Recruiting people you can trust is essential for any team to achieve greatness. Though, it becomes critical when working from home. Working remotely, you trust people comprising your team to work under their own steam and accomplish daily tasks with minimal supervision.

Technically, you need self-starters who can live up to their job description without anyone watching over their shoulders. Though, you cannot just rely on luck to help you find a dedicated team to rely on. At times, the people you recruit cause unimaginable and irreparable damage. To save you from such troubles, we have compiled 8 tips for recruiting remote employees you can trust.

1. Give Yourself Time

Often when we start hiring remote teams, because work has suddenly increased, and normally that means we’re in a bit of a desperate situation. However, you will definitely end up hiring the wrong people if you force yourself to rush into a decision.

Take time before you’ve even placed the advertisement to consider the kind of individuals you’re looking for. Think about the level of experience you’d like them to have, the skills you’re hoping to see and the personality fit that you think your company needs. Having this information laid out in advance will really help you whittle down the applications and eventually find the right person.

2. Hire On Recommendations

If you have trustworthy remote workers in your team, who you have complete faith in, you might want to ask them to recommend an ideal candidate for the position available. It is always better to hire on recommendations than to on-board someone totally unfamiliar. They might have worked with a great junior in the past, or perhaps a more experienced staff member who is looking for a better opportunity.

When an employee you trust recommends an individual for a role, they know their performance will reflect on them as well. So, they are less likely to recommend someone they’re not confident about. By hiring on recommendations, you may often find great self-starters and trusted resources for remote work, as your existing employees will only recommend the people they know will do a great job.

3. Consider a Recruitment Agency

Recruitment agencies can be helpful in finding an ideal and trustworthy candidate for remote work if you choose the right one. Consider hiring a specialist here who has had previous experience in headhunting remote workers of good repute.

Moreover, it is of great importance to hire recruitment agencies that offer services to companies similar to yours. This would be of great benefit to you as agencies with experience in recruiting remote workers for similar companies will be familiar with industry dynamics, skill set required to do a particular job and personality trait to look for in a candidate.

Building a long term relationship with a recruitment agency can be good, as they can quickly provide you with a list of shortlisted candidates to help you recruit trustworthy remote employees on an urgent basis.

4. Consider Hiring an Apprentice

It might be worth looking into the option of an apprentice if you’re struggling to find the skills you need. Employing an apprentice has its perks. You can train an apprentice as per the skills required for a particular job. Further, apprentices are also less likely to complain when required to multi-task.

Being recruited in your company works for the apprentices as well, as it gives them the chance to really start their career. Overall, it’s a win-win situation. You create a role that really fits the needs of your business and an apprentice gets the chance to start his/her career.

However, this approach is not recommended if you’re in need of remote workers on an urgent basis as hiring apprentices, training them for a particular job and getting them on board is a time taking process.

5. Ask Relevant Interview Questions

Interview questions when hiring work from home teams differ from your standard interview questions. When you’re hiring remote workers, you need to try and get to the bottom of how they operate. Try asking the following questions:

  • Why do you want to work for our company?
  • What makes you a perfect candidate for this job?
  • How do you make sure that you’re always on time?
  • How do you plan on tracking your work hours?
  • How do you plan on delivering excellent service to your clients?
  • What do you think your average day would be like in this job?”

Questions like the aforesaid will help you understand the personal mindset of a person you’re trying to recruit for a remote job. You might want to consider a task assignment before taking them on board. It could be something related to the job they’ll be doing to demonstrate and prove their knowledge or experience. A personality test is a plus that gauges their attitude and values.

6. Ask for a Second Opinion

Throughout the process of hiring someone for remote work, it can be really helpful to get the second opinion about the candidate that managed to impress you the most. Have a brief discussion with your team or individuals in your company who understand the business model well.

The second opinion can also be taken from experienced and trusted employees of your company who have been with you through thick and thin. Consider inviting them at the end of the process, so you can discuss over already shortlisted candidates.

7. Do the Background Checks

It is essential that you request references and run background checks before taking a candidate on board, especially if you’re recruiting for a work from home team. Also, ask for proof of the candidate’s qualifications and past experience. There is nothing more powerful than a recommendation. When hiring remote teams, try and speak to references provided by the candidates, so you can probe a little about the areas that cause you concern.

You may also get in touch with the candidate’s previous employers and ask them if they would like to re-employ the candidate and if not why. If comments from the referee raise any alarms, discuss the concerns with the candidate before jumping to conclusions. Try having these discussions with an open mind so you can finalize the hiring or retract the offer with confidence.

8. Trust Your Instincts

Be it a remote team you’re managing or a business you’re running, you know it better than anyone else. Even if someone seems ideal after an interview, but you have some reservations about whether they’ll be trustworthy, don’t ignore your instincts. Schedule a second interview with the candidate to be sure that they’re the right fit for the team functioning remotely.

Wrapping Up

Recruiting a trustworthy and ideal candidate for your team can be a time-consuming process, especially when the team is working from home remotely. Remote teams require self-starters as there is minimal or no supervision involved. So, you need a team of champions that can get the job done no matter what.

Have you been facing problems in recruiting trustworthy remote employees for work from home teams? Try these easy to follow tips and let us know in the comment section if they worked out for you.

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