The past few years required an immediate solution that enabled people to work from home due to economic shutdowns during the pandemic and to ensure public safety. Inadvertently the work from home solution also allowed people with mental health disorders such as anxiety, and physical disabilities and impairments to have access to the right resources to do their jobs successfully. Research suggests that these changes to our work style are here to stay! This begs the question—how do we recruit for remote work from home and what kind of strategies for recruitment should we be implementing? 

Recruiters, as you know, are responsible for filling the roles at a company with qualified candidates. Local recruiters will put most of their efforts into finding applicants within a certain geographical area. Remote recruiters, however, can increase their talent pool and extend their efforts to overseas and emerging markets. Fewer geographical limitations for workers also provide opportunities to expand your search for the right fit, not the closest fit. Distance wasn’t the only thing eliminated from the hiring process search, the strategies to reach this new pool of candidates also had to change.  

Read on to learn some essential tips for recruiting in a remote world.

Your checklist for recruitment strategies in remote work environments

Hybrid or remote work environments are becoming increasingly popular. 

94% of the 140 Global HR, talent acquisition and business leaders across multiple industries said that they would incorporate remote work from home into their ‘new normal’ full time. 

New policies, processes, and strategies for recruitment will also need to be put in place before fully dedicating your workforce to a remote or a hybrid work environment. Your teams will need to also invest in new software and hardware and establish ways to fill the gaps that virtual work settings create.

Looking specifically for tips to automate your HR processes? Check them out here. 

1. Determining what remote work entails 

So you’ve removed the geographical boundaries and now you need to sell the benefits of remote work from home (or from anywhere else) to candidates. Make sure your job descriptions are clear and pay close attention to the expectations set by your company and leadership team. 

Here are some examples of expectations that can set the tone for potential new hires:

  • When they are expected to be online and available.
  • If their webcam should be on during virtual meetings.
  • How often they are expected to check in with the team.
  • If they should be expected to present or participate in sessions out of your regular timezone.

A clear and concise job description will need to be established before the hiring process that includes the same flexibility that a remote role would require.

2. Find the right fit for the role

We’ve mentioned how geographical limitations are removed with remote work, but this can also mean removing certain biases as well. The remote recruitment process actively promotes diversity and inclusion by making the first steps as easy as possible for the candidates. The goal will be to find the perfect fit rather than the ‘closest’ fit. Remote work environments allow you to expand your talent pool. Flexible talent strategies provide access to innovative and diverse skill sets that extend beyond location, don’t require access to a car or public transportation,  aren’t confined to the standard 9-5 schedule, and many more benefits. 

For example, at Wrk, we operate remote-first. Check out this video to learn how we make the most of it!

https://vimeo.com/675488733

3. Get the most out of virtual interviews

Without our usual strategies for recruitment to get to know people like reading body language, seeing facial expressions, etc., some people might find it difficult to assess the right fit through a quick phone call. A great solution would be to set up a virtual interview. Research shows that 23% of hiring leaders will move solely to virtual interviewing post-pandemic and the numbers will likely increase with new technologies emerging every day to facilitate the process.

Video interviews can speed up the hiring process as it provides flexibility for the recruiter and the candidate. It also might make candidates feel a lot more comfortable as they are in their own home, in a more relaxed setting, likely wearing attire that feels more comfortable as well.

All of these factors will contribute to getting to know a candidate quicker and establishing a genuine rapport with them. It will allow you to gauge who they truly are and how they can fit into your company and team. It will also allow for more interviews with more stakeholders without requiring them to all be in the same place. This will contribute to less turnover over time. 

4. Set up remote testing with a scoring system

Because you’re now able to do more interviews (due to how much easier it is to set up virtual interviews), you’ll need to have a clear process in evaluating the perfect candidate.

Setting up a scorecard in advance will help you to perform an effective structured interview. Scorecards allow interviewers to take note of what is most important and what they are looking for during the process. It will also allow them to stay on track and make sure they are asking job-related questions that will help evaluate a fit for the team, the company, and the role. The structure might seem cold and calculated, but it does make interviews more effective as it allows you to stay focused and makes interviews fair and more consistent. 

Here are some tips to make the scorecard feel more natural:

  • Know the questions off by heart before the interview so you’re not constantly glancing at the sheet in front of you;
  • Identify desirable traits for the role and establish the best questions to verify that trait;
  • Set up a quick checklist (like a yes/no choice or a 5-point scale) so that you can quickly jot down a number or check and move on.

5. Expedite the hiring process

Things like scorecards and virtual interviews will certainly allow you to assess the right fit for your company and the role; however, this final step will help the entire process move steadily and effectively. With the right platform, the recruitment and hiring process can be cut down drastically. Automation platforms like we use at Wrk can handle tasks like resume sifting and our Wrkflows can function within your applicant tracking system (ATS) to help you decide and rank qualified candidates based on your internal criteria and requirements.

There are tasks that should take time and that will require more diligence and attention; however, there are also tasks that can be done without much thought. Having a portal where candidates can submit follow-up tasks (like a skill test or references), is yet another way to expedite the process. The possibilities are endless. 

The Future of remote recruitment

Remote work is here to stay, so the recruitment process will need to be adapted in order to find the right ‘culture fit’. From virtual interviews to automated tasks, the future of hiring will happen remotely. Once a candidate is hired for a remote role, they will also have virtual training, a portal to submit requests, and the meet and greet with the teams will also be done digitally. Adapting your recruitment strategies to remote work environments will be what separates you from the fray, and will also help increase retention and decrease turnover. 

There are many solutions to improve your process and find the right employees for your company! Check out our HR Hub to lern how to simplify the process. 

Featured image: LinkedIn Sales Solutions