The number of people in the workforce that work remotely is increasing drastically. This is a big learning curve for many hiring managers, as well as employees. The biggest change when it comes to remote positions is the interview process. How do you go about interviewing someone who is remote? How do you find a remote employee? How can you eliminate the wrong candidates to really engage the right ones?
Make sure your business is remote-ready
Prior to starting your recruiting, you should ensure that your business is ready for a remote business model. This is so important. You don’t want to get halfway through just to find out your business isn’t set up for that. Make sure you are truly ready with a remote onboarding process and that all your software is up to date. Identify things in the job description that may be done a little differently. There are many things to consider when it comes to preparing to recruit remotely and we have broken down four key areas to help you make your remote recruiting successful.
Write engaging, accurate job descriptions
Perhaps one of the most important steps of the recruiting process is the first step; writing the job description. While you want this to be engaging, and intriguing to candidates you also want to ensure that you are painting a fully accurate picture of the position. It’s important to attract the right candidates and not just a large number of candidates who may or may not fit. If you are not 100% confident in how to do this, check out some helpful tips here.
Research job boards
Finding out which job board is most useful is always a good step in the process. Do research about various jobs boards to identify the ones where your job is mostly likely to perform best. FlexJobs is a great job board aimed towards remote positions, so it can be useful for looking for candidates. Indeed and ZipRecruiter can be beneficial too, given the number of active members. Be sure you take advantage of Remote tags to highlight the fact that your job is remote. Finding which job board is best for you can accelerate the process.
Do video interviews
Let’s face it, it is quite hard to truly read someone over the phone. Video interviewing is a great way to get a better grasp on the candidate and allows for you to physically see how they present themselves. It can also allow you to really understand the candidate’s level of interest, by watching body language, and facial expressions. Phone interviewing is useful, but video interviewing takes it to the next step. Here are some great questions to ask candidates who specifically work from home.
Conduct a simulation
Conducting a simulation can be a great way to get a better understanding of the candidate’s experience level. It allows you to see how they would react in different scenarios. Since the position is remote, they are not going to have someone there with them showing them the ropes in the same way that would be possible in person. Of course, there is no perfect way to predict the future, however, you should definitely ensure they have the basic requirements.
The emerging prevalence of the remote workforce is posing headaches for many, but it doesn’t have to. If you use these tips, it will make your hiring process go a lot smoother and lead to higher chances of long-term success.
