5 Tips When Recruiting Candidates Remotely

You may be a professional in the Recruitment industry, with years of experience behind you or, a newbie to the field, learning from a hiring strategy that no longer applies in a post-Covid world.

What is certain, is that as a recruiter in 2020, you are navigating yourself within an industry that once relied on face-to-face contact, but is now forced to adapt and rely on technology.

The primary focus of this blog is to offer successful methods of hiring and interviewing new candidates remotely.

Here are five proven-to-work ways of hiring new employees whilst working remotely.

1. Benefits of Video Tools 

You can’t rely solely on written or voice call streams of communications especially when reaching the end of the hiring process. Sooner or later, the right candidate is going to turn up and the recruiter will need to ask them the crucial questions and decide whether they are a cultural fit, as well as a skills match.

To that in 2020, you are going to need a reliable and accommodating video chat tool.  

The benefits of this are as follows…

1. You can screen prospective employees on a deeper, more personal level.
2. Reduce the chances of misinformation by resolving any miscommunications as they occur.
3. Enables greater accessibility and flexibility when scheduling interviews. No one has to travel, etc.

2.  Correctly conducting video interviews

There’s definitely an art to holding and taking part in video interviews, from both parties. It’s similar to phone etiquette, only this time the person can see you. 

But we aren’t here to scare you off. There are ways to easily and successfully nail video interviews.

Firstly, contact your candidate and send them a thorough email listing the structure of the interview and any preparations that they will need to make beforehand.

It’s important that you, too, are proactive. Technical issues are unavoidable, so be sure to have a game-plan in place.

Examples:

1. If your headphones/microphone stops working, have a back-up at your disposal. 
2. If your WiFi becomes unstable, remember you can hotspot from any smartphone with sufficient 4G.
3. If your video tool crashes have a second one tested and ready to use.

When it is time to hold the interview, be in a quiet, uncluttered space 10 or 15 minutes before the candidate is set to arrive. 

Have your questions ready, and away you go.

3.  What to include in your job description

The job description is the front cover and the first thing the candidate sees in relation to the position. So naturally, it is going to be judged.

Here are a few pointers of what could be included...

1. Describing your ‘remote’ client. Depending on how you phrase the type of remote work will have an effect on the candidate's perception. Are they “exclusively remote,”  “remote-friendly,” “remote-prone”
2. Explain yourself. Tell the candidate why it is that the company is purely remote and the benefits that this brings for the employees who work there. Showcase the current culture.

4. New skill sets needed 

Remote working requires a new, tech-led skillset and this needs to match the job description.

Be sure your clients understand this as well so that you can communicate it successfully to the candidates. To make you aware of what skills might be needed, here are a few examples:

1. Communication
2. Organisation
3. Disciplined
4. Proactive
5. Tech-smart
6. Self-motivated

5.  Customise your question set 

Remote work requires hiring managers to look beyond just technical skills. So in addition to your standard screening and cultural fit questions, there are a few additional questions you may want to add in. 

Picture your ideal remote candidate; how do you want them to manage remote working? 

There should be a few core capabilities you will want to look for, including communication skills, time management, consistency, discipline, and proactivity. 

Kevin Sheridan, author of ‘The Virtual Manager’, suggests you should ask potential candidates the following: 

• Testing communication: 

How do you stay in touch with your co-workers, supervisors? 

• Testing resourcefulness: 

If you have a problem and don’t know what the solution is, what do you do? 

• Testing time management: 

How do you prioritise workload/ projects? 

• Testing personal drive: 

What three things have you done in the last 12 months to improve your skillset or yourself? 

• Testing team collaboration: 

How do you manage to work with more than one supervisor? 

• Uncovering routine and work environment: 

Describe your remote office and virtual job trial. 

[Handy Top Tip] - Before making your hire, set a paid virtual project for the candidate to complete. This is a great way to ensure that both sides (employer and candidate) can determine if they are the right fit for each other. 

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https://www.hirewithleo.com/