Sample shortlist · candidates written by us, real screener output
E-commerce VA
This is what every search delivers: finalists screened against the brief, each with a score, screening notes, structured answers, and a graded work sample. These sample candidates were written by us and run through the real screener — the scores and notes are its unedited output, not a mock-up.
The brief they were screened against
Role: E-commerce VA · Band: $700–1,200/mo
Must-haves: Shopify or equivalent platform, accurate product listing creation, order processing, customer message handling
Nice to have: inventory tracking and reorder awareness, basic Shopify Analytics reading, Amazon Seller Central
Scored by the same rubric the production screener runs on real applicants (ecommerce-va, claude-sonnet-4-6), on 2026-09-21. Nothing below was edited afterwards — including where it went against a candidate. The rubric and weights are published.
Dianne L.
SCREEN 88/100Screening notes
Strongest concrete evidence: the candidate names specific tools (Gorgias, ShipBob, Seller Central, Squoosh), cites real scale ($120K/mo Shopify store, 60-80 tickets/week), and the stockout-flagging story with a coverage-calculation method is exactly the kind of proactive inventory awareness the brief lists as a nice-to-have. The listing work sample is genuinely instructive — the Squoosh/500KB page-load detail, the meta vs. product description distinction, and the variant-level test-checkout habit go beyond what most applicants at this level would articulate. The scenario answer shows correct authority calibration (acts within granted limits, escalates refunds above threshold, documents everything for owner context) without being passive — that is the hardest balance to find in a VA. Biggest concern is that all evidence is self-reported with no attached screenshots, client references, or sample output to independently verify the $120K store claim or the listing quality; at interview, ask for a live Shopify listing URL or a redacted weekly ops report to pressure-test the specifics before presenting to client.
Experience
4 years as an e-commerce VA, supporting two US brands simultaneously for the last 2.5 years — a home goods Shopify store doing around $120K a month and a smaller Amazon FBA brand. On the Shopify side I do everything: listing new products (full data entry, SEO-optimised copy, variant setup), processing orders and managing fulfilment exceptions, handling customer messages via Gorgias (60–80 tickets a week), and running the weekly inventory count against the 3PL dashboard. I flagged three potential stockout situations before they happened last year by checking the coverage calculation weekly — the owner told me they would have been blind to two of them without me checking. On Amazon I manage FBA listings and handle cases with Seller Support.
Scenario answer
When I see a 1-star review about a wrong item and three other potentially affected orders from the same batch, I do not wait for the owner to get back. First, I pull all four orders from Shopify and confirm which SKU was shipped versus what was ordered. If the system shows the wrong SKU was fulfilled, I mark those orders in a tracking sheet immediately. For the customer who left the review, I respond to the review publicly within the hour: 'We are so sorry about this. This is not the standard you deserve from us. We have sent you a direct message to make this right immediately.' Then I message them directly through the platform: I apologise specifically, confirm I am sending the correct item today with expedited shipping at no charge, and give them the option to keep the wrong item or return it free. I do not ask them to update the review — that comes across as transactional and often backfires. For the other three orders — I do not know yet if they received the wrong item, so I message all three proactively: 'We noticed a fulfillment issue with a batch of recent orders. Can you confirm you received [correct item] in your order? If anything is off, we want to make it right before you have to reach out to us.' Proactive is always better than reactive. What I handle vs. what goes to the owner: I handle all the customer communication and the replacement shipments — those are within the normal return/replacement authority I have been given. I cannot reverse a large credit or issue a refund over a threshold without the owner's approval. I document everything in a Notion page — all four orders, what I confirmed, what I sent — and I send that to the owner as a message summary so they wake up tomorrow with full context and no fires to put out.
Work sample
LISTING A NEW PRODUCT FROM SCRATCH — my process on Shopify PRODUCT: A kitchen silicone utensil set (new SKU, 5 variants by colour) BEFORE UPLOADING 1. Confirm all product info from the supplier: exact dimensions, materials, care instructions, country of manufacture. Missing this is how you end up with wrong specs on the page and a return two weeks later. 2. Check competitor listings for the same product on Amazon and Shopify to understand how it is being positioned and what reviews flag as problems — this shapes the copy. IMAGES 3. Upload in this order: hero shot (white background, product centred), lifestyle shot, detail shot, infographic with key specs. Shopify compresses images on upload but I always optimise to under 500KB first using Squoosh to protect page load speed. ALT text on every image: descriptive, includes the key phrase ('silicone kitchen utensil set 5-piece BPA-free'), not stuffed. COPY 4. Title: [Brand] [Product Name] — [Key Differentiator] | [Size/Material hint]. Not keyword-stuffed, readable to a human first. 5. Description: bullet points leading with the benefit, not the feature. 'Heat-resistant to 450°F' not 'Made of premium silicone.' First three bullets are the most important — on mobile those are what shows above the fold. 6. SEO fields: meta title and description are different from the product title and description — meta description is 155 characters maximum, written as a human would read it in a search result. VARIANTS 7. Each colour variant gets its own images — not just a recolour. If the black set does not have its own photo, buyers assume the one on the page is the only option. 8. SKU codes from the supplier, not invented ones — they need to match the PO and the fulfilment system or you create a reconciliation headache immediately. THE ONE CHECK AFTER GOING LIVE Buy the product myself on the store (or have the owner confirm a test checkout) to verify the variant selector works correctly, the right images display for each variant, and the shipping calculator produces a real number. Every listing I have put live that had a bug had the bug at the variant level, not in the main product fields.
Shiela B.
SCREEN 82/100Screening notes
Strongest evidence is the work sample, which demonstrates genuine Shopify listing muscle: correct title convention, variant-to-image mapping, SKU discipline, SEO meta-description length awareness, and a live QA step — this is procedural knowledge that non-practitioners typically omit or get wrong, earning it the top weighting. The scenario answer is methodical and self-aware: she correctly segments review response from direct outreach, proactively checks the batch rather than waiting, and explicitly flags the limits of her authority on refunds and store changes — a judgment call that many experienced VAs miss. Experience specificity is solid (40–60 messages/week, Freshdesk by name, beauty vertical, discount/promotional setup) with one honest self-correction on inventory — she openly distinguishes execution from analysis, which is credible and accurate rather than a red flag. The only real gap is inventory independence (no reorder logic, no analytics reading on her own), which knocks off a nice-to-have but not a must-have; at $880 she is mid-band and the coverage of every must-have plus Canva and Freshdesk depth justifies a confident client presentation.
Experience
2 years as a Shopify VA for a US beauty brand (skincare and haircare). My daily work is processing orders, updating product listings, handling customer emails through Freshdesk, and keeping the inventory spreadsheet current. I manage about 40 to 60 customer messages a week. I also help with promotional setup — I configure discount codes and sale prices when the owner provides the brief. I have not yet run an inventory reporting workflow independently; my owner sends me the data and I update the tracking sheet, so my inventory work is more execution than analysis.
Scenario answer
When I see a 1-star review about a wrong item and three other orders from the same batch, I would first check all four orders in Shopify to confirm what was actually shipped versus what was ordered. If the system confirms a fulfillment error, I would document the four orders — order numbers, what was ordered, what was shipped — in a message to the owner so they have full information. For the customer who left the review, I would respond to the review to acknowledge the problem and say we are addressing it, then reach out directly to arrange a replacement and apologise. I would send the correct item with expedited shipping and give them the option to return the wrong item. For the other three orders I would send them a proactive message: something like 'We noticed a potential issue with a recent batch of orders and we want to make sure yours was correct. Can you confirm you received [product name]? If anything is off, please let us know and we will fix it right away.' I would update the owner by email with what I found and what actions I took, even while they are travelling. I would not approve refunds above my normal authority or make any changes to the store without their go-ahead — but I would handle all the customer communication myself, since that is within my normal responsibilities. I would also note the batch in question for the owner to investigate with the fulfillment team when they are back.
Work sample
LISTING A NEW PRODUCT ON SHOPIFY — my process STEPS I FOLLOW: 1. Gather the product information first: name, description, variants (sizes, colours), price, weight and dimensions (for shipping), and the supplier's product images. If the images are not good quality, I note this for the owner before uploading — bad images cause returns. 2. Create the product in Shopify with the correct title format: Brand + Product Name + Key Feature. I keep it clear and readable, not stuffed with keywords. 3. Write the product description: I lead with the key benefit of the product, then cover the main features using bullet points for easy scanning. I include care or usage instructions if relevant and materials/specifications at the bottom. 4. Upload the images in order: hero image first, then lifestyle photos, then detail shots. I add alt text to each image using the product name and a brief description. 5. Set up the variants — each size or colour as a separate variant with its own SKU and price if different. I make sure the correct image is assigned to each variant so buyers see the right colour when they select it. 6. Fill in the SEO title and meta description based on the product name and main benefit. I keep the meta description under 160 characters. 7. Set the product to 'Active' once everything is reviewed. THE ONE CHECK AFTER GOING LIVE: I click through the product page on the live store to make sure all images load correctly, the variants display properly, and the product can be added to the cart without errors.
Jay N.
SCREEN 72/100Screening notes
Strongest concrete evidence is the Shopify work sample — procedurally correct, covers variants/SKUs/SEO/meta description in logical sequence with a sensible post-live QA step, suggesting real hands-on familiarity rather than textbook recitation. Scenario answer shows solid judgment: documents first, escalates immediately, and critically pauses before issuing replacements pending owner approval on cost — that's the right instinct and not boilerplate. Biggest concern is specificity: one year of experience produces zero numbers (no order volumes, SKU counts, response-time targets, nothing), platform exposure is entirely local SEA (Lazada/Shopee), and Amazon Seller Central — a nice-to-have — is completely absent; the reassurance that 'Shopify for a US client works similarly' is unverified and slightly hand-wavy. Verdict: genuine Shopify exposure and sound customer-issue judgment clear the must-haves bar; advances to interview to probe US-market listing standards, analytics reading, and whether the SEA-only context creates blind spots in shipping/tax/returns workflows common on US Shopify stores; $730 ask is well within band.
Experience
1 year as an e-commerce assistant for a local Philippine Shopify store that also sells on Lazada and Shopee. I handle order processing, respond to customer messages, and update product listings when the prices or stock levels change. I have also helped set up a few new products from scratch when we launched a new category. Most of my experience is with local Philippine e-commerce platforms but I understand that Shopify for a US client works similarly. I am hardworking, eager to learn, and I pick up new tools quickly.
Scenario answer
If I see a 1-star review about the wrong item and I notice three other orders from the same batch, I would first take screenshots and document everything — the review, the order details, which items were shipped — so I have a clear record. Then I would reply to the 1-star review apologising and saying we are addressing the problem immediately. I would message all four customers to apologise and ask them to confirm what they received. For the customer who left the review, I would offer to send the correct item and arrange the return of the wrong one. I would message the store owner right away explaining what happened, what I found in the orders, and what I have already done. Even if they are travelling, I want them to know as soon as possible because this could affect the store's reputation. I would ask the owner what they want me to do for the other three orders before I offer them replacements, since sending out replacements might have a cost impact that the owner needs to approve first. I would keep a record of everything I did and the outcomes for each customer.
Work sample
LISTING A NEW PRODUCT ON SHOPIFY Here is how I would list a new product from scratch on Shopify: 1. First I would gather all the product information from the supplier or owner: the product name, description, photos, price, variants (sizes, colours), weight, and dimensions. 2. In Shopify I would go to Products > Add product and fill in the title, description, and price. For the description I would write clear, readable copy that explains what the product is and why a buyer would want it. 3. I would upload the product photos and make sure the main photo is the clearest, most attractive image. 4. I would set up the variants — if the product comes in different sizes or colours, I would add each one as a variant with the correct price and SKU. 5. I would fill in the shipping information (weight and dimensions) so the shipping calculator works correctly at checkout. 6. I would add basic SEO information: the product title as the SEO title, and a short description in the meta description field. 7. I would set the product status to Active when everything is ready and do a final check to make sure all the information looks correct. The one check I would run after going live is to view the product page as a customer to make sure everything looks right and the buy button works.
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