Hiring remotely can be a challenge, but it is something almost every employer has had to get used to recently. It can be hard to tell if a candidate will be a good fit for a position when your only interaction with them is through video chat. That said, there are some things you can do to ensure the candidate is properly vetted and is a good cultural fit for your organization. Here’s how.
Hire People With an Understanding of Remote Work
Remote work requires a certain level of skill. If your company is new to the virtual workspace it is a good idea to hire individuals who have experience working remotely. Ask about the details of their work-from-home experience. Get an idea of what their home office setup is like or whether they opt for a coworking space. Inquire about any tools they use on a daily basis and how they have handled working away from the traditional office in past positions.
Interview With the Job in Mind
Any time your business is hiring someone remotely every step of the hiring process needs to be done virtually. All the communication you have with the candidate should be done remotely and each person communicating with the candidate needs to be trained. If the potential new hire thinks your business is struggling to keep up in the remote world, they will be less likely to want to work with you. They assume there will be communication lapses after they are hired as well.
On top of that, the virtual interview process will help you identify how well the candidate communicates in a remote setting too. Test out the different communication methods you use in your organization. Remote workers often have to respond via text or take a quick call. Video is often required for meetings. Test it all. You will get a feel for whether or not they have a good understanding of the communication tools you use. If they don’t, you can see if they might be trainable on the software.
Set Some Limits
When hiring remote workers it is easy to get caught up in the geography of things. You need to set some hiring limits though. Of course, you want to open the position up to candidates beyond those you can reach locally. However, you want to be sure they will work well with the rest of the team and be able to work within the same hours. So, specify if they need to work within a certain timezone or detail what timezone you’re located in so they can determine if the parameters meet their needs.
Partner With a Staffing Agency Like TekCom Resources
Vetting candidates virtually can be easy when you work with a staffing firm like TekCom Resources. Our team of recruiters gets to know your organization and pinpoints candidates in our talent pool that may be a good fit. We recruit them, verify their skills and experience, and then hand them off to you for an interview. You can rest assured they are a quality candidate because we’ve done the homework. Learn more about how we can assist your company with its hiring needs.
