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Tips in picking a good VA, especially writer

by Adie
9 replies
Lots of us want to outsource our IM jobs especially article writing and building backlinks, but having hard times getting a very good VA (especially writer). Recently, after a series of job postings in freelance sites, I finally built a solid team of great writers. I rejected almost 40% of originally-picked writers due to quality and time-commitment problems.

Here are some simple tips on how to pick a good writer from freelance sites.

1. Ask the writer to describe him/her self in 500 words. this is to make sure the writing is original and not copied from somewhere else.

2. Provide an original article and ask him/her to rewrite it. A good rewrite article has a totally different structure and use of words but has the same general idea of the original one. Not just a spun content.

3. Ask the writer if he/she has an SEO background. This is very important especially in working with keywords.

4. Ask him/her if he/she has a blog. Most good writers have blogs and knows how to use keywords properly.

5. Ask him/her the number of articles he can write in a day. Writers who commit many articles (like 20 a day) are mostly not concerned about quality.

Hope it helps.....
#good #picking #tips #writer
  • Profile picture of the author James Basher
    i think that approach is ok for someone starting out.from my own experiences,a writer is only as good as how well he can write for your niche.he might have the most amazing soccer blog but suck badly at writing for painting contractors(my offline business) for instance.

    i have two full time VAs and when i first chose them i hired like 6 from odesk on a three day trial and chose the best from there.
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  • Profile picture of the author Sarah Russell
    As both a writer and someone who's hired VAs, I think that the most important thing you can do is to get a paid test of the kind of work you plan to hire the person for.

    So, basically, if you're looking for someone to write website articles, have them write 2-3 articles, but pay them for the results. Asking someone to rewrite content if you don't plan to have them do that type of work, or to simply write about themselves won't give you as good an indication as to whether or not they can do web articles, in my opinion, as just having them do them in the first place.

    That said, be prepared to lose a little money on outsourcers that don't work. Eventually, you'll find the right person!
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    • Profile picture of the author Adie
      Originally Posted by Sarah Russell View Post

      As both a writer and someone who's hired VAs, I think that the most important thing you can do is to get a paid test of the kind of work you plan to hire the person for.

      So, basically, if you're looking for someone to write website articles, have them write 2-3 articles, but pay them for the results. Asking someone to rewrite content if you don't plan to have them do that type of work, or to simply write about themselves won't give you as good an indication as to whether or not they can do web articles, in my opinion, as just having them do them in the first place.

      That said, be prepared to lose a little money on outsourcers that don't work. Eventually, you'll find the right person!
      Asking them to write about themselves reveals how good they are in grammar and sentence construction. It's just a part of selection criteria.
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      • Profile picture of the author Brianne
        Originally Posted by Adie View Post

        Asking them to write about themselves reveals how good they are in grammar and sentence construction. It's just a part of selection criteria.
        Getting a feel for their proper use of grammar and sentence structure might be better evaluated by asking them to write an article for you (get a true sample of their work). Have them write about a topic that you know you'll be asking for. Then not only will you be able to check out their skill, but can also get a better idea of if/how their writing will work for you within your niche.
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        • Profile picture of the author Sarah Russell
          Originally Posted by Brianne View Post

          Getting a feel for their proper use of grammar and sentence structure might be better evaluated by asking them to write an article for you (get a true sample of their work). Have them write about a topic that you know you'll be asking for. Then not only will you be able to check out their skill, but can also get a better idea of if/how their writing will work for you within your niche.
          Exactly. If it's working for you as a selection criteria, that's great. As a writer, though, I'd be turned off by this kind of request. All of that info can be found on my website, and writing up a page on my skills is a waste of time (unless I'm being paid for it).
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  • Profile picture of the author Dustin_M
    5. Ask him/her the number of articles he can write in a day. Writers who commit many articles (like 20 a day) are mostly not concerned about quality.
    I learned this lesson the hard way. I found a wonderful writer that I really liked....the problem was that she could only write three to five articles a day; which really made it cost prohibitive to have her keep writing for me.
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    • Profile picture of the author Adie
      Originally Posted by Dustin_M View Post

      I learned this lesson the hard way. I found a wonderful writer that I really liked....the problem was that she could only write three to five articles a day; which really made it cost prohibitive to have her keep writing for me.
      I have the same writer... I assign her to specific articles that requires very high quality..
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  • Profile picture of the author veenafurtado
    "Ask the writer to describe him/her self in 500 words. this is to make sure the writing is original and not copied from somewhere else."

    Why would a "Good Writer" really bother to do the above?
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    • Profile picture of the author Adie
      Originally Posted by veenafurtado View Post

      "Ask the writer to describe him/her self in 500 words. this is to make sure the writing is original and not copied from somewhere else."

      Why would a "Good Writer" really bother to do the above?
      If you don't want to get hired then you have the option not to do it....
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