During a podcast Brandon told the story of how he used/uses onlinejobs.ph to find VA's. I'm at the point where I'm flat out in the weeds and decided to search one out. I put a quick ad up and got 100+ applicants in a matter of hours. I'm looking for someone to help with data analytics, quickbooks reconciling and such, CRM management, transaction coordination, and basically any other task I can outsource. So I can't say I'm looking for an extremely specific skill set but none of it should be highly technical either. More of a catch all for now.

Does anyone have any advice on particular talents or experience that you've found particularly helpful?  Any vetting strategies that have worked for you?  Any help would be appreciated.  

I took the course that the owner of onlinejobs.ph sells and it changed everything for me. There's a lot involved in it, ranging from lessons about the culture in the Philippines, what to expect from a great VA (and what to not expect!), and how to be a great VA employer. I'd highly recommend it.

I would look at a VA as any other employee and would vet them accordingly. I have not tried the platform you mentioned, but I guess each applicant will send over an application letter. Read them and analyze which of these people seems the most professional. Narrow down your list to about 3-5 applicants. Have a video call with them and show them the tasks that they would be doing:

- Is the person interested in what you are showing them?

- Do they seem to pick up on the tasks easily?

- Are they asking relevant questions? 

- Are their English skills on par with what you expect?

- Are they able to be online during the hours you would like them to be?

All in all, it's important to take your time with VA's - understand that they have most likely never done anything close to what you need them to do. Therefore an interest in learning (and doing so quickly) is very appreciated.