Remote hiring can be a challenging task when scouting for the best employees for your organization. Whether you outsource the task to a hiring agency, or hire through your company’s human resources department, it is important to ensure the candidate is compatible with the organization and vice versa.

The approach is very different to face-to-face hiring structures. You need good IT, a different way to communicate, an awareness of cultural and time differences for remote workers, and a way to assess that the person you hire has a suitable working environment.

Best Practices for Remote Hiring

When planning to engage in a remote hiring program, you need to consider how you advertise and communicate to your candidates, as well as how you will schedule and screen them in interview.

1. Find the best remote work platform to post jobs

There are different niche platforms where companies can post job vacancies and reach out to attract the right candidates for remote jobs. These platforms need to be reliable and offer a wide reach to source talent across the globe. A simple check of the company's reviews can provide the necessary information on this.

2. Have a reliable communication channel

You need a reliable communication channel for a professional formal interview, and for other communication correspondence with candidates. It should also have recording features for reviewing. The sound and visual should be crystal clear, and tested before the scheduled interview. 

Provide your prospective clients with a how-to sheet in advance, so they know how to connect to the interview and what to expect if connectivity issues occur. They should know who will be present, their positions in the company, and also understand how the interview will be conducted. They should also have contact numbers so they have other options of communicating.

3. Time scheduling

Scheduling time for interviews across multiple time zones can be tricky. There are good apps or software tools to help facilitate this, such as Doodle, or Fox Clocks. It is a good idea to offer a few options for interview times.

4. Screening candidates: vouching and vetting

Screening candidates is one of the most important steps for a successful outcome. Failure to do due diligence can result in a lot of frustration later. With remote hiring, the task of checking credentials becomes more complex, as countries have different laws on background checks and privacy. With the expansion of remote working and remote hiring, this is something that needs to be carefully considered. There are companies that can help with employment background checks that involve remote hiring, and using these may give you peace of mind. 

Tips for a Successful Interview Process

At the end of the day, an interview is an important step in the recruitment process. There are some important considerations when interviewing remotely. 

Assign tasks to the hiring team

Most recruitment involves a team effort, both to share the load and to incorporate different perspectives on the candidates. Be clear about the tasks each member in the hiring team will undertake in advance of an online interview. This will avoid overlap and confusion. It may involve determining responsibility for certain questions, or deciding who will screen for specific requirements. 

Be prepared

When preparing for a remote interview, remind all parties to:

• block more time than the required interview time, to provide a margin for any disruptions in the process;
• choose somewhere with good visibility, away from interruption, noise, or background activities;
• have all paperwork and portfolios to hand;
• have material for taking notes;
• ensure good internet connectivity in advance;
• be prepared to offer a visual tour of the work environment. 

Be calm, but professional

As much as professionalism is needed, the hiring process should have a friendly and inviting feel, to put candidates at ease. Use facial expressions more than you would in a face to face interview, to communicate openness and build rapport. If the interview will be a long one, offer comfort breaks and coffee breaks, and be clear about these from the start of the interview. 

Consider your next steps

Following a remote interview, you will need to consider the next steps and communicate those to your candidates. It may be that you want to try out the top candidates prior to selecting your new staff member. Alternatively, you may want to outline how the remote onboarding process works in your organization. 

Pre-hiring trials

There are various ways to vet candidates’ skills in the pre-hiring trial period. One method is to have a paid trial which can be timed and evaluated. A probation period can be included for all new hires, with periodic evaluations before a final decision is made. You should be clear about the stages of hiring from the start of the selection process.

On-boarding process and non-disclosure agreement signing

One challenging aspect for remote work is the initial step for onboarding potential candidates to transition them into the team. This step entails setting up non-disclosure agreements, and if needed, non-competitive agreements. This helps secure intellectual property and avoids future legal entanglements. You will need comprehensive documents that cover all aspects of the employment relationship.

Software Tools to Aid You in Remote Hiring

Technology is an integral component in remote work, since remote work is facilitated and driven by technology, whether niche or generic. As remote work continues to grow in bounds, so does technological advancement. 

Communication and interviewing

Zoom is widely used for remote communication. It is simple, secure, and has free sign up, with paid upgrade features if needed. For calls with multiple people, there’s a time limit of 40 minutes for the free version. Zoom offers free one-on-one calls, without any limit on time. 

GoToMeeting is a software tool suitable for a professional formal interview. It has a screen sharing function, and it allows for viewing of documents such as demos, work portfolios, designs, as well as a drawing tool feature. This is a paid tool, but initial access is available through a free trial.

Skype is a pioneer of face-time and video chats. However, there are reports of poor voice quality, which can interfere with an interview. Skype requires an app and is also available through a phone. An organization can secure a dedicated number for its business for a small fee. Since this is relatively cheap, some businesses opt to get a skype line for all their business call communications, instead of the conventional phone line.

Screening

Webex is fee-based cloud software, which offers free sign up. It has user-friendly features for conducting a remote interview such as sending an email message to a candidate with all the details, right from the dashboard. It can be used on any device. Not only does it serve as a tool for video meetings such as remote interviews, but also has features for file sharing and white-boarding. It is able to integrate with numerous apps like Slack or Appspace.

Onboarding

Onboarding is the last step of the hiring process. This can be complex. It may entail setting up escrow payments, money transfers, paperwork for tax purposes, and more. It is advisable to use a professional and reliable organization for proficient handling of this step.

RemotePass is not only dedicated to attend to payroll processing, but can also take on the hiring task for you. It is conversant with global regulations and compliance requirements, which can be time consuming to navigate and track. The competent team at RemotePass takes the stress out of recruitment, so you can focus on what you do best.