Remote work is on the rise these days. And whether part-time or full-time, many companies are hiring remote workers these days. Hiring remote workers has lots of benefits for employers. Such as cost reductions, high productivity, access to skilled candidates, and so on. And for the candidates, the autonomy and work-life balance that remote jobs offer is a great deal for them.
But, recruiters need to understand that recruiting remote workers is a bit different. Not only do you look out for skills. But you also look at the suitability of the candidate’s environment for a remote job. All these may sound complicated, but they are actually not. To make hiring remote workers easier for you, here are some tips you should follow;
1. Redefine your hiring process.
As you know, the hiring process needed for remote work is quite different. So, as a recruiter/employer, you have to redefine your hiring process. Certain evaluations determine a successful hiring process.
First, you have to know whether they have the right skillset. Soft skills are especially required for remote jobs. So you should put a strategy in place to assess their soft skills. Another thing to check for is the candidate’s comfort level with video chatting. Video conversations are used for a lot of meetings and workplace communication in remote teams. As a result, you need to put a strategy in place to test for “visual compatibility.”
You also need to know the candidate’s internet speed, to know if that will fit the company’s needs. Some roles entail a candidate having a certain brand of laptop with a specific operating system installed. So, you need to take all of these into consideration while putting together a hiring strategy. This will make the hiring process fast and also ensure you hire the right employee.
2. Know your ideal candidate.
Whether you are hiring for an in-office or remote role, you should have a clear picture of the ideal candidate. This does not only speed up the hiring process but also gives you the chance to hire the right person for the role. This tip is especially vital when hiring remote workers. It identifies the main characteristics that prospects must have when working remotely.
For example, if you are looking for a type of personality, you can add a personality quiz to the application. Although some applicants might not be truthful. But this saves you from having to interview those that are not ideal. For effective results, do not hint at applicants about the personality trait you are looking for. Aside from personality, you should know the skills and location of your ideal candidate. All these things and more are what a recruiter needs to have in mind when they start the hiring process.
Read: How to find remote jobs in Nigeria
3. Source from the right job boards.
Many job seekers are now looking for remote jobs, and they go to different job boards to search for them. So, as a recruiter, you should make sure you post your vacancy on legit job boards like justjobsng. At justjobsng, you can post your jobs to get qualified candidates. You do not need to pay arm and leg before posting your job because we have different packages. So choose the one you prefer. For more information, check out our website here.
4. Use multiple interview techniques.
Before making a final decision, make sure you use a variety of interview procedures. Do this to examine the skills and abilities of the selected applicants. Use video interviews, email, and phone conversations to your advantage. An email interview, for example, might be used to gauge the coherence to queries. A phone interview would check verbal skills. A video interview would allow you to examine the candidate’s personality.
Conducting multiple interviews also implies you’ll have an extended hiring period. This might not be a bad thing when hiring remote workers. Some remote organizations purposefully keep hiring processes this way. They stretch out interviews so they can interact more with prospects. But, you should not make it too long, so you will not miss out on top talent.
5. Interview for a remote job
This might sound the same as the one above, but they are definitely different. For an in-office job, the skills and abilities needed are not the same as for remote work. And to ensure the candidate will fit into the company’s culture while working remotely, you have to tailor the interview process for remote jobs.
You can do a quick culture and value assessment/interview. This is to know whether the candidate’s culture and values align with the company’s. Another interview model you should use is the experience interview. Ask them if they have experience working remotely. If so, you might want to ask questions related to that experience. But if the answer is no, you can make a decision, whether to hire and train them or to let them go. You might also need to ask a few questions about some aspects of the role that you think need special attention. This will enable you to know whether they know their onions or not.
6. Give room for a virtual tryout.
If the candidate is just entering the remote world and you see they have the required skills, you can give them the chance of a job tryout. This is to know whether the candidate will be able to perform well while working remotely. This trial period is usually between two weeks and one month. And you might decide to pay the candidate for this period.
Some companies also give a job tryout even if the candidate is the ideal candidate. They do this so that they can double-check their choice before they give the applicant a job offer. A trial allows you to assess a candidate’s job skills, learning ability, and fit into your “remote work” environment.
Final Thoughts
So, these are the tips for hiring remote workers. During the process of remote hiring, you should understand that you are not only recruiting for a job role. But, also hiring a candidate that will be able to adapt to the remote work environment.
