{"id":263,"date":"2025-12-12T11:45:52","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T15:45:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/manageph.com\/blog\/?p=263"},"modified":"2025-12-12T11:45:52","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T15:45:52","slug":"best-screening-questions-to-ask-when-hiring-vas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/manageph.com\/blog\/best-screening-questions-to-ask-when-hiring-vas\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Screening Questions to Ask When Hiring Filipino Virtual Assistants"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Most employers wing it. They ask whatever comes to mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Tell me about yourself.” or  “What are your strengths?” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Generic stuff that gets generic answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s a mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The questions you ask in that first screening call matter more than you think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s what you actually need to ask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Privacy and Compliance Questions <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Every VA you hire will handle sensitive information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Screen for privacy awareness from the start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n <\/svg> <\/div>\n
\n

Hired Someone New ? <\/h4>\n

ManagePH walks them through W-8BEN and compliance docs so you don’t have to.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

\n \n Get Started <\/a>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

“If you accidentally received a file with customer payment information that wasn’t meant for you, what would you do?”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer reveals judgment and integrity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There’s a right answer here. Immediately notify the sender. Delete the file without looking at it. Confirm deletion.Anything else is a red flag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For VAs handling payments, invoicing or financial records, ask directly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Have you ever applied any KYC or AML procedures, or processed sensitive personal data?”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If they’ll be submitting invoices, handling bank details or managing payment records, they need basic familiarity with know-your-customer requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Are you familiar with data privacy responsibilities under the Data Privacy Act?”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You’re not looking for expert knowledge. But a good candidate will acknowledge the law and describe general principles. Consent. Purpose limitation. Data security. Individual rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask about your policies specifically. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Are you familiar with our company’s data privacy, security and remote work guidelines?”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even if they’re not familiar yet, this signals you take compliance seriously. Use it as an opportunity to explain what you’ll require.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Testing Technical Skills During the Call<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A resume tells you what someone claims they can do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Testing during the interview shows you what they actually can do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Run a speed test during the call. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Can you run a quick internet speed test and share your results?”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This isn’t just about connection quality. It’s about whether they can troubleshoot basic technical issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If someone can’t figure out how to run a speed test, they’ll struggle with more complex tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask them to share their screen and demonstrate something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Can you share your screen and show me how you’d organize a shared folder for a remote team?”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Real-time demonstrations reveal comfort with tools. Organizational thinking. Ability to work under light pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For roles involving specific software, don’t just ask if they know it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Can you describe the last project where you used [specific tool] and walk me through what you built or managed?”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This separates people who’ve genuinely used a platform from those who’ve just heard of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Questions About Real Work Situations<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Move beyond hypotheticals into concrete situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Describe a challenging work-from-home situation you handled and how you resolved it.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone faces challenges in remote work. Internet outages. Miscommunication. Technical failures. Timezone confusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How someone navigated past challenges predicts how they’ll handle future ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask about their workspace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 “Can you describe your home office setup? What equipment do you use and what’s your backup plan if your internet goes down?”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This isn’t about judging their furniture. It’s about whether they’ve thought through the practical requirements of remote work and have contingency plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Test communication directly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“How do you prefer to communicate with clients or managers? How often do you typically check in and what information do you proactively share?”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remote work lives or dies on communication. VAs who wait to be asked for updates create information black holes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask about workload. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“How do you prioritize tasks when everything feels urgent? Walk me through your decision-making process.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good VAs have systematic approaches. Impact versus effort matrices. Deadline tracking. Stakeholder communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weak ones just work on whatever was asked for most recently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n <\/svg> <\/div>\n
\n

They said they work 9 to 5?<\/h4>\n

ManagePH daily recap and time trackers shows you if they actually do.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

\n \n Get Started <\/a>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Money and Logistics<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Don’t save these for later rounds. Address them in screening to avoid wasting everyone’s time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“What are your salary expectations?”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This should come early. If there’s a major mismatch between expectations and budget, there’s no point continuing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be prepared to explain your compensation structure. Hourly versus project-based. Payment frequency. Currency. Method.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discuss payment logistics directly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We process payments through [Wise\/PayPal\/bank transfer]. Is that arrangement acceptable to you?”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your VA needs to set up accounts or provide banking information for international transfers, mention that upfront.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask about availability. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“When can you start if we move forward with an offer?”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clarify expectations around hours. “This role requires [X hours per week] during [specific hours\/time zones]. Does that align with your availability and preferences?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be specific”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the Screening Call<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First interviews should end with clear next steps and timelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don’t leave candidates wondering what happens next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tell them when they’ll hear from you. “We’re interviewing candidates through [date] and will make decisions by [date]. You’ll hear from us either way by [specific date].”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep your commitment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Explain the next steps in your process. “If we move forward, the next step is [technical assessment\/second interview\/reference checks]. That typically takes [timeframe].”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For candidates you’re rejecting, do it professionally and promptly. “We’ve decided to move forward with other candidates whose experience more closely matches our current needs. Thank you for your time and we’ll keep your information on file for future opportunities.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For candidates moving to the next round, confirm specifics in writing. Send a calendar invite for the next interview. Share any materials they need to review or prepare. Provide contact information for questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building Your Own Framework<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Don’t treat this as a script to read verbatim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Build a framework that works for your specific needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start with your must-have requirements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the role requires specific software expertise, financial transaction experience or particular language skills, those questions come first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No point evaluating someone’s communication style if they don’t have the baseline technical capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use behavioral questions to assess soft skills that matter in remote work. Self-direction. Problem-solving. Communication. Accountability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These often matter more than technical skills, which can be taught.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Include practical demonstrations that simulate real work. The closer your screening questions mirror actual job responsibilities, the better they predict success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Close with logistics and expectations. Make sure candidates understand the role structure, compensation, work hours and documentation requirements before you invest time in additional interviews.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Most employers wing Filipino VAs interviews with generic questions. That’s a mistake. Your screening questions need to cover technical skills and real work scenarios. Here’s what actually works<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[31,45,9],"class_list":["post-263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-for-employers","tag-hiring","tag-hr-tips","tag-virtual-assistants"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/manageph.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/manageph.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/manageph.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manageph.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manageph.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=263"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/manageph.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":483,"href":"https:\/\/manageph.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263\/revisions\/483"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/manageph.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manageph.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manageph.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}