Admin and office
A virtual assistant works remotely, often for several people at once, with little supervision. The first round should show that they write and speak clearly, stay reliable across time zones, and keep track of many small tasks without dropping any.
Virtual assistants often join client calls on camera, and AI-led follow-ups check whether their remote-working habits are real.
What to screen for
The questions
Ask them in order. Listen for specifics: what happened, what they did, how it ended.
Strong answer
Describes a routine: checking each inbox and task list, noting deadlines, deciding the order of work, and sending a quick update where one is due.
Weak answer
Answers messages as they come in.
Strong answer
Does the part that’s clear, goes ahead with the likelier reading and says so, and leaves one short, specific question for when the client wakes up.
Weak answer
Waits for the client and does nothing in the meantime.
Strong answer
Explains the task, how they learned it, like help articles or a small test run, and how they checked the result before handing it over.
Weak answer
Asked the client to explain every step.
Strong answer
Checks the real deadlines, tells both clients honestly what they can deliver and when, and doesn’t overpromise.
Weak answer
Says yes to both and hopes it works out.
Strong answer
Short and easy to scan: what’s done, what’s in progress, what they need from the client, and anything that puts a deadline at risk.
Weak answer
A long message, or no update unless asked.
Strong answer
Uses whatever secure sharing method the client sets up, never reuses or passes on logins, and asks for access to be removed when the work ends.
Weak answer
Keeps logins in a notes file or a chat thread.
Strong answer
Owns it, told the client before they noticed, fixed it, and describes what they changed in their system afterward.
Weak answer
Can’t name one, or blames the client’s instructions.
Strong answer
Names specific strengths, like inbox and calendar management or research, and is honest about limits, like detailed bookkeeping.
Weak answer
“I can do anything.”
Before the interview
Quick facts to read alongside the interview. They aren’t scored.
Listen for
Avoid
Use this in LessRounds
Paste the questions into a scripted interview, add the scorecard skills, and share one link. Every virtual assistant candidate gets the same questions, and you get a score for each skill with the quote behind it.
Only the overlap matters. A few shared hours a day for calls and quick questions is usually enough, as long as their written updates are clear. Ask about hours as a screening question.
Ask about their daily routine, a task they dropped and how they track work across clients. People with real systems describe them in detail. After the screen, a short paid trial task shows the rest.
Start with 10 free interviews a month. No card, no sales call.