How to Be a HarbourX: Landing a VA Job

According to recent statistics, it is estimated that the virtual assistant market size will reach almost $26 billion by 2025. Indeed, in the realm of remote work, the virtual assistant role has emerged as an indispensable asset for businesses—across varying industries and scales—seeking increased efficiency and productivity.

At HireHarbour, we don’t just offer executive assistant services. Instead, we curate experiences that redefine professional support. If you're aiming to join our team and you're wondering how to be a HarbourX, read on for a roadmap to success!

Why HireHarbour?

HireHarbour provides business leaders, executives, personal brands, and other high performers with the premium level of assistance they deserve on a fractional basis. (By the way, you can read more about fractional hiring here.)

We make this happen by giving our full-time employees the benefit of equity incentives which vest over several years.

Being shareholders of the company, they are personally invested in providing client satisfaction.

But aside from equity, here are the other reasons why you should consider HireHarbour if you’re looking for a virtual assistant role:

HarbourUniversity

Gain access to our comprehensive three-week training program that was strategically formulated to equip professionals with the necessary skill sets to be the best executive virtual assistants.

Full In-House Support

We understand how isolating being a virtual assistant sometimes is, and how challenging it is when you’re given tasks that are beyond your expertise.

When you work at HireHarbour, you work with us. You can get 360-degree assistance from our in-house specialists with various specialisations and fields, such as data, finance, and marketing. We also have a vibrant culture that promotes teamwork and collaboration.

Above-Market Offer

If the benefits we’ve mentioned above only sound like icing to you, then here’s the cake. HarbourX’s enjoy a competitive compensation and benefits package that can rival traditional employment. We’re talking about:

- Health coverage for you and two dependents

- All-paid, annual off sites (the kids are invited too!)

- 25 paid time-off, with both UK and PH holidays included!

- And so much more. We will even remember your birthday!

We pride ourselves on being more than just an employer. We’re your partners in building a community of driven professionals dedicated to mutual growth and success.

But what’s a HarbourX anyway?

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What Is a HarbourX?

Aside from being just a title to set our executive virtual assistants apart from others, a HarbourX is a fully equipped, fully trained, and fully vetted high-performing professional that provides their expertise to HireHarbour’s clients.

There are different types of HarbourX’s, and you’ll notice that the “X” gets dropped for the title. For example, our creative experts have the honour of being known as HarbourCreatives,

What Are the Different Types of HarbourX’s?

When it comes to the executive assistant services, though, there are three types of HarbourX’s that reign over. These are:

HarbourAssistants

Our HarbourAssistants specialise in providing a combination of personal assistance and executive assistance. They would generally offer support starting from five hours per week, depending on the client’s needs.

They can manage calendars, make travel arrangements, perform personal errands, and even serve as your accountability partner in achieving your goals. They are usually preferred by families, solopreneurs, and personal brands rather than businesses.

HarbourAssociates

Our HarbourAssociates are a step-up from our HarbourAssistants. As such, they can do everything that a HarbourAssistant can, with the addition of having the expertise to handle communications and email management, expense tracking, provide home management support, customer support (perfect for business owners), and even perform social media management.

- They are the usual preference of entrepreneurs, start-up founders, and owners of SMEs.

- They’re also HireHarbour’s most commonly requested executive virtual assistants.

HarbourPartner

Our HarbourPartners wear their titles with pride. They are our elite group of executive virtual assistants that can juggle the responsibilities of our HarbourAssistants and Harbour Associates...and then some.

They can also serve as project managers and perform next-level delegation for increased project coordination, attend and facilitate meetings on their client’s behalf, take on leadership roles, plan and manage events, and more.

Our HarbourPartners usually lend their expertise to executive teams and high-performing individuals.

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What Does a HarbourX Do?

Given that we have different types of HarbourX’s allow us to just give you a quick sample of the things that our HarbourX’s do:

• Calendar Management

• Travel Arrangements

• Personal Errands

• Shopping

• Health and Fitness Support

• Information Research

• Email Management

• Expense Tracking

• Home Management Support

• Social Media Management

• Relationship Building

• Project Coordination

• Meeting Preparation

• Meeting Facilitation

• Customer Support

• Team Leadership

• Event Planning

The perfect executive assistant doesn’t exist. Our HarbourX’s only have the advantage of leaning on in-house specialists for support, and the continuous training programs that HireHarbour provides to constantly upskill the team and keep them equipped to provide a high level of service.

For instance, suppose your client requested to have a formatted newsletter for their email list made; but, you have a problem. Graphic design and email writing aren’t really your strong suits.

We’ve got your back. Our in-house graphic designer and copywriter can help! They’ll take the task off your hands, produce professional results, and turn your challenge into a scenario where everyone wins.

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How to Be the Next HarbourX: A Step-by-Step Guide

So, are you ready to become the next HarbourX? Here’s a quick step-by-step guide on how to be one!

1. Determine your skills.

The first step is to identify your skills. What are you the best at? What are you moderately skilled at? And what are your weaknesses? We want to know what you can bring to the table and the areas you still need help with. To get you started, here are the skills we usually expect from our applicants:

• Diverse platform proficiency. Having the experience and proficiency to use a wide range of project management platforms, communication apps, and digital workspaces is a skill that all remote workers should develop.

• A high-level of English proficiency. As a HarbourX, you will be working mostly with clients based in the UK and US. As such, having excellent verbal and written English communication skills is a must!

• Excellent organisation. Many of your daily tasks as an executive virtual assistant will revolve around three things: email management, calendar management, and travel management. As such, exceptional organisation skills are definitely an advantage.

2. Equip yourself with the right tools.

Since our executive virtual assistants work remotely, we expect that they have a fast and reliable network connection, a capable work unit (such as a laptop or a desktop), a webcam, and a mic (for meetings).

HireHarbour will equip you with the necessary software, platforms, and tools you need for your optimal work performance.

3. Update your CV and portfolio.

Did you upskill recently? Or helped organise a community event in the past but just didn’t think to add that into your CV? We want to know!  Make sure your CV is accurate and up to date before you submit it. Don’t forget to add a professional photo of yourself too!

4. Send your application to humanresources@hireharbour.com.

We are waiting on the other end for your CV. You can expect a confirmation email from us along with the steps that you can expect to face in our recruitment process.

5. Follow the recruitment process.

We take our guarantee of premium executive assistant services seriously. That’s why all our HarbourX’s are personally handpicked by the founders themselves. If you’re confident in your skills and experience, you have nothing to worry about

In the meantime, here’s a quick infographic of our recruitment process. And don’t worry, we are going to be there with you every step of the way.

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Tips on How to Boost Your Chances

Want an edge above the rest? Reading this article is a good start! And as a thank you, here are some insider tips on how to boost your chances of being our next HarbourX.

1. Display confidence in your skills and expertise.

Don’t be shy. Flex your skills and expertise from the get-go. Just check out this video that our social media manager, Lexi, sent us when she was just applying for her position.

2. Always maintain a high-level of professionalism.

No hoodies please. Wear them during one of your many paid leaves, but not during your interviews and certainly not in any of the meetings we’ll share once you get accepted. We’re expecting our HarbourX’s to look smart, think smart, and work smart.

3. Have an open mind and be willing to grow.

If you’re someone who hates learning, then our harbour will not be an ideal place for you. Our HarbourX’s are professionals who are constantly hungry for growth. These are people who can’t wait for their next upskill.

By keeping the tips we have shared above in mind, we are confident that you’ll immediately gain a significant advantage over your competition.

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HarbourX FAQs

Aside from the tips provided above, allow us to answer the most frequently asked questions by our applicants so far. We hope that it gives you further insight.

1. How much are HarbourX’s paid?

A HarbourX’s compensation will vary based on experience, skills, and role level. That said, we offer competitive remuneration packages, above-market benefits, and equity.

2. What kind of tasks am I expected to do as a HarbourX?

You can see a dedicated section discussing this above. But in a nutshell, tasks range from administrative support to strategic initiatives, depending on your role level and client requirements.

3. What are the benefits of being a HarbourX?

You can learn more about the benefits of being a HarbourX in more detail above. These benefits include professional development opportunities, specialist support, health coverage, paid leaves, and all-paid annual off-sites just to name a few.

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