Episode Title: Outsourcing and Virtual Hiring with John Jonas

Guest: John Jonas, Founder of OnlineJobs.ph

Host: Arlen Robinson

In this episode of the eCommerce Marketing Podcast, Arlen Robinson interviews John Jonas, founder of OnlineJobs.ph, the largest website for finding Filipino virtual workers. John shares insights on how he started OnlineJobs.ph, the benefits of hiring Filipino virtual assistants, and how e-commerce businesses can leverage virtual assistants to grow their operations efficiently. He also discusses the challenges and best practices in virtual hiring.

Key Takeaways:

• Introduction to John Jonas and OnlineJobs.ph (00:00:30)
  • John’s background and how he started OnlineJobs.ph out of necessity to find better virtual workers (00:01:30).
  • The growth of OnlineJobs.ph with over 500,000 Filipino resumes and 100,000 employers (00:02:15).
• Tasks for Virtual Assistants in E-commerce (00:04:15)
  • Specific tasks such as photo editing, managing inventory, customer reviews, customer support, social media management, programming, graphic design, and content writing (00:04:30).
• Cost of Hiring Virtual Assistants (00:07:15)
  • Average costs for hiring virtual assistants for various tasks, with entry-level positions starting around $400-$500 per month for full-time work (00:07:30).
• Key Qualities to Look for in Virtual Assistants (00:09:00)
  • Importance of English proficiency for tasks involving customer interaction and social media (00:09:15).
  • Looking at experience relevant to the tasks, such as image editing or customer support (00:10:00).
• Why the Philippines is Ideal for Virtual Assistants (00:12:30)
  • Cultural aspects such as loyalty, honesty, good English skills, and a non-entrepreneurial mindset that make Filipino workers ideal for long-term virtual assistant roles (00:13:00).
• Challenges in Hiring Virtual Assistants (00:19:15)
  • Issues such as planned power outages in the Philippines and the importance of proactive communication to address misunderstandings (00:19:30).
• The Future of Virtual Hiring (00:26:15)
  • Predictions of fewer barriers and reduced costs in virtual hiring, along with an increase in virtual assistants assisting full-time employees to improve efficiency (00:26:30).
• Final Advice for E-commerce Businesses (00:28:30)
  • John advises e-commerce businesses to offload one process they know works to a virtual assistant, freeing up the business owner’s time to focus on more strategic tasks (00:29:00).

Guest Information: John Jonas

• Founder, OnlineJobs.ph
• Website: OnlineJobs.ph

Links and Resources:

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• Subscribe to the eCommerce Marketing Podcast on iTunes and leave a rating and review.