If you’re thinking about hiring a virtual employee (and you should be!), you’re probably wondering how to go about finding one.

It’s possible to try on your own through Craigslist, or another job board that lists worldwide.

We’ve tried posting positions on those sites and occasionally come across a decent candidate or two.

But even when you’re lucky enough to find what looks like a good prospect, that’s just the beginning of the process.

Checking references is a little more challenging for virtual employees.

Making sure they have the appropriate computer, software, internet connection, and workspace is a lot more challenging.

Testing their skills, their communication style, their grammar, and writing – these things are essential and they take quite a bit of time.

This is the exact reason why we started HireSmart.

We realized that by partnering with a Philippine Staffing Agency, we could remove most of the stress and time pressures for our clients wanting to hire virtual employees.

Because it’s not about just finding any old person to join you and your team.

It’s about finding the right person with the right skills, personality, and work ethic to fit seamlessly into your team.

That’s our mission and our goal for every new hire and we’ve proven ourselves to be excellent at doing just that.

Our clients are surprised and delighted when they realize all the benefits of working with us.

Here are some of the value-added benefits of employment agencies, in addition to providing you with a shortlist of candidates.

Employment agencies offer a range of services including screening and vetting candidates, conducting background checks, and verifying employment history.

These services can be particularly valuable when it comes to hiring virtual employees, as it can be difficult to gauge a candidate’s suitability for a role when they’re applying remotely.

One of the key benefits of using an employment agency to hire a virtual employee is the time and resources that it can save.

According to a blog post on the HCMWorks website –

“recruiting is a time-consuming and resource-intensive process that can take weeks or even months to complete.”

Working with an employment agency means you can offload most of the work of finding and screening candidates.

This frees up your HR staff (especially if you’re the owner and HR) to focus on other priorities.

Another advantage of using an employment agency to hire a virtual employee is their expertise and experience.

This expertise is especially valuable for hiring virtual employees because the particulars for remote work are a bit different than for in-person roles.

Also, and significantly, employment agencies offer valuable support and guidance throughout the hiring process.

As noted in a blog post on the GoHire website –

“working with an employment agency can make the process of hiring a virtual employee much smoother and more efficient.”

Finally, working with an employment agency can help to reduce the risk of a bad hire.

As a business owner, you know that hiring the wrong person can be expensive in terms of time and money.

Using the screening and vetting services of an employment agency increases the chances of finding a candidate who is a good fit for your business.

There’s no need for you to go through the process of hiring a virtual employee by yourself.

HireSmart is here to help.

If you’re ready to unlock the value and resources of our high-quality employment agency, click here for a free consultation.