Once upon a time, there was a young entrepreneur named Tim. Tim, like you, thought he could do it all. And he had already started trying. Tim was juggling meetings and projects, handling client reports, and sending follow-up emails that often arrived later than expected. On top of that, Tim’s Trello board was overflowing with half-finished tasks and reminders. And guess what? This was just a regular Tuesday morning—yikes.

Tim is a sincere man; he doesn’t lie to himself. He knew something that every entrepreneur can recognize from a mile away: he couldn’t keep up with so much work. After all, nobody can. His energy was spread too thin, and important details were being overlooked in favor of new ones. After a client complained about his lack of attention to detail, Tim decided it was time to bring in someone who could help him get a better handle on his affairs and focus on the bigger picture: growing his business.

That’s when Tim decided to hire a Virtual Executive Assistant. But he didn’t want just anyone. He wanted the right person. He needed someone with the right skills—someone who could help him gain a firm grip on his business operations.

So, what are the key skills Tim, and other entrepreneurs or anyone overwhelmed by their workload, should look for when hiring a Virtual Executive Assistant? In this article, we will outline the key skills to consider when hiring a Virtual Executive Assistant:

Calendar Management

When hiring a great Virtual Executive Assistant, calendar management is one of the most important skills to look for—and for good reason too. If you’re like other busy executives, you probably have a filled up calendar, so you understand the importance of a well-managed schedule.

A well-managed calendar can make the difference between a productive day and a chaotic one. Your assistant should not only be able to schedule meetings but also make your day productive by strategically organising appointments, avoiding time conflicts, and ensuring you have enough time to prepare between engagements.

The top Virtual Executive Assistants do more than simply add activities to your calendar. They understand your aims and objectives, and ensure that every meeting, call, and assignment is in line with them. They also handle scheduling conflicts, blocking out time for breaks and sending timely reminders to ensure you’re never caught off guard.

Email Management

Waking up to a cluttered inbox can be disorienting, making it hard to organise emails by priority. That’s why email management is a skill you should never compromise on when hiring a Virtual Executive Assistant.

A skilled Virtual Executive Assistant will keep your inbox tidy, sort emails by priority, and ensure you don’t miss important messages. They will set up filters and labels to categorise emails, unsubscribe you from unnecessary lists, and respond to routine queries on your behalf. With effective email management, you can focus on the key aspects of your business, without worrying about missing important correspondence or getting buried under irrelevant emails.

Attention to Detail

A Virtual Executive Assistant needs strong attention to detail to serve their executives effectively. They must be meticulous about every detail, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant.

Executives are often overwhelmed with responsibilities and may overlook certain aspects of their day-to-day operations. However, with a highly detail-oriented assistant, those small—but important—tasks or pieces of information won’t fall through the cracks. Whether it’s ensuring the correct spelling of a client’s name, double-checking deadlines, or catching subtle errors in contracts and emails, a Virtual Executive Assistant with strong attention to detail can save time, reduce mistakes, and improve the overall quality of work.

This is a critical skill because having an assistant who leaves no stone unturned allows you, as an executive, to focus on the bigger picture, knowing that the details are handled perfectly.

Knowledge of Online Tools

Since a Virtual Executive Assistant works remotely, they must have a strong knowledge of online tools to perform their tasks efficiently. Due to the fact that these internet platforms are what enable remote work, this competency is no-brainer. They make coordination, communication, and teamwork possible.

Without tools like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, managing calendars, documents, spreadsheets, and emails would be nearly impossible in a remote setup. A skilled Virtual Executive Assistant should be familiar with these platforms as well as other software commonly used for remote work, such as task management tools (Trello, Asana), communication tools (Slack, Zoom), and cloud storage (Dropbox, OneDrive).

A good assistant should have a solid understanding of these tools. They don’t need to be proficient in all of them, but they should at least have a good grasp of their functionality.

Solid Communication Skills

A good Virtual Executive Assistant must be able to communicate clearly and without errors. They should be confident and articulate in verbal interactions, whether speaking with clients, team members, or vendors. They should also be able to relay messages effectively, handle calls with tact, and provide clear updates on projects or tasks.

Beyond verbal communication, they must have great listening skills. This requires them to pay rapt attention and understand the instructions and needs of those they interact with. 

Another essential part of communication is good writing skills. This is very important because one of the responsibilities of a Virtual Executive Assistant is writing professional emails, reports, and other written communications on behalf of their executive.

A Virtual Executive Assistant must also be skilled enough to adapt their writing style to the tone and voice of the executive they support. This is because functions on behalf of the executive they manage, they must be able to match the tone and style of their executive, ensuring that messages written on their behalf are consistent with the executive’s voice.

We’re Here to Help!

There are countless Tims out there who have too much on their plate and are overwhelmed with mission critical recurring tasks.

You can create a Virtual Executive Assistant job ad and spend your already busy hours sifting through multiple resumes, or you can book a discovery call with us and let us handle the entire recruitment process for you.

Did I mention that we help businesses and organisations save £20,000 in hiring costs? So don’t be discouraged if you have a tight budget—we are here to help you find the perfect Virtual Executive Assistant for your needs!