Many companies nowadays use remote employee hiring practices to find the best talents in their respective industries. This technology-based process of attracting, interviewing, and hiring candidates to fill roles within an organization can involve conducting virtual interviews and onboarding sessions—all of which can speed up the process.
In addition, remote hiring expands the number of qualified applicants from different locations. As such, hiring managers can tap into a broader global talent pool while applicants get many employment opportunities.
That being said, even if it creates a convenient process, there are still challenges with remote employee hiring. For example, candidates may not feel as engaged as with in-person recruitment; this may increase a company’s turnover rate. This is why it’s important to refine your remote hiring approach to ensure you build a competent team. For example, real estate recruiters may implement innovative technologies to keep a team of talented real estate agents. Similarly, there are many other tools and methods you can apply to optimize your remote employee hiring efforts.
Here are some ideas you can integrate into your hiring process:
Clear Job Postings
Similar to the traditional hiring process, it’s important to create a clear and detailed job description for remote hiring. Be intentional when you outline the qualifications and expectations required of a candidate. In addition, include only the skills necessary for an individual to be successful in their job. More importantly, avoid repurposing general job ads for all vacant roles in your company. Otherwise, you might overlook a solid resume and miss out on a potentially great hire. Furthermore, partnering with a reputable Canada PEO, when looking to hire in Canada, can greatly assist companies in the hiring process by streamlining administrative tasks, managing compliance, and ensuring a smooth onboarding experience for new remote hires. Depending on where you want to hire, you can also choose other PEOs in India, China, Singapore, or Vietnam.
Technical Assessments
If your organization is looking for someone with hard skills, such as developers and data scientists, arranging a technical assessment is a must. This will help you determine if the candidate has the required competencies for the job.
In traditional in-person interviews, technical assessments are quite easy to do. You can simply direct the conversation to gauge the candidate’s knowledge and skills or even conduct an impromptu examination. Doing these in a remote hiring process can be trickier, so it’s a good idea to integrate the assessment into your interview. Use the right platforms such as Google Skillshop to pair with assessment tools. This way, you can find the best person for the job and also help create a pleasant interview experience for the candidate.
Video Interview Preparations
In remote employee hiring, the interview process is typically done through video conferencing. It’s the most effective means of communication for many people spread across different locations. It also replicates the instant communication of face-to-face interviews and helps reduce misunderstandings.
During the interview process, you want to be prepared for anything. Go the extra mile and take account of potential technical difficulties and delays. It’s also a good idea to inform the candidate beforehand of what they can expect in the interview by preparing and sending them a digital interview guide.
The guide can include details about the time of the interview, how it will be held, and if there are any programs that the candidate needs to set up in advance. It will also be helpful to include information on what the candidate needs to do in case something goes wrong, such as the video call getting cut off. Additionally, prepare a list of well-rounded questions about the candidate’s background, personality, and skillset. This way, the interview can be more productive and conclusive.
Virtual Onboarding
Aside from the interview and recruitment processes, onboarding employees is a vital step in the remote hiring process. It creates a more welcoming experience for new employees and gives them a good impression of your company’s culture. A smooth onboarding process also helps employees ease into their roles in the company.
Before their first day at work, make sure new hires will have everything they need. These can include increased Wi-Fi capacity, user logins and access, and conferencing tools. If you’ll be providing any technical equipment, ship it to the employee’s address ahead of time and help them set it up.
Additionally, prepare all onboarding materials so you can quickly facilitate the employee’s virtual learning. These can be organizational charts, training manuals, contracts, and employee handbooks, among others. Make sure to walk the new employees through the documents so they understand the contents and know how to find the information they need.
Employment Engagement Strategies
In remote employee hiring, you need to increase the amount of time you spend interacting with the candidates. Without the personal interactions commonly found in an on-site workplace, people can have a tougher time connecting with their new company and colleagues. As such, make sure to regularly engage with employees through frequent communication and constructive feedback.
Arrange regular check-ins so new employees can ask questions and talk about numerous topics, even non-work-related ones. Consider scheduling virtual get-togethers to help connect employees with each other. Another great strategy is organizing knowledge games about the company and giving out prizes. It’s a fun way to engage with employees and allow them to learn more about the company’s values.
When done right, remote employee hiring can have plenty of benefits for both the employee and employer. If you want to maximize all your efforts, find ways to optimize the process. This may mean improving specific strategies or investing in certain programs to make the hiring process more streamlined. Also, remember to keep candidates engaged throughout the process and make them feel welcome once they’re officially hired.