When your career is on the rise and your schedule is starting to get crazy, it is only wise to consider getting an assistant, whether personal or virtual.
A lot of voice over actors nowadays are managing their own voice over business… they are not just the talent, they act as the manager, the accountant, the marketer, the editor, and so many more roles within their voice over business. The tasks are piling up that they start to struggle in doing their main role – VOICE OVER ACTOR.
To help you get back in front of that microphone, and spend less time doing the paperwork, having someone around to help get those tasks moving may be necessary. But what do you look for in a voice over assistant?
Aside from certain qualities and skills that all employers look for in an employee – fast learner, honest, reliable, resourceful, problem solver; customer service skills, email etiquette, writing skills, knowledge in MS applications or similar – the skills that you would require from an assistant would vary depending on your needs.
To better set expectations from applicants, list down the skills you would require from them. Here are some skills that you may look for from an applicant:
Data Entry – this can be from listing down your contacts and clients in your CRM, basic bookkeeping by entering your earnings and expenses, or other similar tasks
Research – do you need help in researching background information about a possible client or a current project? You may also require help in getting more client leads, or contacts for sound engineers, studios, graphic designers, SEO experts, web developers, etc.
Editing – You may also need someone who has knowledge in editing, whether editing your recordings or video projects; better outline the tools or software you would need them to have good working knowledge and experience
Proofing – we tend to get so used to our voice and sound that we sometimes fail to catch a mistake or a glitch; someone with proofing knowledge and experience will give you a second set of ears to catch those mistakes or glitches before you send that recording
Content Management – do you have a website or blog site? Coupled with research skills, your assistant can help you plan for what you can write about on your next blog or article; they can help you organise your site content to make it more readable and organise
Social Media Management – strengthen you social media presence by regularly posting updates, thoughts; share your articles or comment on one, managing your social accounts can be time consuming but having someone to help out can give you some time off
General Administrative Tasks – transcribing your social media updates/posts, articles, or emails; schedule management; keeping up to date with your emails; answering your phone calls, and other general tasks
To attract the right kind of applicants and eventually the right voice over assistant for you, you would need to steer clear from the boring traditional job advertisement. To attract the best, you need to market yourself and the position… sell yourself and the opportunity. Here are some examples to start you with:
- Work with someone who believes in flexibility and work-life balance
- Be part of a team who genuinely makes a difference for their clients
- Unleash your creativity and add value to your team
- Take the opportunity to unlock your full potential
- Add value and learn in the process
- Stop looking at a clock and be flexible with your time
Once you have grabbed the attention, you need to follow-through with these principles:
- Attention
- Interest
- Expectation
- Desire
- Action
Create an interest in the position by sharing what people can expect and what kind of opportunities they will do and encounter whilst working with you. Then lead it on by giving them direct steps or actions they need to take to apply for the position.
To hire the right person for the job is to make sure that you are clear with your expectations. Find an assistant who will not just match the skillset you would need but would also positively match/mismatch your personality. Meaning, if you want organisation, find someone who is organised; if you have a strong personality, find someone who can mellow you down – match and mismatch.
More importantly, screen applicants who a have clear understanding, or better yet passion for the voice over industry. A person who understands and appreciates the value of the work you do, will also value the opportunity to work with you.
You don’t have to rush the process – take time to get to know your possible voice over assistant, otherwise you will just end up losing more time than you thought you would save.
