However, for businesses that rely on staff and contractors who are flexible, it is often necessary. After all, if you happen to bring on a subpar employee, it can have devastating consequences to your business.
It can lead to lost productivity, interruptions in your team’s workflow, and thousands of dollars that have to be spent to begin the hiring process again. Remember, just training a new employee on your company’s processes, how to use your software such as eFax and other remote collaboration tools all costs money. Hiring the right person to begin with is the best way to avoid excess costs.
Here are some tips to make sure you are getting the right employee for the job, the first time.
Determine Why the Person Wants a Remote Job
The motivation for wanting a remote job varies from one person to another. For example, one person may need additional flexibility to care for younger children, or perhaps because there are not enough job opportunities in their area.
While the reasons that someone is seeking remote work should not have a significant impact on who you choose to hire, you should still understand their “why.” It will help you learn more about the person and ensure you make a fully informed hiring decision.
Stay Flexible
While some remote companies function based on the R.O.W.E. – Results Only Work Environment – others maintain a stronghold with the typical nine-to-five workday. If you want to find and hire top talent, you should try to eliminate following a traditional workplace mentality. A better option is to provide your team more schedule flexibility. One of the best ways to attract top talent to your organization is by relaying the information that you offer flexible work schedules to your team.
Look in the Right Places
When searching for the right job, employees should not always rely too heavily on big-box search sites. The same is true for employers. When trying to source remote workers who are right for your company, look to more specialized sites that cater to the type of job seekers you need. It is also a good idea to harness the power and reach of social media. You can look on sites such as LinkedIn to find candidates through referrals and contacts within your network.
Don’t Forget About Soft Skills
When it comes down to how candidates look on paper, you may have three or four top options that seem perfect. They have the know-how, the skills, and the education to handle the job. There are still some skills you need to assess during a face-to-face or virtual interview, however. This is especially true if the candidate has never worked remotely before.
Try to look for individuals with the right soft skills, including strong communication skills, tech-savviness, time management and flexibility. These are all things that are imperative to be successful when working remotely. If you hire someone who does not have these skills, you could be taking a huge chance in hiring them for remote work.
Highlight the Perks
With more companies offering flexible schedules or remote opportunities to their employees, just offering work-at-home positions may not be enough to encourage a job seeker to apply for your position. What could be appealing to potential candidates is a quality company culture. When you put time and effort into building a quality company culture, you may come out on top of the businesses that have not put in this same effort.
When it comes to hiring remote workers, there are more than a few factors to consider. Keep the tips and information here in mind to find the right person for the job.
