Remote work is becoming more common and desirable for many professionals and employers. But how do you evaluate if a candidate has the skills and experience to work effectively in a remote setting? In this article, you will learn some tips and strategies to assess a candidate's remote work experience during the interview process.
Behavioral questions are designed to get specific examples of how a candidate handled a situation or performed a task in the past. These questions can help you measure how well a candidate adapts to remote work challenges, such as communication, collaboration, time management, and self-motivation. For instance, you could ask questions like: How do you communicate and collaborate with remote colleagues and leaders? How do you plan and prioritize your tasks and assignments when working from home? How do you manage distractions, isolation, or technical problems in a remote setting? And how do you balance your personal and professional life when working remotely?
The best way to figure out how someone will act in the future is to find out how they acted in the past. Interviews provide one lens for this. The caveat: Candidates are motivated to enhance their role and capabilities in their personal stories. That's why you need to interject thought provoking questions like: - Why did you do it that way? - What would have done differently? - What challenge did you face? The questions will push past any rehearsed hero story to get closer to the truth.
When evaluating a candidate's remote work skills, you can look beyond behavioral questions and examine their resume, portfolio, or references. For instance, you can search for certifications, courses, or training programs that attest to the candidate's commitment to learning. Additionally, achievements, awards, or projects that demonstrate their ability to deliver results and solve problems in a remote setting should be taken into account. Furthermore, familiarizing yourself with the remote work tools, platforms, or methods a candidate is familiar with will provide insight into their capability to communicate and collaborate with remote teams. Lastly, references, testimonials, or feedback will give you an idea of the candidate's reputation and performance as a remote worker.
I always like to ask how people collaborate with their teams remotely. They should be able to demonstrate how they find answers to questions, provide guidance, and establish a mentor/mentee relationship. These are all things that come naturally in an office but you have to work on them when you are remote.
Asking candidates for what type of tools they use to perform remote work is a great way to assess their skill level and how they leverage different technologies and tools. For example, what type of virtual meeting tools do they have experience using, what platforms have they used to build collaboration, connection, and culture among their team, and what messaging platforms and tools did they use in past remote roles.
A remote work simulation is an effective way to evaluate a candidate's remote work skills and fit in a realistic scenario. You can design a simulation that replicates the tasks, tools, and expectations of the role you are hiring for. For instance, assign a remote work task or project that requires the use of specific tools, such as video conferencing, chat, or project management software. You can then observe how the candidate communicates, collaborates, and manages their time and resources while working on the task or project. Additionally, you can evaluate how a candidate delivers, presents, or reports on the remote work task or project. Lastly, provide feedback and ask follow-up questions to a candidate about their remote work experience and performance.
Being a candidate essentially IS doing remote work: -Scheduling a time to speak -Being timely and successful in meetings -Following up with communication and production of documents etc. Use the natural process to assess remote skills. I'm a also big believer in task-based interviewing. Having a task can simulate what it is like to work with a person and help them understand what it will be like to work with your team. A successful remote task should have the following characteristics: -tested -time-realistic -time-bound (delivery date) -work-realistic While I don't typically think a candidate's participation competency should be weighted heavily, assessing remote skills is an exception.
Gauging a candidate's remote work preferences can give you insight into their suitability and expectations for a remote role. To assess these preferences, ask open-ended questions that explore their motivations, goals, and values as a remote worker. Examples include: why they want to work remotely, what benefits and challenges they find in remote work, how they measure success and satisfaction, and what their ideal remote work conditions and environment are. By assessing a candidate's remote work experience, you can make better hiring decisions and find the best fit for your remote team. Additionally, this assessment process gives you the chance to highlight your remote work culture and values to attract top talent.
If a candidate is being considered for a fully remote job, it’s best to gauge their interest in such a role by directly asking them about their preferences - whether they are comfortable with fully remote positions or do they prefer to be in hybrid or in-person roles? You can probe into their motivators - to determine whether they will be well-suited for your remote role or not. Some people feel they are the most productive in an office environment, when they are able to collaborate and communicate with co-workers in person, while others feel equally effective working remotely and enjoy the work-life balance that remote roles offer. It’s best to discuss these up-front, so that issues don’t arise at a later stage of the recruiting process.
Engagement is key. In the past, what helped the candidate feel engaged in remote work? Regular meetings? Slack channel friendly banter? Quarterly get-togethers? You can use this as feedback for better remote work experience and a realistic assessment as to whether your team can provide what the candidate is looking for.