As your company begins to utilize telecommuters, you’ll probably want to focus on making the remote hiring experience as productive as possible. Today’s expert guest author shares how to improve your remote hiring.
In a few short years, millions of Americans will trade their business suits for pajamas and slippers, while enjoying better work-life balance and increasing their productivity. It’s not hard to understand why when studies from Stanford University show companies can save $2,000 per employee just by letting them work from home.
It’s all good news on the virtual employee front, unless you start thinking about how you’re going to find and hire these top-notch telecommuters. After all, a great virtual worker has different attributes than an in-office all-star.
Here are four ways to improve your remote hiring to find the best virtual candidates:
Write Better Job Descriptions
Attracting the right people starts with your career site, your employer brand, and your job descriptions. Make your job descriptions as clear-cut and action-oriented as possible. If a candidate needs a certain skill, certification, or experience with a particular system, make sure it’s listed. Don’t surprise candidates once they’re on the job; make sure your job description paints a vivid picture of the position. And be sure not to hide your flexible work initiatives in your job descriptions—make them clear, as well.
Connect on Social Media
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Social media allows you to find talented candidates wherever they spend time online, and connect with them personally. For instance, you might join an industry-specific LinkedIn group and notice great candidates debating a tough challenge within your field. The odds are good that these are the people who have a sincere passion for your industry or your specific position.
Don’t be afraid to jump into the fray yourself and add valuable content and insights. Use social media channels to post jobs and answer questions. Once you’re a member of a social media community, you’ll have a great pool of candidates to fill your talent pipeline.
Utilize Video Interviews
One of the toughest aspects of hiring a virtual candidate is feeling like you miss out on the personal connection you form through the interview process. However, it’s still important for virtual employees to fit into the company culture and add positive value.
Video interviewing can be the answer, allowing you to still connect personally with your top candidates, even if you don’t share a hometown or even a continent. Live video interviews allow you to connect with candidates in real-time, face-to-face in the same way you would in any normal sit-down interview. One-way interviews allow you to skip over candidates who don’t impress you in this preliminary round, saving you time to focus more closely on the best virtual candidates instead.
Look for Certain Attributes
Working remotely isn’t exactly like working in an office every day. You can’t just stand over your employee’s shoulder to see what they’re working on. It’s important to hire people who are self-motivated, so you don’t have to worry about your all-star new hire folding laundry instead of writing code.
In the interview, ask specific questions about the candidate’s ability to work as a member of a team and to work independently. Ask for candidates to provide specific instances of time management and self-direction, so you know that a future virtual worker will be able to keep track of their own time.
As more employers adapt to our virtual reality, being able to hire the best remote candidates will become essential for any good employer or staffing pro. Thankfully, while technology is making it easier for employees to work from home, it’s also making it easier to connect and recruit the best people.
Josh Tolan is the CEO of Spark Hire, a video interview solution used by more than 2,000 companies across the globe. Learn more about using video interviewing to hire virtual talent and connect with Spark Hire on Facebook and Twitter.
Readers, what do you think? What are some ways you can find the best virtual workers? Share in the comments!
photo credit: istockphoto.com
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