Hiring remote employees can benefit both employee and employer.
Remote employees can bring specialised skill sets to the company that are difficult to find locally. And the employee has the option to pursue a position without the need to relocate.
But attracting and hiring remote workers can bring its own sets of challenges. If this is your first time, or you have found the process difficult in the past, you may have to redesign your hiring process for quality recruitment.
Attracting global remote employees
Build a strong online brand
Having a good employer reputation helps to attract and retain the most qualified people for the job. Local candidates have possibly seen your offices and logos, or they know someone who has worked for you.
If you are hiring remotely, candidates have to rely on your digital presence to learn about your company.
Ensure your online presence clearly shows your values and culture as a business. Help the candidate visualise themselves as a member of your team. To do this, you need to create informative careers pages and attractive social media accounts.
These pages will need to fulfil a few roles.
Describe your way of working.
Although remote employees make their own schedule, they will still want to know what the job entails and their obligations. Describe the level of flexibility you offer and try to give them a glimpse into the typical day of most of your employees. Some businesses have taken to posting social media videos up on their pages with current remote employees talking about their average day at work.
Employee testimonials
Get your remote employees to tell their story on video or print. Have them include why they chose remote work and what they love about your company. They will serve as inspiration for other potential employees.
Showcase meetings
If your company host large all employee meetings or regular team building days (even if it is virtual), put up the pictures. It helps candidates see all employees are valued and included.
Define your company culture
Every excellent company desires to find the right hire that will seamlessly fit in with their teams and reflect their values. Be explicit about what you’re looking for in co-workers and the qualities that are most important to your organisation.
Select the best places to advertise
Consider advertising your open roles online international job boards that are dedicated to remote positions. These include, but are not limited to:-
Large, global job boards such as Indeed and Monster are also useful. But you must clearly state you are hiring for a remote position. Also, consider advertising positions on social media networks such as Slack and Facebook.
Hiring remote employees
When hiring for remote employees, make sure you use synchronous and asynchronous means of communication to assess candidates.
Tools
Phone and video interviews will most likely be your primary communication channels with your potential candidates. But it is also a good idea to use assessment tools to evaluate candidates’ skills and suitability, so you can make objective hiring decisions. Especially if you don’t meet the candidates in person.
Ask for referrals
There is no reason why you shouldn’t reach out to existing employees for referrals when hiring remotely. They will most likely be involved in networks that you are unaware of or do not have access to. Describe the skills you’re looking for and clarify that there are no location boundaries.
Branching out into offering remote positions can expand your horizons as a business. It does come with particular challenges, but these can be easily overcome with a few adjustments to your processes and tools used for recruitment.
