The last year has shown us working remotely is possible and could become our next permanent reality. At first, the challenge was to help employees adjust to the new normal and provide them with every resource possible to make the transition easier. However, now the challenge has become creating the appropriate process to begin hiring new employees remotely. It can be disconcerting to find out if a candidate is a right fit for a new role. Luckily, recruiting expert, Tanya Bourque offers three steps to make hiring remote employees easier.
Bourque is the founder of OpExpert, a recruiting and HR consultancy agency that helps companies in different industries find the perfect candidates for their open roles. As businesses recover from the pandemic, they may need to change how they hired employees in the past. This expert says, “your company might need to adjust the way that it hires employees before it considers hiring remote employees. There might be job candidates that have the required skills but wouldn’t be a good fit for your organization.” For that reason, she put together three essential steps that will guide employers through the recruiting process.
Defining the Role
Bourque suggests that the most critical step is defining the role you are hiring for. It is essential whoever is applying knows precisely what their new position would entail. “You might want to make sure that you are not only hiring an individual that has the right skills but someone who can adapt to changing situations and times. If you aren’t clear about what that role requires, then you might have the wrong employees interested in the job.”
Hiring remotely means everything is done virtually, affecting the communication between the recruiter and the candidate. To avoid any misunderstandings, Bourque suggests putting in place personality tests and a detailed explanation of what this role’s schedule looks like.
Asking Specific Questions
Most companies — particularly well-established ones — have a predetermined list of questions they like to ask during the interview process. However, as they are trying to hire remote employees, these questions might need to be adjusted. A great piece of advice Bourque gives is asking the candidate about previous remote work and the tools they have used in the past to guarantee their work is on time, and they are able to communicate with their employers and their team.
As much as the hiring game may have changed, employers still want to ask specific questions. Tanya Bourque suggests, “First and foremost, are they used to remote work? Do they understand that because they are working remotely, they will need to check in and answer you and other employees within a specific amount of time?”
Paying for a Trial Period
As much as an employee guarantees they are perfect for the role, they might end up not being the ideal fit for your company. For those instances in which you are not entirely sure about a new hire, Bourque suggests putting in place a paid trial period. “The employee will get to show off their skills, and you can decide whether they have a viable future within your organization. The fact that the trial is paid should make them feel better about the situation since many job candidates don’t exactly jump at the thought of an unpaid trial.”
In the last year, companies have had to adjust to several changes. Creating a new hiring process may not be the ideal situation. Still, it will be beneficial when hiring new employees. Following recruiting expert, Tanya Bourque’s steps will make your remote hiring process more accessible. These steps’ main goal is to help both employers and employees find the right fit.
