5 Quick Tips for Hiring Remote Employees
Even before the start of the covid-19 outbreak, in the 2010’s we experienced a steady increase with employees working remotely. The fallout of the pandemic hyper-increased that trend tenfold and work from home is now the new normal. As a result, we’re seeing large corporations ditch their commercial real estate. Without direct contact in an office setting, the risks of maximizing employee productivity have amplified.
Some people naturally perform better in the comfort of their own home. So, how do you find these individuals? Here are five tips that will help you during the interview process:
1. Learn about their previous experience working remotely
Listen to the way that they define working from home, in their own words. Ask for them to describe how they attacked projects from start to finish. The strong candidates will provide clear, concise details. They’ll even give you more than what you were expecting.
Alternatively, there may be a candidate that has never worked remotely. This shouldn’t be a deal breaker. Have them open up about what intrigues them the most about remote work. Also have them address the types of challenges that they anticipate facing.
2. Ask questions about time management
Structuring your day is much different when you’re not working in the office. Outside distractions are very easy to come by. It’s important to know how an applicant will map out their day and week. Are they setting certain calendar breaks for scheduled non-work activities? Do they have a consistent routine that they attend to? After all, work from home encourages a healthy work/life balance. I think it’s great that employees can take some time to go to the gym or leave for a mid-day yoga class. Strong candidates will balance this to a science.
3. Have them describe their pros and cons with working remotely
Someone that can articulate their thoughts about the good and bad that come with remote work is clearly experienced. Their comfort level with the enjoyable parts of work will likely translate to increased productivity. But what you should really be curious about are the cons. Ask them to go more into detail about the roadblocks that they face with working from home. The strong candidates will identify and list examples of how they manage those challenges.
4. Focus on their communication techniques
In Jake Gyllenhaal’s 2014 film ‘Nightcrawler,’ he describes communication as the number one key to success. “…they've done studies, and they found that in any system that relies on cooperation, from a school of fish or say even a professional hockey team for example, these experts have identified communication as the number one single key to success.” Ask them questions about their communication style. Have them describe specific moments in the workplace where there was some type of miscommunication. Maybe something important got lost in translation. It may be possible that it wasn’t even their error. Ask them how they worked to rectify the situation. Since they’re working from home, they can’t just go into their supervisor’s office to examine the issue together.
5. Evaluate how well they use technology
During the interview, pay close attention as you go. See how well they’re using the functions with the video chat. A good exercise would be to have them share their screen. While they’re navigating their screen on the interview, ask them to perform basic functions. Maybe even pepper in a few advanced options. If they’re guiding you seamlessly, that means it’s not their first rodeo. If you’re noticing this exercise to be a struggle for them, that’s a red flag. If they’re unable to lead a video call during the interview, how are they going to represent your company on these types of calls with clients?
These tips and questions will help guide you through the interview process. The remote work environment is here to stay, so find yourself talent that will thrive in it!
To deeper engage with strategies for remote employees, visit us at goluminescent.com or call 713-444-3242.
