating tasks to other team members, tracking their progress, and ensuring that deadlines are met are well within the scope of a virtual executive assistant’s skills and responsibilities.

2. Research and Data Analysis. Who has the time for conducting market research, competitor analysis, and all the due diligence required in running a business? A virtual executive assistant does.  

Your executive virtual assistant can even prepare reports, review and analyse all the data, and even support executives and business leaders in making strategic and informed decisions based on facts rather than opinions.

3. Administrative Support. A virtual executive assistant can schedule meetings, organise travel arrangements, and perform (or delegate further down the pipeline) many of the tasks those with really hectic schedules would rather avoid but still need to do in order for them to ensure that their business is running smoothly.

4. Communication Management. Executive virtual assistants are fully equipped to handle both internal and external communications for their clients.  

They can also prepare presentations, facilitate and attend meetings on their client’s behalf, and in some cases, even handle their social media.

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Qualities of a Good Virtual Executive Assistant

Ready to hire your first virtual executive assistant? Here are the skills your potential candidate should have:

• Excellent Communication. Proficiency in both verbal and written communication to effectively interact with you and your clients is a must.
• Time Management. Any virtual assistant worth their salt is equipped with the ability to prioritise tasks, manage time efficiently, and meet deadlines.
• Problem-Solving. You will find that the more experienced your virtual executive assistant is, the more capable they are to perform well under pressure. That comes from the experience they’ve attained in handling unexpected challenges and finding effective solutions.
• Attention to Detail. An executive virtual assistant must be able to ensure accuracy and precision in all tasks performed.
• Technical Proficiency. Finally, given the remote nature of the role, an executive virtual assistant must have familiarity with various software tools and platforms commonly used in business operations.

It is important to note that the skills above are but the bare minimum one needs to acquire and master to achieve success as an executive virtual assistant. It is important to remember that this is already a specialist role. It takes the mastery of juggling different skills (both hard and soft) to keep up with the pace of a high-performing executive like you.

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Tools Your Virtual Executive Assistant Should Have

Even the most effective executive assistants need help. Fortunately, the digital age has a wealth of tools to offer. ere are just some of the several key platforms that you can equip your executive assistant with to boost their efficiency and productivity:

1. Project Management Tools. These include tools for organising tasks and tracking project progress such as Trello, Asana, and Monday.

2. Social Media Management. Platforms such as Hootsuite, Metricool, and Later are just a few that can be used for managing social media accounts and scheduling posts.

3. Communication Tools. Tools such as Slack, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams ensure efficient communication and collaboration.

4. Document Management. Google Workspace and Microsoft Office 365 are the most popular platforms used for creating, sharing, and managing documents.

5. Financial Software. QuickBooks and Xero help in handling basic support in finances.

It is important to note that while the tools above are the set standard for those offering executive assistance, HireHarbour takes it a step further by offering proficiencies in AI tools such as ChatGPT, particularly on how to best utilise them in making daily tasks more efficient.

In addition, HireHarbour clients also receive dedicated 5 hours of specialist support per month at no extra cost for tasks that require next-level tools and expertise.

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Common Obstacles That Your Executive Virtual Assistants Might Face

As with working with any other team member or employee, working with an executive virutal assistant also comes with its own set of challenges. These include:

• Communication Barriers. Working remotely can sometimes lead to misunderstanding or delays in communication.
• Time Zone Differences. Coordinating with your VA could prove challenging when there are different time zones involved.  
• Work-Life Balance. Managing a remote working environment requires a lot of discipline to maintain a healthy work-life balance. That’s why a lot of VAs, even experienced ones, are prone to burnout.
• Technology Issues. Dependence on technology means that technical issues such as poor network connectivity and device issues can disrupt workflow.

Fortunately, most of these hurdles can be overcome by working with a virtual executive assistant agency like us who have established communication channels, work hours on client-based time zones, and various policies and benefits that promote work-life balance.

Our executive assistants also have access to in-house specialist support and other team members that are more than happy to help when technology issues arise.

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Top Executive Virtual Assistant Providers

There are plenty of executive virtual assistant service providers out there, but here are the top three that you should definitely consider.

Boldly

Boldly specializes in providing experienced executive virtual assistants. Many of their team members have over 10 years of experience in the field. But with that, and together with the fact that their virtual EAs are US-based, their service packages can come at a steep price, especially when compared to other similar agencies out there.

Athena

Another popular alternative to Boldly is Athena. What makes them unique is the vast amount of resources they’ve built all these years with particular focus on task delegation. This makes them ideal for new business owners who have yet to master the art of delegation.

HireHarbour

Of course, we can’t forget about us! We are a leading executive virtual assistant provider to executives, business leaders, solopreneurs, and high performers.  

As such, we have tailored every aspect of our services that way: from a rigorous recruitment process that is statistically more selective than Harvard, our 120-hour training program, and the 360-degree in-house corporate specialist support, we are confident that our virtual executive assistants will be able to keep up with your demanding pace.

In addition, we also offer our services on a fractional basis, making it more cost-efficient and flexible compared to our competitors.

Want to learn more about these top three companies? We have a more in-depth comparative article you can also read.  

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How Much Does a Virtual Executive Assistant Cost?

The cost of hiring a virtual executive assistant can vary widely based on several factors including their experience, skill set, geographic location, and the complexity of tasks they will be handling.  

It usually is the case that independent contractors are generally more cost-efficient to hire than opting to work with an agency or company. However, you would also need to factor in the time, training, resources, and tools that you would need to equip your EA before they can start working.

At the end of the day, it will all boil down to how soon you want to start delegating your tasks. If you’d rather take the more convenient route of leaving the hiring, recruitment, and training to us, then we highly recommend you to check out our pricing page for more information.

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