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Remote Hiring Process- Things to Consider
One of the key challenges being faced by companies at present is on-boarding new staff and finding/hiring qualified professionals who can work in a remote environment. This is something that may not have been envisaged a few weeks ago but now looks likely to be the norm going forward due to the on-going Covid-19 restrictions.
Here’s a quick guide to finding and hiring remote staff without meeting them in-person.
Search: How to find the ideal candidate for remote working:
While the traditional approach to recruiting new hires for your team includes using Job board and posting on your company's website, this broad approach often results in too many resumes from non applicable applicants. More & more Hiring Managers are putting an increased emphasis on culture & fit for their team which can be hard to ascertain over a video interview.
With that in mind, the following ideas should be considered when the need to Hiring staff during this time arises:
Trusted Recruitment Partners
Contact a specialised/trusted recruitment company to help you with your search. If you have used an agency when hiring for your team before they are likely to have a good understanding of the team/culture and as such will be able to find a candidate that could fit in seamlessly. It is also likely we will have worked with people who specialise in remote working and therefore could add value right away during these difficult times.
Returning employees
Reach out to top talent who’ve left your company on good terms — people you know are disciplined and organised enough to work off-site and have the skill set you seek. It never hurts to call those past employees or send them a personalised email telling them about an enticing job opening. It may also be the case former employees left their role to spend more time at home with family. Given the advances we are seeing in remote working they may now be more open to returning remotely (even on a part time basis).
Staff recommendations
Employee referrals are excellent ways of recruiting people who’d be a good fit for your team and for remote work. What’s more, a team member’s endorsement of your company is extra enticement for their friend or former colleague to accept your job offer.
Things to consider when hiring Remote Workers:
It may be the case not everyone is suited to working from home. Some people may feel that in order to get fully up to speed in a new position they would need to be on-site initially. Not everyone is cut out to work from home. Here are five attributes of a solid remote employee:
IT Skills — While it may be quite a simple starting point the most important thing to consider is that your new hire should be very comfortable with common cloud-based software, as well as audio/video conferencing platforms like Zoom, Skype and GoToMeeting.
Initiative — When interviewing potential hires, look for self-starters. These are individuals who can see a need and then take the appropriate actions without having to be told what to do.
Problem solving — While working from home isn’t an every-person-for-themselves scenario, remote employees do need to take care of many things on their own. The ideal off-site worker knows how to troubleshoot an issue before escalating it.
Communication — It is important the person you are hiring is able to communicate well and not afraid to ask questions! Since so much communication while teleworking occurs via email, phone and instant message, look to hire those who can speak clearly, write unambiguously and listen carefully.
Team work— Even though everyone is off-site, your department and company still need to work together well and as a unit.
Questions to ask at Interview:
After reviewing CV’s, you’re ready to meet with your short-listed candidates — virtually, of course.
It’s best to conduct interviews by video, not only so you can see how they present themselves, but also to gauge their equipment and bandwidth’s suitability for remote work. The following are possible additions to your list of interview questions:
-What is your history of working remotely?
-How do you stay focused and on-task when working from home?
-How do you stay engaged and motivated over long periods without in-person interaction with co-workers?
-Tell me about the platforms you use (or have used) to collaborate with off-site colleagues.
-What do you do to minimise miscommunication in emails and instant messages?
-What are the three attributes that make you an effective remote worker?
-What are the greatest challenges of working off-site?
Even though managing a remote workforce may not be what you had in mind for your company, this is the new normal for at least the short term.
Help your business overcome this latest challenge by hiring workers most likely to succeed in this environment and then fully integrating those new off-site employees into your team.