The 5 Steps of Remote Recruiting

The 5 Steps of Remote Recruiting

Remote recruiting may have started off as a buzzword, but it is here to stay. With multiple benefits, 99% of employees want some remote work capabilities. And, 83% say remote work increases happiness. Therefore, it is hard for companies to deny the endless possibilities remote work can have on both their company culture and employee experience.

In fact, 16% of companies exclusively hire remote workers. But how can companies who are just now jumping into the world of remote work go about implementing new remote recruiting practices? Below are five steps to follow when recruiting or hiring from a distance.

Post and promote

To post open positions anywhere and everywhere, HR teams first need to make sure they have an engaging job description that can sell both the role and the company. However, writing attention-grabbing roles can take a lot of time. Instead, save HR teams time and effort by using customizable job description templates to help kick-start the recruiting process. 

From there, posting and promoting job positions can be the sweet spot for finding the best candidates for the job. When posting open positions, try looking for niche, remote, and diversity job boards. This can help increase the chances of finding those perfect candidates. Especially for remote work. 

Bonus tip: Don’t hesitate to ask current employees to promote the postings on their own social media sites and to their own networks. Companies never know who they might find through these connections. 

Quickly screen applicants

With remote work no longer a nice-to-have, but a need-to-have. It is incredibly important to adjust the recruiting process and hiring questions to adapt to these requirements. Use automated questionnaires at the beginning of the application process in order to quickly screen applicants. Make sure each candidate can meet these remote work needs.

Ask questions to gain insight around if they know how to use the technology needed for the role. Or if they will be available during the allocated times. Gathering this information upfront will save time down the line and make sure candidates have the proper skills, tools, and availability for the job. 

Video assessments are another great tool to use when going through the remote recruiting process. Not only do video assessments help to get to know each candidate better from afar, but they also provide insight for screen-presence. It is crucial to see how candidates compose themselves when interacting through tools like Zoom or Google Hangouts. Especially with customer-facing roles.

Simplify the scheduling

The best remote interviews are the ones that have the human touch to them. While still keeping everything simple and to the point for both the hiring team and the candidate. Scheduling the interview can and should be done in one simple click.

Here are some tips and tools to help combat scheduling fatigue:

• Self-schedule links can be used to connect team members’ calendars without having to ask and confirm availability before every interview. This helps candidates plan their availability without the stress of back-and-forth communication. 
• Automated reminders through texts or emails are incredibly helpful in making sure everyone is on the same page and shows up on the right day and time for the interviews. 
• Use live video meetings to still get face-to-face interaction even while remote. These two-way live interviews are crucial in keeping the human touch a part of the recruiting and hiring process, while being effective and efficient in learning more about each candidate. 

Efficiently evaluate candidates

A company’s hiring process requires a team effort. From HR departments to the team members who will be working with the potential new employees, there are a lot of eyes, ears, and opinions on these virtual interviews. So making the evaluation process quick, easy, and efficient is incredibly important.

Team collaboration and insight into the hiring process should be fostered through messaging, emails, and scorecards that are all housed in the same place so nothing gets left out, lost, or forgotten when it comes to discussing candidates.

Automated reference and background checks can also be utilized to keep the recruiting and hiring process flowing smoothly without taking the time out of HR teams’ day. With reference and background checks automatically sent out, the human side of hiring can stay a priority while tactical requirements are handled through your ATS.

Follow up with emphasis

The candidate experience should still be at the top of priorities, even when hiring remote. In fact, 50% of candidates say they have turned down a role due to terrible experiences in the hiring process. Communication is incredibly important for all candidates, whether they are moving forward or not.

Following up with each applicant and making them feel as if their time was valued, even if they didn’t get the job, can be as simple as sending a quick email and providing some brief feedback. Just because they didn’t get the job this time around, that doesn’t mean they won’t make a great fit later down the line.

Keeping the lines of communication open for these opportunities in the future can emphasize a company’s candidate experience and keep the hiring pipeline open, full, and efficient. 

Hiring from a distance isn’t easy. Remote-focused tools and processes are important in order for HR departments to keep the recruiting and hiring process moving efficiently and effectively. These steps can help companies take on the challenge of remote recruiting the best talent all from the comfort of their laptop.

Authors

Nina Cofer

Nina Cofer is a product marketing manager at Breezy HR, an applicant tracking system based in Jacksonville, Florida. Nina’s entrepreneurial spirit, creative mind, and artistic talent have given her more than a decade of experience working in marketing, pay-per-click advertising, web and graphic design, and search engine optimization. About Breezy HR: Breezy HR is a recruiting platform and applicant tracking system that believes hiring doesn't have to be messy. Based in Jacksonville, FL and with customers around the world, Breezy has thrown out the traditional hiring model and replaced it with a set of tools that engage hiring teams, manage day-to-day chaos and ensures teams continue to attract and hire great employees with less effort. To learn more, visit breezy.hr.