Hiring Remote Workers
In some of our past posts we have talked about the work from home environment and the shift that many companies are making when it comes to working from home. But one thing that we have yet to discuss is hiring remote workers who will be working entirely from a home office. This shift in work structure is something that happened suddenly to many companies during the start of the pandemic. Companies that had not previously adopted this structure were thrown into it during the pandemic and many have now adopted it following the peak of the pandemic in 2020. Some larger organizations that have adapted their work-from-home structure to include more or complete remote work structures are Twitter, Facebook, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, along with many others. Although remote work has always been around, it is much more of a norm today. But how do you hire remote workers?
Like any other type of hiring there is a structure to follow to hire remote workers. It may look a little different for several reasons including virtual interviews, candidates living in other areas of the world and more. So as a hiring manager what are the correct steps to take to attract and hire remote workers?
Below we outline some of the top ways to stand out when hiring remote workers and go over some of the overall hiring best practices to follow.
Have a great job description when hiring remote
Because all interactions will be virtual/online having a great job description can help you stand out from your competitors. This can help attract candidates to your job. Give as much information as possible about the job and what the responsibilities of the position are. Also make sure to explain a little bit about the company and its culture and values.
Market job in the right places
Make sure you are marketing or placing your job description in the right places online. This could be different based on job type. For example, a social media manager or an entry level worker at a fast-food restaurant may be marketed better on social media platforms whereas executive and management jobs for industries would better marketing on professional platforms such as LinkedIn or the company’s website. Be sure to market where your candidate spends their time online.
Integrate company culture into your remote hiring process
This was covered above in regards to the job description. But it is important to make sure that the company culture comes through during the hiring process. Candidates that have an idea of the culture of their company will know if their work ethic and personality will fit into the company’s culture. It is important for both the hiring manager and candidate to have a good idea of this because it will make the decision on either end easier to make if an individual does or does not fit into that organizations culture.
Be sure to introduce yourself
Make sure candidates know a little bit about the person hiring them and their role in the company. Many times, your process takes place with interviewers that the candidate will communicate with through the entire process or will be working with if hired. Applicants want to know who the person is that they will be working with and introducing yourself and a little bit about you will help candidates be more comfortable and understand the full scope of the position. This is true for both remote and in-person candidates.
Have a thorough interview process
Make sure that the interview is a two-way engagement where you are telling the candidate pertinent information about the job, remote obligations, and company while also asking them pertinent questions. Along with this make sure to ask some questions specifically about remote work. For example, “Do you have a designated work space in your home? Do you have high speed internet?”
Create great virtual candidate experience
Lastly, to bring all of the above items together make sure to put this in a unique applicant experience. To stand out use video-based job applications such as AccuRecruiter, video assessments, and video interviews. This gives the applicant face to face time to learn about organization and job that they are applying to become a part of. It also helps the company stand out from others that are hiring for similar positions.
All of these items when thought about and integrated into your remote hiring practices will ensure that you are hiring the best possible candidate for the position. Along with this by taking these steps you will be confident that the candidate you hire will be able to successfully do the job at home in a remote environment. This is essential skill based on the shift in working environments where individuals need to be able to work independently, manage their time and be able to work technology for check-ins with their team and meetings.
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Related Resource: Best Hiring Practices— Top Questions Answered
