5 Tips for Successful Remote Recruiting

When you’re looking to fill a position that is remote-based, you can’t use the exact same techniques that you would for finding a regular office employee. There are certain techniques for finding flex workers though, that will ensure successful remote recruiting. Here are six strategies to get you started.

Flaunt your flex.

When a potential employee is reading a job description, there are key factors they are looking for: job duties, requirements, and salary. For a job candidate who is looking for remote work, there is one more detail that he is looking for, and that’s to see if the job has flexible work options. So if you’re looking to hire a remote worker, include it in the job description! That way, you’ll attract job candidates who are specifically looking to work from home, which will thereby increase the quality of the candidates who apply for the position.

Go where the flexers are.

Sure, you could place your job posting on any old job board. But if you really want to attract top tier talent who already have telecommuting experience, then you’ll need to go where the flexible job seekers already are. Niche job boards such as FlexJobs cater to those who want to work remotely, which will give you an even-bigger pool of qualified candidates to choose from.

Utilize social media.

In today’s tech-savvy world, it’s important to harness the power of technology when you’re looking to ensure successful remote recruiting. In addition to using niche job search boards, take advantage of your company’s Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google+ social media accounts and post your job listings there, too. After all, if a job seeker found your job description on Facebook, for example, that shows that person already has an interest in your company, which could make him an even stronger job candidate.

Identify key characteristics.

Beyond the basics of the job description duties, a remote worker must have other skills that his in-office counterparts might not necessarily have or need. In order to telecommute successfully, a job candidate must posses the following: strong communication skills, excellent organization skills, be a self-motivator and manager, be very tech-savvy, and know how to problem-solve. No matter what position you’re trying to fill, a superior job candidate who is looking to telecommute must possess these skills in order to be successful in his position.

Take advantage of technology.

Once you’ve narrowed the job candidate pool down to a few potential employees, it’s time to start the actual interviewing process. With typical office workers, you would have face-to-face interviews. But when your potential employee is thousands of miles away, this is not a possibility—or is it? Use videoconferencing tools, such as Skype or Join.me to conduct a video interview. This will not only give you a sense of the person’s overall character (plus give you a face to go with the job application!), but it will also afford you some insight into how tech-savvy the person is. If he can’t operate his camera, or can’t get the program to function properly, or if his Internet connection is super slow, you might want to rethink hiring this person for the position or address the issues and see how they could improve them.

For the most part, finding flexible workers isn’t much different from searching for qualified candidates who will work in the office. By making some minor tweaks in your hiring process, you can guarantee to have a successful remote recruiting experience that will lead you to a wonderful remote worker who will be a great asset to your organization.

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By Jennifer Parris | Categories: Build a Remote Team

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