Remote Hiring Step By Step Process

Remote hiring is becoming increasingly popular as the world of work continues to evolve. According to a study by Glassdoor, 86% of employees prefer remote work, at least part-time. Though it can save time and money, the remote hiring process can also be time-consuming and stressful. To make the remote hiring process less painful, employers should be proactive in creating an effective workflow and setting realistic expectations.

86% of employees want to keep working remotely at least part-time

There are also several other ways in which the hiring pains may also be effectively eliminated. In this article, we present you with 10 ways in which you can effectively reduce the pain that comes with remote hiring. Before we move on to that, let us first get to know “What is a remote hiring process?”

What is a Remote Hiring Process?

In the simplest of words, a remote hiring process is when you initiate the steps of a hiring cycle in an online mode.
This includes candidate identification, evaluation, and selection which is completely carried out over the internet.

Remote hiring particularly emerged during the pandemic and still has been continuing.
The main advantage of a remote hiring process is that it doesn’t demand the physical presence of both the recruiter and the job seeker.
Additionally, in a remote hiring process, there is greater accessibility to a wider pool of potential candidates from a global audience.

How to Minus Pains from a Hiring Process?

Step By Step Filter Out Applicants

Let us see how you can filter applicants through a step-by-step procedure:

Job Description and Application Process

The filtering out of applicants starts with a job advertisement.

Frame a compelling JD and list out the job requirements and skills to source qualified candidates.
If you want a ready-made and compelling JD right at your fingertips, you can try HireME’s free Job Description Writing tool. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you use the JD tool for free.
Unqualified candidates that don’t fit the role are likely to bounce away from the page.
This makes filtering out candidates quite an easy step and a less painful one.
Also, you may present the candidates with a short questionnaire relevant to the position.

This will allow you to zero in on the position by filtering out more candidates.

Telephone Interviews

Once you are done with the filter questions, conduct a telephone interview to make the recruitment process less painful.

This is the pre-screening phase.
In this step, you will be asking the candidates 3-5 questions within a time frame of 15-30 minutes.
Questions may include asking about their previous work experiences, personal development questions, work environment, etc.
Conducting a telephonic interview will help in building the first impression of the candidate.
The recruiter will also be able to evaluate the candidate’s interpersonal skills, attitude, personality, temperament, etc.

Testing Them Out with Small Sample Task
You can provide the candidate with a small sample task in the pre-screening phase.
In a minor way, this is like the sample task that is usually given to candidates to see how they can handle a job-related task.
However, do not take too much time while testing out the candidates as there may be chances that they are likely to quit the hiring cycle midway.
Hiring should be a positive experience for recruiters and jobseekers alike. By following these initial steps, you can make it less painful.

Mention the Interview Nitty-Gritty

You need to convey the following things to a candidate before an interview process:
“What time the interview session starts?”

“Who will be making the call?”
“Which online tool will be used to conduct the interview process?”
In addition, if you are from a different time zone than the candidate, it is important to fix the interview at an agreed-upon time that is perfect for both.
Some video conferencing software may have issues with security and safety, in which case you can ask the candidates if they have any other preference to suggest.

Pre-Testing Out Video Conferencing Technology

Not all hiring managers are used to video conferencing programs.
However, they must learn to use such technology so that they can have a good professional image.
Struggling to use video conferencing tools before the candidate gives off a wrong impression which may also lead to embarrassment.

Not only do candidates need to impress recruiters, but the latter must also make efforts to make the candidate at ease by seeming confident.
Therefore, get to know how the features of video conferencing technology work.
However, if it seems painful, you may divide each video program into groups so that the interview process runs smoothly.

Maintaining Transparency

Another way to make the remote hiring process less painful is to ensure that every step of the process is transparent.
Recruiters can be transparent by effectively communicating their expectations with the candidates.
They should also share the timeline of the hiring process so that candidates can understand what they can expect in the following steps.
Additionally, employers should make sure to provide feedback to applicants promptly. Even rejected candidates should be provided with valuable feedback as there is a high probability that they would not apply to your company again (The Talent Board).

Sorting Out Internet Issues

Remote interviewing may experience internet issues which may make the whole process seem awkward and delayed.
First of all, ensure that everything is connected to avoid any tech snafu.

In case you are not able to communicate with your candidate because of a weak signal (which can happen both ways), switch to the phone calling function of the video conferencing platform.
If the audio is not good enough, you can still divert to an ordinary phone call.
If you are interviewing at home, make sure no one is using the internet at the same time.
On the other hand, if you are at the office, ensure that no network maintenance work is being carried out.
If you somehow lose access to the candidate and they show up once again to display their willingness to work with you, it shows that they are genuinely interested in the position.

These are a few top tips that make the hiring process less painful by suggesting what to do in case of a network connectivity error.

Begin the Interview with Small Talk

To make the hiring process more efficient, it is important to make the candidate feel comfortable and completely at ease.

A small task is an incredible way to start the interview process.
Before you carry on with the small talk, take time to start by introducing yourself and explaining your role in the company.
Following that, switch to light conversations by asking the candidate about their day and how they’re doing.
This can help the candidate to relax and feel more comfortable.

Ask Relevant Remote Interview Questions

Apart from minor talk to major interview questions, you also need to ask relevant remote interview questions to the candidates.

These include questions like:

“How do you feel working from home?”

“Do you find working from home productive?”
“What are your strategies to remain focused in your work?”
“Do you have a separate and suitable space in your home to work?
“How do you maintain a work-life balance?”
“Do you have experience working with any remote working platforms?”

Asking such relevant questions will help you to understand if they are suitable for working from home and how they might manage to cancel out any distractions that might take place.
Since having clarity is important, asking relevant remote interview questions will significantly make the hiring process less painful.

Build a Strong Onboarding Experience

Having a strong onboarding process in place is very important to make the hiring process less painful.
Until now, you oversaw that the entire recruitment process was streamlined but if you miss this essential final step, your recruitment efforts may just turn futile.
You need to restart again which is going to make the process painful.
Therefore, focus on the onboarding experience and provide them with all the necessary training materials, a re-description, and a clear understanding of their role.

Additionally, employers should make sure to provide new hires with a sense of belonging and connection to their new team.

Create Strong Work-From-Home Policies

Once you have embraced remote working, there should be a formal process that states how your company handles it.

Having a handbook consisting of all the details of what remote work entails is crucial if you want to have a more formal mode of working.
It’s time to formalize the experience that has become an everyday practice.
This will make remote workers feel at ease and work smoothly as they are already aware of their remote work responsibilities and duties.

Streamline the Remote Hiring Process

One of the important steps in making the remote hiring process less painful is to create a streamlined recruitment process.
This can be done by using a recruitment management system, that makes the hiring process more effective.
Additionally, employers should use hiring tools such as applicant tracking systems and job boards to help facilitate the process.

Conclusion:

HireME is an excellent recruitment management system that streamlines the remote hiring process.
It offers a range of features that make the process of hiring remotely easier and faster while reducing the cost of recruitment.
More importantly, HireME makes the hiring process exceedingly painless.
With its advanced search algorithms, employers can easily find the right candidate for the job, making it the ideal solution for any company looking to streamline its remote hiring process.

How can I Make the Remote Hiring Process Less Painful?