How To Successfully Hire Remote Talent And What To Look For

As more companies start to accept remote working as part of their operations, access to high-quality remote talent is also becoming progressively crucial to the success of a business. In this article, we made a list of tips on how to successfully hire remote talent so you can adjust your efforts accordingly. We also take a look at the benefits of adding remote talent to your business, as well as what traits to look for in a high-quality candidate. 

Stick around to learn more!

Benefits of hiring remote talents

Experienced companies understand that keeping their employees happy helps increase productivity and retention. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many were forced to transition from an office-based setting to a work-from-home setup. While businesses were initially reluctant about remote work, many later realized that remote work could actually help improve employee efficiency and morale. One study from Standford University found that remote work provided employees with a greater sense of autonomy and job satisfaction. 

What to look for in remote talents

While hiring remote employees opens you up to an entirely new pool of untapped resources, it can also cause a ton of confusion in a company. In this section, we put together a list of characteristics and skills that the ideal remote employee should possess. 

Self-motivated

In the majority of cases, managers or supervisors won’t be around to monitor a remote employee’s activity. Therefore, finding candidates who are self-motivated and responsible should be the top priority of hiring managers. 

Adaptable

Having subcultures in a company or organization is typical in business. Oftentimes, it’s what makes a brand stand out or unique. Hiring remote employees who can quickly adapt to company culture can help improve their productivity and efficiency at work. Furthermore, it shows how capable remote employees are of adjusting their efforts in challenging situations. 

Punctual and attentive

Remote work means a ton of asynchronous communication during most cases. Delayed correspondence can be frustrating and unproductive for a lot of businesses. Finding a remote employee who’s timely and attentive is important if you want your operations to be successful. 

Problem solver

Although employees who follow your instructions to a T can be beneficial in most cases, it’s much better to hire a problem solver in the end. Support and other tech services won’t be as openly available to remote employees as they are with in-house workers. In some instances, remote employees will need to do a ton of legwork and problem solving to get a project completed on time. 

How to successfully hire remote talents

While traditional methods of hiring may be the obvious route to take, hiring remote talents will require an entirely different approach to ensure its success. You’re not just assessing a person’s compatibility with the position — you’re also evaluating their suitability with a remote working environment. 

Here’s how to successfully hire remote talents in 2022:

Definite your “ideal” hire

When looking for high-quality remote talent, you need to have a solid idea of what type of employee you’re aiming to attract. Who’s your ideal candidate? What skills or characteristics do you want them to possess? Additionally, you want to make sure that your hiree is someone who can work at a time zone that’s compatible with your operations. 

List all of this down and include them in your job ad. By being transparent about your ideal hire, candidates who can’t meet the minimum requirements won’t apply. 

Audit and edit

You don’t want thousands of applications flooding your inbox all at once. Auditing your hiring process and editing it to make it more efficient can help you prevent this situation from happening. Creating a pre-employment assessment strategy that includes an entrance exam to carefully identify quality candidates is a great first step. Once you’ve paired down your list to the top 10 or 15 candidates for the position, it’s time to move on to the next step. 

Evaluate qualifications

Each candidate will have a set of unique skills and qualities — it’s your job to determine which ones are the most suitable for the position you’re hiring for. This step is crucial in the hiring process because it determines whether or not the employee you hire is capable of meeting company expectations. 

Schedule interviews

Interviews can be a great way to gauge a certain candidate’s compatibility not just with the job position but with your brand as well. After all, a business is only as good as its employees. Thus, hiring someone who adheres to most of your company’s beliefs can be advantageous. 

Virtual tryout

Once you’ve found your ideal candidate, offer them a virtual tryout for the job. During this period, you can carefully and officially assess their compatibility with the position. It lets you peer into how this employee handles work, scheduling, and other responsibilities. If results after the trial period are favorable, you can proceed to give your employee a permanent job position. 

Increase your candidate pool

Hiring remote talent is a great way to increase your company’s quality candidate pool. If you aren’t sure how to proceed, the tips we mentioned above should help you get started on the right path. Good luck!


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