Write a VA Job Description That Attracts the Right Person
Most business owners write a VA job description the same way they'd write a job posting for a US employee — and then wonder why the wrong people apply. A great VA job description is specific, outcome-focused, and honest about your working style.
Copy & Fill In the Blanks
The 5-Part VA Job Description Template
Position
Virtual Assistant — [Your Primary Role, e.g., 'Administrative & Customer Support']
Company
[Your Business Name] | [Your Industry]
Hours
[Part-time: ~20 hrs/week] or [Full-time: ~40 hrs/week]
Time Zone Overlap Required
[e.g., 'Must be available 9am–1pm PST Monday–Friday']
About Our Business
Write 2–3 sentences about what your business does, who your customers are, and what stage you're at. Be honest — VAs want to know if they're joining a 1-person startup or a 10-person team.
Example: "We run a residential real estate investment company based in Portland, Oregon. We manage 12 rental properties and are actively acquiring 2–3 more per year. Our team is small (3 people) and we move fast — we need someone who can keep up."
What You'll Be Doing (Day-to-Day Tasks)
List your top 8–12 specific, recurring tasks. Be concrete — not "help with admin" but "respond to tenant maintenance requests within 4 hours using our template library."
What Success Looks Like in 90 Days
Describe 2–3 specific, measurable outcomes. This is the most important section — it tells the VA exactly what "good" looks like.
Example: "By Day 90, our inbox is at zero every Friday, all client invoices are sent within 24 hours of project completion, and our CRM has no contacts older than 7 days without a follow-up logged."
Your Working Style (Be Honest)
— I prefer communication via: [Slack / Email / WhatsApp / Video calls]
— I give feedback: [Directly and immediately / In weekly check-ins / Via written notes]
— My management style is: [Hands-on daily check-ins / Weekly reviews / Results-only, you manage your time]
— I expect response times of: [Within 1 hour during work hours / Same business day / Within 24 hours]
Your First 5 Tasks to Delegate — Start Here
The biggest mistake new VA clients make is trying to hand off everything at once. The second biggest mistake is not handing off enough. Here's the proven sequence for your first 30 days.
Email Triage and Labeling
Saves 45–90 min/dayHave your VA sort your inbox daily: label emails by category (urgent/respond, FYI, newsletter, billing), flag anything that needs your personal response, and archive everything else.
How to hand it off: Give VA read access to inbox. Record a 30-min Loom walkthrough of how you process email. Create 5–8 labels together. Review their work daily for one week, then weekly.
Calendar Management
Saves 30–60 min/dayHave your VA own your calendar: schedule meetings, send reminders, block focus time, and decline or reschedule conflicts using your scheduling rules document.
How to hand it off: Share your Google/Outlook calendar with editor access. Write a one-page 'Calendar Rules' doc. Review the first week's scheduling decisions together.
CRM Data Entry and Follow-Up Logging
Saves 1–2 hrs/dayEvery customer interaction, call, or email should be logged in your CRM within 24 hours. Have your VA own this entirely — they review your notes or call recordings and enter the data.
How to hand it off: Record a Loom of yourself entering a CRM record. Create a simple template for what fields to fill in. Let them shadow you for 2–3 entries, then take over.
Recurring Report Compilation
Saves 2–3 hrs/weekIf you look at the same data every week (revenue, leads, open tasks, customer tickets), have your VA compile it into a simple weekly report sent every Monday morning.
How to hand it off: Show them exactly what data you look at and where it lives. Build a simple Google Sheet template together. Let them run it for 2 weeks with your review, then it's theirs.
Customer or Prospect Follow-Up Emails
Saves 1–2 hrs/dayUsing your approved templates, have your VA send follow-up emails to leads, check in with existing customers, or respond to routine inquiries. They flag anything that needs your personal touch.
How to hand it off: Write 3–5 email templates for the most common scenarios. Give them access to your email or CRM email tool. Review their first 10 emails before they send, then spot-check weekly.
The 30-Day VA Onboarding Checklist
A VA is only as good as the onboarding you give them. This checklist ensures your VA hits the ground running and feels set up for success — which means they stay longer and perform better.
Before Day 1
Set up all tool access (email, CRM, project management, calendar)
Create a shared 'VA Onboarding' folder in Google Drive with all relevant documents
Record a 10-minute 'Welcome Loom' — introduce yourself, your business, and your communication style
Write your 'Working With Me' one-pager (communication preferences, response time expectations, how you give feedback)
Prepare the first week's task list with clear instructions for each task
Schedule a Day 1 video call (30 minutes) for introductions and Q&A
Week 1 — Orientation
Day 1: Welcome call — introductions, walk through the business, answer questions
Day 1–2: VA reviews all onboarding documents and records a short intro video for you
Day 2–3: VA shadows you on 2–3 key tasks (via screen share or Loom)
Day 3–5: VA completes first independent tasks — you review and give detailed feedback
Day 5: End-of-week check-in call (15 min) — what went well, what was confusing, what needs clarification
Week 2 — Building Momentum
VA takes ownership of first 3 recurring tasks independently
Create or refine SOPs for any task that needed correction in Week 1
Introduce VA to any team members or clients they'll interact with
Set up weekly check-in cadence (day/time, format, agenda)
Review first week's work output together — celebrate wins, address gaps
Week 3–4 — Full Ramp
VA is running all assigned tasks with minimal supervision
Conduct a 30-Day Review: what's working, what to adjust, what to add
Identify 2–3 new tasks to delegate in Month 2
Ask your VA: 'What do you need from me to do your best work?'
Document any new SOPs created during onboarding
Your Strategy Call Is Already Scheduled.
Come prepared with your top 3 pain points, your ideal VA schedule, and any tools your VA must already know. We'll handle the rest.