The idea of outsourcing work used to be a questionable practice, whether for ethical reasons (i.e. exploiting lower wages) or patriotic ones (i.e. stealing jobs from Americans). Today’s guest explains why these concerns are nothing more than misconceptions, and why hiring VAs, particularly from the Philippines, is becoming more popular with U.S. companies today than ever before.

While many small businesses now see the potential value in outsourcing, the process itself may seem daunting. What are the differences between the online and in-person hiring process? How can you make sure that your VA is using their time wisely? What should American employers keep in mind when communicating with Filipino employees?

Today’s guest answers those questions and more. We have interviewed John Jonas, the founder of OnlineJobs.ph, to discuss the step-by-step process for scouting for, interviewing, hiring, and managing Filipino VAs.

1) How has outsourcing changed in the last 11 years that you’ve been managing OnlineJobs.ph?

I hired my first virtual assistant in the Philippines in 2005, and she continues to work for me today. Some things have changed, but most things haven’t. The workforce in the Philippines hasn’t really changed. They’re still Westernized and speak good English. But the demand for the Filipino workforce has gone way up since then.

2) What would you say to U.S.-based small businesses that have reservations around outsourcing?

First of all, I don’t see very much of that anymore. We’re not taking away American jobs. Usually, when someone is hiring a virtual assistant in the Philippines, they didn’t have someone in the U.S. in the first place. It’s not like you’re taking a U.S. job and shipping it overseas, which is what we have typically, in the past, think about outsourcing.

Secondly, there are fewer communication issues between Americans and Filipinos as opposed to Americans and Indians, simply because Filipino culture is much closer to that of the U.S. than Indian culture is.

Also, the Philippines has this odd culture of loyalty. When you hire a Filipino, as long as you treat them well, they will never stop working for you, hence my first VA staying with me all these years. That’s such a big deal for a small business owner.

3) What is your advice for business owners who are about to launch or scale and are looking to recruit for their team?

My advice is to go to OnlineJobs.ph and just start looking through profiles. Go search for the skills you’re looking for and note the rates that people are putting up in exchange for their skills. 20 to 30 minutes of searching will give you a good idea of available skills and average rates.

The mistake I see many employers doing is that they start shortlisting candidates. On OnlineJobs.ph, there are more than a million profiles. If you start shortlisting people and they already have a job, there’s a higher chance that they won’t respond to your offer. This goes back to the loyalty thing. They’re very loyal to their current employer.

The next step is to contact those people whose profiles you viewed (say 20), or post a job and let people apply for it. I typically do both of these to raise the possibility of finding the best fit.

Also focus on hiring detail-oriented people, since remote working requires you to be more attentive. Simply adding an instruction to the listing, such as, “Include the word ‘pink Cadillac’ in your letter” can reveal a lot about your applicants.

4) In those job openings, is there particular information that you recommend which may be peculiar to hiring in the Philippines versus hiring on your standard Monster.com advertisement?

We have a tendency to look for a “superhero” when we outsource: people who can do everything from designing your website to making phone calls to writing your content, etc. Those people don’t exist. Culturally, Filipinos aim to please. They don’t want to disappoint. So if in your...