As 2020 continues, remote work (or at least some form of flexible work) has been implemented in most organizations. While many companies have created clear work-from-home policies and established clear expectations for their remote employees, the remote recruiting process is still novel to many newly remote organizations.
While there can be many similarities in the remote recruiting process vs. the “normal” recruiting process, there are also unique challenges. Below we outline some best practices when it comes to remote recruiting.
1) Attracting talent & conveying remote company culture
One challenge for remote recruiting and work is that future employees may not get the benefit to see company culture easily. However, company culture is much more than showing the candidate the snack collection in the office kitchen. Using social media and various digital portals to share remote stories and showcase testimonials from employees and clients is a great way to convey your company and what it stands for.
“Recruitment is marketing. If you’re a recruiter nowadays and you don’t see yourself as a marketer, you’re in the wrong profession.” – Matthew Jeffrey, Global head of sourcing and employment brand at SAP
During the interview process, openly discuss your company culture with all candidates. Talk about the core values of the company, the history of the company, and the remote culture of the company. You should also clearly communicate and be honest to the candidate about the nature of the position and general expectations. You can also give them the contact information of another current employee so that the candidate can reach out with questions and concerns on organizational culture.
2) Conducting interviews
Face-to-face during the interview process is critical. Research shows more than half of human communication is nonverbal. Lack of face gestures and body language can leave room for misinterpretation.
“The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’tbeing said.” – Peter Drucker, management consultant, educator, and author
With remote interviews, be prepared for technology glitches (lag, connection problems, freezing). Some technologies mishaps may be mitigated by conducting a trial run and checking the computer camera and microphone. It is worth having a backup plan for technology glitches – for example, have the email or telephone number of the candidate on hand in case there are difficulties with video conferencing. Encourage the candidate to conduct a trial run as well.
Of course, follow the standard etiquette of video calls – look professional and minimize distractions in the background, and encourage the candidate to do the same.
3) Onboarding
During the onboarding process, ensure that the employee gets the proper training and orientation. The new employee should always have 1-on-1 meetings with their manager early during the onboarding process so that the manager can clearly outline expectations, communication expectations, cadence of meetings, and core hours. In addition to these 1-on-1 meetings, managers can also designate a person on their existing team to act as an internal ambassador to give more information to the new employee about what the work day looks like, the reporting line, expectations and alignment.
“It’s all a matter of communication and expectations. Those two things have to go hand in hand. If I, as an employer, don’t communicate to my employees what I’m expecting … that’s when problems happen. The key is to try to avoid those problems from day 1.” – Len Adams (ACG Resources) on the WWP podcast.
Do you have any tips for remote recruiting and onboarding? Do you prefer remote or in-person interviews? Let us know!
Make sure to check out our WWP podcast episode on remote recruiting for more details! Also make sure to checkout our remote working guidebook for the best practices on managing your remote team.
