Many companies around the world have made a strong commitment to telecommuting or remote work. It is a way of working remotely to which each and every one of the departments of a company must adapt, including Human Resources, not only to coordinate and manage all the documentation of teleworkers, such as their contracts, payroll or performance reviews, but also to manage the hiring of new remote employees. Therefore, if you are an employer and want to hire remote workers, It’s time to learn what you can do to onboard, train, and control remote employees in a very simple way. Keep reading!
Basic Steps to Hire Remote Employees
1. Determine what you are looking for in a remote employee
First of all, it is convenient to clarify what qualities or skills the candidate must possess. To do this, you must think of strategies to evaluate the ideal profile of the teleworker that have to do mainly with:
- Adaptation to the mission, vision and values of the company
- Communication skills
- Capacity for teamwork
- Ability to manage time
- Adaptability
- Self-motivation
Create a list of skills and aptitudes against which your company’s recruiting team can assess candidates, focusing on the core competencies needed to successfully fulfil the role and work well as a remote team member.
2. Write a remote job description
The next step in hiring remote employees is to write the appropriate job description, making sure to include keywords that help identify it as a remote job and attract new remote workers who are motivated, organized professionals committed to the company’s goals. Specifically, a remote job offer should include the following sections:
Job Title: What profile are you looking for and what job position are you interested in filling? To answer this question, it is essential that you provide an accurate title that facilitates the quick search for jobs on job boards or job portals. Include key terms like “remote,” “telecommute” or “work from home” in the title of the job posting.
Position Details: Is the role part-time or full time? Specify the type of employment contract you offer and the working hours, as well as other details, such as which areas of the world your remote hire can work from.
Company information: It is interesting that your remote job offer includes company data. In this way, you will get the candidates to know a little better the history and philosophy of your organization. It is also convenient that you include the postal address of the physical location of the company as well as the benefits and advantages available for remote workers.
Description of functions and tasks: What are the main functions that the remote employee will have to perform? It clearly explains some of the tasks that he will have to carry out, his daily activities and his main objectives.
Academic requirements and experience: If the job requires a specific academic degree, it is convenient that you indicate it in the offer. Also, outline the skills and competencies you are looking for in a remote employee.
3. Choose where you will post the remote job offer
There are many suitable platforms to publish remote job offers, both free and paid: Indeed, Monster, Glassdoor, FlexJobs, Ladders, etc. You can also search for employees through social networks, such as Facebook and LinkedIn.
4. Build a database of candidates
Once the remote job offer is published, it could take a few hours and even a few days to receive the first resumes from people interested in working for your company. For this reason, it is advisable to create a Human Resources database in which you keep a record of possible candidates and can classify their profiles according to the needs of remote work.
5. Prepare the remote interview
A personnel selection process of these characteristics requires not only a curricular screening but also a first contact with the candidate. In this sense, remote job interviews are easier to schedule and manage than those that take place in person. You can do them by phone, or by video call, making sure before agreeing with the candidate the day and time at which this job interview is going to take place. Remember that, sometimes, the applicants reside in different cities, located in other parts of the world, so it is convenient to make sure of the time zones and agree on a time that is acceptable to both parties.
6. Decide and explain the contract conditions
This is a very practical advice when hiring teleworkers. Decide if as a company you are going to assume the costs of water, electricity or Internet during teleworking (this requirement could be mandatory in some countries, so it is convenient that you carefully read the relevant labour legislation). It is also important that you explain to the possible remote employee the conditions or additional clauses to the employment contract as well as other aspects that you consider to be of special relevance so that he can carry out his tasks or functions in the company remotely.
That’s it for this article, stay tuned!