There are around 1.5 million remote workers in the UK, and that is a number that is rising at an ever-increasing rate. In part it is due to advances in technology that make it easier to do more without having to be physically in the office, and in part it is down to the 24/7 nature of so many global companies that has made an irrelevance of the nine to five.
Without doubt, remote working brings advantages to anyone. For the workers it means more flexibility, an end to the commute and a chance for a better work/life balance. Employers, meanwhile, are taking the opportunity to reduce costs by downsizing their physical offices and relocating to suburban premises like the ones on this website. That all sound wonderful, but for recruiters, there are some important things to keep in mind when interviewing and appointing remote workers.
Face to face is still important
There’s nothing like a face-to-face meeting, and even if the worker will ultimately be communicating with other team members by online tools, try to arrange a physical meeting at some point before making a job offer. If that’s not possible, you can still engage face to face remotely. Opt for a video call on a platform like Skype where you can make eye contact and put all those little tips you learned about reading body language to good use.
If even that is not possible, you need to ask yourself and the candidate why not. As a last resort, you can always get him or her to video responses to your questions and send them across to you.
Ask the right questions
Remote workers need very specific skills in relation to being able to work autonomously and manage their own time. They can have all the technical ability in the world, but if they lack direction and passion for what they are doing, they are unlikely to turn into a star performer without the physical presence of a manager and mentor in an office environment.
Finding out if someone is cut out for remote work is all about asking the right kinds of open questions. Draw them out and get them talking about their working practices and how they organise and prioritise their daily work. Be alert for answers that are more than canned responses from What to Say in an Interview 101.
Focus on skills
When you are hiring someone in an office environment, you will often choose a candidate who might not have 100 percent of the skills needed but who you just know will be a great fit for the organisation. Gut feel is a powerful thing, and nine times out of ten, your decision will be validated by someone who proves to be a great team member and whose skills are soon brought up to scratch with a little support and mentoring.
It is possible for the same to happen with a remote worker, but this type of mentoring is neither as easy nor as effective as it is in a physical office setting. For this reason, it is better to have more of a focus on those essential skills at the recruitment stage.
