Happy [belated] Halloween! Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year; I can never get enough of it. I hope you had a great celebration yesterday (and maybe you even have some more for tonight). I know I’m biased, but I’m pretty sure my pooch had best costume at the party. Check his adorable version of a wizard! 🙂

On to business, shall we?

In my working with musicians, I’ve learned that not only is it difficult to find a great virtual assistant, it’s difficult to find a virtual assistant with experience in the industry. Let’s face it, you can’t just hire ANY virtual assistant to help you – you might need someone in the US, or more specifically, in your time zone. You might want someone who has experience in the music industry, or maybe you want someone who wants to learn so you can train him or her (I’ve seen either work out for someone). Whatever you may be looking for, you may need some help knowing where to look for the right person to add to your team

Well, here are the best online sites from my experience to find the right VA for you.

1) Elance.com – I personally have found clients through this service, and continue to find qualified candidates for teams for my clients through this site. It’s free, it’s simple, and it’s not just for freelancers on temporary projects. I’ve personally seen long term working relationships come out of this site.

2) Send out posting through a university – More specifically, a university that has a music business or strong music program. New York University, Columbia College (Chicago) and Full Sail University are 3 that offer Music Business or Music Management degrees. Offering a virtual assistant job to students who are passionate and interested in the music industry can be very attractive. (Hey, that’s how I found myself here!)

3) Certified VA sites – Skip Indeed.com and Craigslist, you are in for a headache. Save time for the quality applicants and post on VA certifying sites, like VANetworking.com or IVAA.org. Experienced and qualified VA’s are listed there every day. Plus, you can find some there that have experience in the music industry.

These are my highly recommended places to start to find a great VA who will be qualified for what you need done. I hope this will give you a headstart on the search for the right assistant for you!

Have a great rest of your weekend, and try not to eat too much candy!

Cheers,