How to write a VA job post that good candidates answer

Most VA job posts are written for the person posting them. They list duties in the passive voice, promise a "competitive salary" and ask for a CV and cover letter. Strong candidates, the ones who already have a job and have options, skip them. Here is what to write instead.

Put a number in the salary field

"Competitive" and "DOE" tell candidates you want the upper hand in the negotiation, and people who already earn well move on to the next post. For a Filipino assistant doing admin and scheduling, the market rate in Manila runs PHP 25,000 to 40,000 a month, roughly SGD 600 to 960. A social media and content specialist with three or more years of experience sits around PHP 40,000 to 55,000 (SGD 960 to 1,320). A senior executive assistant runs PHP 55,000 to 75,000 a month.

Post the range and let candidates do the sum; the ones who see a fit apply. You skip two rounds of back-and-forth, and you stop attracting people who drop out after the salary conversation. Our breakdown of virtual assistant pay by role covers more roles in SGD.

Name the tools

"Proficiency in project management tools" tells a candidate nothing. A post that names Asana for tasks, Slack for chat, Google Workspace for documents and Canva for social graphics tells them exactly what they are walking into.

The same goes for marketing roles. "Social media experience required" is vague. Say the role uses Buffer for scheduling, Google Docs for captions, Meta Business Suite for analytics and Canva for graphics, and candidates who know that stack will recognise it. The ones who do not can decide whether they want to learn it before they apply.

Describe a real week

Job descriptions list duties, while candidates want to know what Tuesday afternoon looks like. Write it out:

• Monday: team stand-up at 9am. Singapore and Manila share GMT+8, so that is 9am for the assistant too. Clear the inbox and flag anything urgent.
• Tuesday to Thursday: draft and schedule three LinkedIn posts, reply to comments, and add the engagement numbers to the weekly report.
• Friday: send the weekly report and prepare Monday's agenda.

This takes 20 minutes to write. It filters out people who want a loose inbox role when you need someone to own a content calendar, and it lets candidates tell you honestly if the load is too much for one person. You would rather hear that in the application than in week three.

Add one question that stops mass-appliers

End the post with a specific question and ask candidates to answer it in their first message. Make it something they can only answer if they read the post, for example:

• We use Notion for our knowledge base. Describe a process you have documented in a similar tool and what you included to make it useful for someone new.
• Our client is a Singapore financial advisory firm. What would you check before posting on their behalf on LinkedIn?

Candidates who send the same cover letter everywhere will not answer it, and candidates who want the role will. You do not need to grade the answer closely at this stage. You are checking whether they read the post at all, and that check alone shrinks the pile you have to read.

Separate what you require from what you will teach

Inflated requirements push good candidates away. Ask for five years of project management on a role that is calendar management and inbox triage, and good candidates assume the pay is higher than it is and move on. Split the list in two:

• Required: strong written English, three or more years of admin experience, available 9am to 6pm Singapore time (the same hours in Manila), Google Workspace.
• We will train: internal SOPs, our Asana setup, each client's communication preferences.

That split takes two minutes to write. It makes the post readable to the right candidate in under 30 seconds.

To start from a draft, copy our virtual assistant job description template. It has the pay range, the tools and the screening question, with a filled-in real estate example.

After the post goes up

The post is only the first filter. Our guide to hiring a virtual assistant covers where to post it, the paid test task and the contract, and our interview questions with a scorecard help with the call itself. To decide what to screen for, see the skills worth testing in a virtual assistant.

Frequently asked questions

What salary should I put in a VA job post?

A range, never "competitive". In 2026 a Filipino admin and scheduling assistant earns PHP 25,000 to 40,000 a month (about SGD 600 to 960), a content specialist PHP 40,000 to 55,000, and a senior executive assistant PHP 55,000 to 75,000.

What hours should the post list for a Singapore business?

Your own office hours. Manila shares GMT+8 with Singapore, so a 9am to 6pm Singapore day is 9am to 6pm for the assistant as well.

How do I filter out generic applications?

Add one question at the end that only someone who read the post can answer, and ask for the answer in the first message. Applicants who send a stock cover letter skip it.

If you would rather not write, post and screen at all, that is the part we take on. We recruit and vet candidates for the role and you meet the shortlist. Book a call to start.