10 Remote Hiring Tips and Best Practices

For the past decade, remote teams have been a part of the work culture worldwide. This change in work culture opened the door to a broader talent pool and brought exciting possibilities for building talented and diverse teams globally. This article outlines ten essential tips and best practices to help you find, hire, and onboard top talent for your remote workforce, empowering you to tap into this global potential.

10 Remote hiring practices

Remote work culture has opened doors to a global talent pool but also presents unique challenges. Finding the perfect fit for your team requires a strategic approach considering these challenges. Here are ten essential tips to guide you through the remote hiring process, from attracting top candidates to building a solid remote work environment.

I. Leverage powerful job boards

Job boards have various uses for companies. Companies can use job postings to highlight their commitment to remote work while showing what they expect from employees. In addition to traditional job postings, some job boards offer advanced features such as sponsored listings, targeted advertising, and candidate matching algorithms, further enhancing recruitment outcomes. These features enable employers to optimise their recruitment efforts and maximise the visibility of their job postings to relevant candidates.

For example, Jooble allows you to advertise your open positions to a diverse pool of qualified candidates, increasing your chances of finding the ideal fit for your remote team, regardless of location. Furthermore, platforms like Jooble offer the convenience of paid cash daily jobs, adding to the appeal of gig work. In addition, the gig economy provides a method to make extra money for people who already work full or part-time jobs and for students who wish to earn extra cash while attending classes.

II. Craft clear and compelling job descriptions

Attracting the right talent in a remote setting starts with a job description that is concise and engaging. Avoid jargon and overly technical terms that may alienate potential candidates and instead focus on communicating the role's value and impact within the organisation. Outline the role's responsibilities, required skills, and experience, and remember to highlight the unique aspects of your remote work culture. 

This transparency will attract candidates who fit the role well and your company's values. Use active verbs to describe job duties and emphasise the opportunities for growth, learning, and development associated with the role.

III. Prioritise effective communication

Clear and consistent communication is one of the most important aspects of remote work. When evaluating candidates, prioritise those with strong written and verbal communication skills. Look for individuals who can express themselves clearly, actively listen, and feel comfortable collaborating virtually. You might consider including a writing sample or a video interview component in your selection process to assess communication skills. Also, look for proactivity in candidates. 

Candidates who can initiate discussions, provide updates without prompting and clarify expectations can contribute to remote team productivity. This proactive communication will be useful in overcoming the challenges of physical distance and time zone differences that remote work entails.

IV. Embrace technology for assessment and onboarding

Technology is your friend when it comes to remote hiring! Online platforms like HackerRank, Codility, or LinkedIn Talent Hub can be used to conduct technical assessments or skills tests remotely for hiring. These platforms allow you to create customised assessments and objectively compare results. And for onboarding, using management tools such as Asana and Trello can help with a smooth transition. By using these tools for onboarding, you can provide resources, training materials, and a structured process for new hires to integrate into the remote team seamlessly.

Additionally, consider online tools offered by platforms like Native Teams to streamline the onboarding process for your new remote hires. Native Teams can help you provide new team members with the support they need to integrate easily into your remote work environment.

V. Invest in building a strong remote culture

Building a strong company culture is important for any team but might be even more important for international remote teams. These are some of the tips for creating a strong company culture:

• Schedule regular virtual team meetings to build a sense of connection and belonging between colleagues. 
• Encourage the use of communication channels like Slack or Microsoft Teams and create informal groups in these communication channels for hobbies or general interests. 
• Plan virtual social events since planning them can provide remote team members with opportunities for socialising and bonding outside work-related activities. 

Whether virtual happy hours, team trivia nights, or online game sessions, these events help create a sense of fun among remote team members, creating a positive and inclusive remote culture.

Want to learn more about remote working and hiring tips? Check out: Native Teams Blog.

VI. Standardise your remote hiring process

Consistency is important if you want a standardised hiring process in remote hiring. To achieve this, you should establish a hiring process applicable for long-term use and leverage hiring software to streamline tasks. You can also create a comprehensive checklist outlining each stage of the hiring process to ensure consistency and efficiency. 

Implementing Applicant Tracking Systems (ATSs) designed for remote hiring to automate tasks and manage candidate pools effectively can also help the process. Also, by using platforms like Native Teams, which offer integrated solutions for remote hiring and onboarding, you can standardise and streamline your hiring process and save time and resources.

VII. Assess for self-management and time management

Remote roles require strong self-management and time-management skills. When assessing candidates for these skills, it’s advised to go beyond traditional qualifications and examine their ability to work autonomously, prioritise tasks effectively, and meet deadlines consistently. Incorporating behavioural interview questions that ask candidates about their past experiences related to self-management and time management can provide valuable insights. 

For example, you might ask candidates to describe when they had to work on multiple priorities and how they managed their time to meet deadlines successfully. You can assess candidates' ability to thrive in a remote work setting by eliciting specific examples. Additionally, consider assigning sample tasks relevant to the role during the interview process. These assignments assess candidates' technical skills and ability to independently manage their time and workload.

VIII. Prioritise transparency throughout the process

Transparency is essential for building trust and positive relationships with candidates throughout the hiring process. By being upfront and honest about expectations, methods, and timelines, you demonstrate respect for candidates' time and efforts and create a positive candidate experience. 

Share the details about the communication channels, work hours, and collaboration tools used by your remote team from the beginning. This will help candidates understand the role's daily responsibilities and assess whether it aligns with their preferences and needs. Providing this information upfront sets clear expectations and reduces the risk of misunderstandings or misalignments later in the process.

IX. Focus on building trust

Building trust and psychological safety is beneficial for creating a supportive and inclusive remote work environment where team members feel valued, respected, and empowered to contribute their best work. This begins during the hiring process and continues throughout the employee's work cycle. Emphasising open communication from the beginning of the hiring process is important. 

Encourage candidates to ask questions, express concerns freely, and provide honest and transparent answers. This freedom brings trust, demonstrates authenticity, and sets the tone for open and inclusive communication within the team. By prioritising trust and psychological safety, you create an environment where team members feel empowered to take risks, share ideas, and collaborate effectively, ultimately driving innovation and success.

X. Involve your team in the hiring process

Getting your team involved in the hiring process is a good idea for ensuring that candidates match your company's culture and values. Using your team members' collective insights and perspectives, you can make more informed hiring decisions for your remote team. Here are several ways to get your team involved in the hiring process:

• Asking your team to refer quality candidates: Encourage your team members to refer qualified candidates from their professional networks who they believe would be a good fit for the role and the company culture. Employee referrals often make higher-quality candidates more likely to succeed in the role and integrate seamlessly into the team.
• Offering a referral bonus: Encourage your team members to participate in the hiring process by offering a referral bonus for successful hires. This motivates employees to participate actively in recruitment efforts and reinforces a culture of collaboration and teamwork.
  Inviting team members to narrow down the candidates: Include team members in the initial screening process to help narrow down the pool of candidates based on predefined criteria such as skills, experience, and cultural fit.
• Mixing up who you invite to interview depending on the job opening: Rotate team members who participate in the interview process based on the specific requirements of the job opening. This diversity of perspectives allows you to assess candidates from different angles and ensures a well-rounded evaluation.
• Having at least one interview with a small panel of employees: Conduct at least one interview with a small panel of employees representing different departments or functional areas within the organisation. This panel interview allows candidates to interact with potential future colleagues and gain insights into team dynamics and company culture.

By involving your team in the hiring process, you not only empower them to contribute to the growth and success of the organisation but also foster a sense of ownership and investment in the recruitment efforts. This collaborative approach ensures that hiring decisions are aligned with the company's values and goals, ultimately leading to the selection of qualified candidates who fit seamlessly into the remote team.

Conclusion

Remote work offers exciting possibilities for building a talented and geographically diverse team. However, successfully finding, hiring, and onboarding remote employees requires a strategic approach. Following the tips and best practices outlined in this article can help you develop a solid remote hiring process that attracts top talent, fosters a positive company culture, and sets your remote team up for success.

Remember, building a successful remote team is an ongoing process. By prioritising clear communication, investing in technology, collaborating with job boards and companies, and creating a sense of connection, you can empower your remote workforce to thrive and contribute significantly to your organisation's goals.