Tips For Successful Remote Recruitment

The rapid increase in remote working in recent years has left recruitment teams struggling to adapt and effectively recruit remote employees. While many aspects of the hiring process remain unchanged, there are distinct differences to consider when seeking and attracting top remote talent. 

If your business is struggling to attract and retain talented remote employees, keep reading as we go through a few tips and tricks to make your remote recruitment process more successful.

What Is Remote Recruitment?

Remote recruiting involves sourcing, screening, interviewing, and hiring employees who are not geographically bound to a specific location. Unlike traditional recruitment, which can rely on basic technology like phone calls, emails, and spreadsheets, remote recruiting requires advanced technology solutions.

What Are The Advantages of Remote Recruitment?

Recruiting remote employees offers several benefits. With the right remote-working technology and essential skills such as communication, collaboration, and time-management, remote recruitment can be highly advantageous for both employers and employees.

Benefits for Remote Employees

Remote employees enjoy flexible schedules, the freedom to work from any location, more time with family, and the elimination of commuting costs and time.

Benefits for Employers

For employers, hiring remote workers can lead to increased employee retention, cost savings, higher productivity, and access to a broader talent pool.

Assess Your Remote Readiness

Before diving into remote recruitment, evaluate your business’s preparedness for hiring, supporting, and retaining remote employees. This involves reviewing your entire remote recruitment process, upgrading recruitment software, and ensuring that managers have the skills necessary to effectively oversee remote teams.

Strengthen Your Online Employer Brand

Having a strong online employer brand is essential for attracting remote candidates who rely on online searches to learn about your company. 

Your website and social media should be rich in information about your company culture, benefits, mission, and more. Feature employee testimonials, videos from team events, and detailed descriptions of your company values.

Offer Appealing Benefits to Remote Workers

Remote workers miss out on in-office perks like a gym or café. Consider benefits they would value such as clear career paths, learning opportunities, generous vacations, technology allowances, access to co-working spaces, and location-based compensation.

Highlight your company’s culture and values online, demonstrating how they extend to remote employees.

Cultivate a Remote-Friendly Reputation

To become known as a remote-friendly employer, take cues from companies like Dell, Salesforce, and Amazon. 

Make it clear on your website, job ads, and social media that you welcome remote workers. Share testimonials from current remote employees about their experiences. Offer attractive remote-specific benefits and ensure remote workers have equal career progression opportunities. Publicise success stories, such as remote employees being promoted to the executive team without ever visiting the office.

Craft Thoughtful Job Ads

Job descriptions are crucial for attracting remote candidates. Be transparent about the nature of the remote role (remote-first, remote-friendly, or mixed), any time zone requirements, and travel obligations for team meetings.

Clearly outline your company’s remote work philosophy, communication processes, and why the role is remote. This transparency helps candidates self-select based on their compatibility with your remote work culture.

Implement Remote Recruiting Software

Scaling remote recruitment is impossible without the right software. Options include:

• Sourcing Software: Identifies and attracts candidates, automating job ad placements
• Screening Software: Creates shortlists for interviews using resume screening or skills assessment tools
• Engagement Software: Communicates with candidates, keeping them informed with automated messaging
• Video Software: Facilitates remote interviews
• Onboarding Software: Streamlines and automates the remote onboarding process

Automate Screening Processes

Remote recruitment often leads to a higher volume of applications, making manual sorting impractical. Utilise automated screening processes to manage the influx efficiently.

Enhance the Candidate Experience

Ensure a positive and engaging experience for all candidates, as some may also be your customers. Keep candidates informed, align the recruitment experience with your brand, and use user-friendly software to create a seamless process.

Use Skills Assessments for Hiring

Predict remote candidates’ performance by testing job-related skills through immersive simulations. Skills assessments should mirror the job’s demands and evaluate both tangible and intangible skills like teamwork and leadership.

Conduct Remote Interviews with Top Performers

After identifying top performers through skills assessments, use video interviews to delve deeper. Choose a stable, easy-to-use platform like Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Use the interview to discuss the candidates’ expectations, cultural fit, and readiness for remote work. Consider pre-recorded one-way interviews for additional flexibility. 

Sample questions for assessing remote readiness include:

• How do you handle distractions while working remotely?
• What is your experience with remote project management tools?
• How do you maintain work/life balance?
• How do you stay motivated without in-person supervision?