Over the past five years, remote working has grown by 44%, and COVID-19 pandemic has pushed many companies to operate remotely or at least offer hybrid options.Â
Even if you’re not working remotely, you may be trying to at least shift to a remote hiring process to avoid exposing employees to more people unnecessarily.
Therefore, many managers are tasked with learning how to interview candidates remotely. While in-person interviews often give you a sense of the candidate’s personality and character, remote interviews are more challenging.
Here are a few tips to help you through the remote hiring process and how you can identify your next team member.
Use the Video Camera
The 7% rule says that only 7% of communication comprehension comes from what we say, and 38 percent is through tone of voice. However, the majority of communication (55%) is through body language. Therefore, if you conduct your remote interview process over the phone, you won’t be able to read the candidate’s body language.Â
In addition, research shows live video interviews are six times faster than phone interviews, and a five-minute live video interview is equal to a 200 question assessment. Therefore, be sure to use a camera when doing the interview process. You can see if a candidate hesitates or looks shifty in their responses or if they appear overly confident.
Pay Attention to CommunicationÂ
Regardless of whether the position is remote or in-person, communication is one of the most important qualities in a candidate. It foreshadows everything from how they work in groups to how well they will follow company operations.
Therefore, pay attention to how quickly they respond to your emails. Is it a full 24 hours before they respond? If so, don’t expect them to respond more quickly after you’ve hired that person.
This is particularly important if you are hiring for a position that speaks directly to your clients. If they don’t respond quickly to your emails, they’ll probably be slow with your clients as well, which could cause friction.
Provide a Test Piece
Once you’ve narrowed down a few people, ask them to do several test pieces.
This will not only show how well they do the assigned work, but it will also provide insight into how comfortable they are with your processes. For example, if you tell them to submit the work to a specific Google Drive folder and they email it to you instead, expect them to gloss over other policies as well.
Include Team Feedback
Finally, once the candidate completes the test piece, ask team members that worked with them how they feel. Did they enjoy working with this person? Did they feel comfortable with the communication process?
This not only makes your hiring decision better, but it also improves communication within the rest of your team.
While most of the hiring process is still the same, hiring remotely often lacks a personal touch. This can be a problem for both sides as the candidate may not get a good feel for your company’s culture and you may not be a great fit for their goals. Nonetheless, with these tips, you’ll be able to push past these barriers and hire new team members in a safer manner.
Brad Wayland is the chief strategy officer at BlueCotton, a site with high-quality, easy-to-design custom T-shirts.
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