Recruiters are always on the lookout for great talent, but what if your company is spread across the globe? How can you find the best talent if you’re not in the same city or country? Luckily, there are plenty of ways to hire a remote workforce.
What if you could hire anyone, no matter where they are in the world, to work for your company? This may sound like something out of a sci-fi novel, but it’s not too far off!
Remote companies that permit employees to work from anywhere offer great perks like flexible hours and limitless vacation time. In addition, you can receive feedback on employee performance without having to hear it in person and keep employees engaged by hiring only people who are truly passionate about the company culture.
You must be pondering how does this technology work? Can remote teams function constructively when they live and breathe online?
We are here to tell you that remote teams can work adequately! But before we dive into how to hire for the remote workforce we must understand the basic principles behind this process.
Who is a Remote Recruiter?
A remote recruiter is a professional who works with a company to identify and assess potential employees who may be a good fit for open positions within the company.
For example, a remote recruiter may work with the company to identify potential employees through job boards, social media, or other methods, assessing the candidates’ qualifications and determining whether they would be a good fit for the company.
A remote recruiter may also be responsible for conducting interviews with potential employees and then helping to decide whether to hire them.
The Cielo survey found that most talent acquisition teams have embraced remote recruitment practices. This includes interviewing candidates over video and extending offers without meeting candidates in person.
Furthermore, most teams are virtually onboarding candidates. The main reason for this is that remote recruitment benefits employers and benefits employees. In addition, people want to continue working remotely even after the pandemic.
According to a FlexJobs survey, 65% prefer a full-time remote job post-pandemic, and 31% prefer a hybrid work arrangement.
How to Recruit and Hire Remote Employees?
With the growing popularity of remote work, many recruiters are exploring ways to hire these workers. Here are six ways recruiters can hire a remote workforce:
1. Implement a Good Applicant Tracking System
Finding a job without an ATS can be a real pain. When you post your job description on different websites, you often get many unqualified candidates applying. This wastes a lot of your time going through their CVs, Especially when looking for remote positions. Sometimes, people instantly apply without even reading the job ad, just by seeing the word “remote”.
An Applicant Tracking System can help you reduce the number of unqualified candidates you receive. An ATS is software that helps you manage the recruitment process. It helps you collect and store applications, screen candidates and track the progress of each candidate. This way, you can focus on the most qualified candidates for the job.
2. Adopt the Right Hiring Strategies
When evaluating a remote job applicant, it is important to pay attention to a few specific behaviours. First, how quickly do they respond to calls and emails?
This is important because it shows how organized they are and how responsive they will be when hired.
Second, how often do they update their LinkedIn page? If the candidate updates their LinkedIn page more frequently than you would expect, it could be a sign that they are trying to show that they have what it takes to be hired.
3. Get the Right Culture Fit with Remote Recruitment
While it’s possible to have a remote team that operates autonomously, it’s important to make sure that everyone on the team is a good fit for the company culture. This means that you should consider the company culture when hiring people for your remote team.
It’s also important that the remote employees are comfortable working remotely. This means they have the necessary skills and tools to be productive when not in the office. For example, they may need to be good at self-organization and time management and be comfortable working with technology.
By hiring people who are a good match for the company culture and comfortable working remotely, you can help your remote team work more efficiently and effectively.
In addition, remote teams can be more productive without the need to travel to the company office, reducing the cost of hiring. All these benefits are great reasons for using remote recruitment techniques.
4. Work on Your Job Descriptions
Job descriptions are the bait that attracts talented candidates. They are meant to be short and simple and avoid using unconventional terms or jargon.
By mentioning what candidates want to know, you can answer questions like:
- What are the responsibilities of the position?
- What are the qualifications?
- What are the company’s core values?
- What is the company culture like?
- What are the opportunities for growth?
- What is the salary and benefits package?
- What is the company’s history?
5. Eye-catching Job Ad
A job ad that grabs the attention of potential candidates is much more likely to result in an application than one that is uninteresting. It’s also best not to send the same ad to multiple places at once. Instead, you should use a tool like Google AdWords or LinkedIn Ads, which allow you to target ads and send them out at specific times.
When hiring remote employees, it’s crucial that you include the company values in your job descriptions and job ads.
Stand out from the competition by creating an eye-catching job ad. Here are our top tips:
- Create a job ad that grabs candidates’ attention and encourages them to apply.
- Target your audience by using words, terms, and phrases that appeal to your ideal candidates.
- Keep it authentic! Job ads with a personal tone are more likely to get responses.
- Don’t be afraid to push the envelope. Many employers try bold or fun tactics when creating their job ads.
- Use numbers to give your job ad more impact! Statistics and data make your job ad more convincing & trustworthy.
- If you don’t have experience creating compelling online job ads, consider hiring an expert.
- Don’t forget the cover letter. Include an overview of the position in your cover letter.
- Tone & style- Job ads are often written in a particular “style”, including words, phrases and tone of voice to appeal to specific demographics or job scenarios.
- Brand awareness! Use brand names as part of your job title and a company name.
- Don’t be shy! Come up with creative and fun ways to showcase your company and its values in your ads & cover letters.
- Be creative with colours and design elements (like icons). Research shows that these are important factors when considering candidates’ attention and interest level.
- Make sure you do what you promise.
6. Create an Exceptional Candidate Experience
Creating a welcoming atmosphere during interview sessions is key to spotting real talent. In addition, building positive relationships with candidates is essential, whether they are interviewed in person or remotely.
If possible, have the remote interviewee come to your company office for an onsite meeting with you and your team. If they can’t come in person, use video conferencing for a face-to-face interview. This can do interviews more like a one-on-one encounter, which will enable you to evaluate candidates more effectively.
When hiring remote employees, your process must work well for both parties. For example, the company and the candidate must focus on one another during their day-to-day work lives. That way, you can determine if the potential employee is a good fit for your company.
When interviewing candidates who will be hired remotely, it’s vital that you have a structured approach. This includes an outline for the interview itself and the best ways to communicate with candidates during the whole process.
There are several recruiting email templates and follow-up email templates available across the internet. Use these templates, hyper-personalize them and make the most out of them by keeping candidates updated on every stage of the hiring process. This ensures a positive experience.
It’s important that you know the remote candidate experience and how they interact with your company culture. This can help you spot talent quickly before they become a liability.
Recruiters can use various methods to find and hire remote workers. They can find candidates through job boards, social media, or staffing agencies. For expert assistance, check out the best remote recruitment agencies to hire global talent. They can also use video interviews or telecommuting services to assess candidates’ skills and abilities. Finally, once they have found suitable candidates, recruiters can use online tools to manage the remote workforce.
Eli Franklin completed her MBA from Kelley School of Business and has, since then, worked as a content specialist and marketing executive for Recruit CRM. Based out of Bloomington, Indiana, she is regularly creating specialized content for recruiters and helping Recruit CRM develop a strong marketing game. This is her LinkedIn profile.
Photo by Kristin Wilson on Unsplash
