Remote Hiring: How To Adapt Your Recruitment Process

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, your workforce and hiring process have become entirely remote and that means your normal recruitment strategy is no longer possible. No more face to face interviews or going for a drink to meet the team.
So, how can you adapt your recruitment process?
Here’s a list of must-haves for the hiring process to suit remote hiring and working.

1.Interviews

A video interview will never be the same experience as meeting someone face-to-face, so different preparation is essential. You can’t simply ask the same questions in the same way you would when conducting a interview the traditional way. You need to put careful planning into;

• Measuring skills – How will you test them? What length of test?
• Accessing proactiveness and motivation to work alone?
• How will you access their usual soft skill ques in their body language? What questions will you ask to see how the person aligns with your values, without feeling their true reaction to them?
• What is their experience with remote working? Why have they chosen that work environment?
• What is their favourite and least favourite part of working from home?
• How do they stay in touch with colleagues, typically? Where do they work? Do they have a home office?

New remote hires need to be able to get the ball rolling without any hand holding, so be prepared to put in significant effort and planning into your hiring process to ensure you’re covering off all you can before sending that offer letter.

2.Culture / Brand presence online

If you’re planning on remote onboarding, then most of your promotional activity about the role should have some mention of your remote policy. Let potential employees know why the position is remote, your plan of communication and any logistical tools they will use to do that. You want to stand out, so highlight your company culture and how highly you value your remote workers.

Having a good reputation will help you attract (and retain) the most talented people. While local candidates are arguably easier to reach because they’ve probably already heard of your company or even know an existing employee, hiring remotely gives you the major advantage of hiring the best of the best without a concern for where they are in the world.

When hiring remotely, getting your company culture across to potential candidates isn’t as easy as walking them around the office and meeting your team. Here are some ways to really show off your company culture to potential remote employees:

• Let the team interview candidates – nothing proves employees have a say like allowing future teammates to ask a candidate question
• Make sure your website shows you off – potential candidates will most likely review your website before an interview so include things like, employees’ testimonials, your values, photos of the team etc.
• Social media – encourage them to follow your socials and be sure to post about any days out, team building exercises and company updates.
• Online reviews – websites like Glassdoor are places where past and present employees can review your business and its culture, so be sure to keep updated and have your employees review you.

So, describe your way of working and be sure to present the values that really define your culture.

3.Hiring process

As a general rule, it often takes companies longer to complete a remote hiring process, so you need to be prepared for that. It’s hard to get to get to know someone virtually, so a lot of hiring managers may find themselves compromising, which isn’t something you should do. So be sure to;

• Set our realistic timelines – don’t stick to timelines you’d typically use when hiring for in the office, the process is different so don’t pressure yourself to find the perfect candidate in the same amount of time
• Engage - a longer process may mean candidates become easily disengaged, so be sure to set up clear and constant communication touchpoints
• Be patient – it may take longer but it will be worth it!
• Know the specifics – before you even start advertising the role consider whether you need the candidate to have specific time zone requirements and a minimum “hours of overlap” and list these clearly so only candidates who can accommodate apply.

You need to decide what works for you, for some companies the process will be practically the same while for others it may be a lot more cut throat; far more phone calls and interviews with the bar set much higher.

4.Job boards

Of course, you can still advertise on the standard job boards, LinkedIn, Indeed and any others you would typically use. They will still be effective as long as you state in the job title that you’re hiring remotely. But, it’s important to consider advertising open roles on networks dedicated to remote working, such as;

• FlexJobs
• RemoteOK
• We Work Remotely
• Working Nomads
• Remotive
• Skip The Drive

At the end of the day, remote employees are similar to office-based employees, you expect them to be motivated and get you results. Be a company that gives your employees the opportunity to be successful, no matter if they’re working in your office of the comfort of their own home.