Now that we’re in 2021 let’s talk about HR trends we’ll see this year.
It looks like remote recruitment is here to stay. Recruitment of remote employees requires you to find new ways of attracting, interviewing, and onboarding your workforce. We’ve been doing it since the pandemic began and now that many employers actually find it way more efficient, I thought why not share some useful tips to really get the process of hiring employees remotely, right.
Let’s first talk about the benefits that remote recruitment brings. Remote recruitment allows you to:
- Transcend geographic barriers
- Attract a bigger pool of applications
- Bring in uniquely-skilled resources from across the globe.
Remote recruitment not only provides a way for hiring teams to conquer the challenges that COVID-19 poses, but it also helps you stay afloat and relevant by attracting and retaining talented employees.
So here are the top 5 tips for hiring remote employees.
Tip #1: Clarify the core competencies required
When hiring new employees, you need to be clear on their competency levels, along with the responsibilities you want them to undertake. When thinking about core competencies, consider the skills employees require to work remotely with the same effectiveness as they would do when working in an office.
When hiring remotely, there are certain skills and qualities that you need to pay close attention to, such as:
- Effective communication
- Time management
- Collaboration
- Familiarity with different cultures
- Teamwork proficiency
- Ability to work under pressure
- Self-motivation
Regardless of which role you are hiring for, these skills are more or less mandatory to excel in the new work environment.
Tip #2: Craft an excellent remote job ad and promote it
The purpose of a job ad is to give applicants a holistic understanding of what a remote job entails. So, ensure that your job description is engaging, realistic, short, and at the same time, attention-grabbing.
A remote job ad should have the following:
- A company brief – with the vision and mission, values, and remote working policies
- A job title that communicates the key role of the position
- Attract the right audience by including keywords like virtual, work-from-home, or remote in the title.
- Key knowledge, skills and abilities associated with the job
- Details of the position – whether it is a full-time or part-time job and geographical restrictions, if any
- Application submission process and deadline.
Tip #3: Manage applications with technology
Once the application phase closes, shift your attention to screening and shortlisting the most qualified candidates from the pool of applications received. This is the most difficult part of the remote hiring process for 52% of hiring teams.
The best way of making this process easier is by using online recruitment software. There are recruitment softwares out there that enable you to organize and manage job applications easily to avoid mix-ups. AI-powered recruitment software (such as Interviewer.AI 😉) can also allow you to fast track the screening process by having a criterion that captures the key qualifications your ideal candidates must have.
With the criteria in place, use the recruitment software to bring the relevant applications on a centralized platform where you can screen and shortlist them in one go. This will make the screening process easier and faster.
Tip #4: Embrace video interviewing
Interviews are an important part of the hiring process because they give you a chance to better understand candidates. As you cannot indulge in in-person interviews, video interviewing provides a way out. It helps you pick non-verbal cues during the interview and assess candidates in real-time.
There are many different video interviewing platforms (such as Interviewer.AI 😉) that can help your organizations recruit remotely. This new-age recruitment technique is only getting more and more prevalent with time.
Do note that even as a recruiter, you have to be as prepared as you would be for a face-to-face interview. Have your hiring team join the interview session early. To connect with candidates better, practice active listening and keep your eyes on the camera to maintain eye contact.
Tip #5: Adopt a multi-channel communication approach
Communication is an essential aspect of the hiring process. It is the glue that binds everything together from the time you launch your recruitment process to the time you onboard employees remotely and assist them every step of the way.
Good communication ensures that your hiring process is transparent and credible. Throughout the hiring process, you will be communicating internally with various teams and externally with potential candidates.
The best way to keep things transparent is to adopt a multi-channel communication approach. Rather than relying on a single communication channel, your communication is more effective when you use a mix of emails, phone calls, video calls, and text messages.
The future of the remote recruitment
Remote working provides more benefits than you can imagine, and that’s the reason employers love it. Given the current situation and the fact that people have actually started liking this new work system, we can’t predict what the future holds. As of now, all we can assume is that remote working is going to stay for the foreseeable future.
