Since 2005, the remote workforce has increased by 80 percent and this trend will continue to increase in the coming years. Businesses of all shapes and sizes must be prepared for this telecommuting culture that is permeating all the nooks and crannies of industry. The new generation expects this type of freedom and studies are showing the remote workforce can be more than 50 percent more productive than those chained to their desks.
Change is difficult for many, but the remote workforce should be a welcome addition to any enterprise. It allows for an extended applicant pool and a level of liberation to work when, where and how one chooses. Like any recipe, good ingredients are key so the hiring process is integral to embracing and leveraging the telecommuting culture.
Before even speaking to possible job candidates, there are a couple things an enterprise should do. First, leverage social media to the hilt. According to Josh Tolan, CEO of Spark Hire, “Most applicant tracking systems and job boards will provide you with analytics to help you pivot recruiting strategies. Before setting out on your hunt for great virtual talent, take a few minutes to look over these analytics and think critically about your best candidates.”
Tolan notes that by leveraging social media analytics an enterprise can precisely see where the most successful hires have come from, and can even tell a business now may not be the time to onboard a new team member.
Another suggestion for those looking to hire remote employees is to scrap your current job descriptions. Hiring someone to work from a remote location is fairly different than hiring a team member to work down the hall. By reworking job descriptions invaluable time can be saved, a more “valuable” pool of applicants can be created and prospective employees have a true working knowledge of what the job entails.
Tolan suggests, “Ask yourself if your job descriptions are clear and action-based enough. Do they say exactly which skills are needed to perform the job? Do they mention specific software the candidate would need to use? Be as clear as possible, so candidates know exactly what they’re getting themselves into when they hit the submit button on the application.”
There is one piece I would be remiss in not mentioning, technology. A candidate as well as enterprise must be able to leverage communication and collaboration tools. Regular communication is vital if a worker is not in the office, not just to ensure productivity but inclusivity as well—it’s important to feel like part of the team. The use of conference call services for one of the introductory interviews is a good way to judge comfort, proficiency level and matches a person with the resume/application.
Hiring for the remote workforce is a process integral for any business with remote workers; bad ingredients translate to an awful meal. To ensure the best, take a few minutes to ensure you are employing best hiring practice.
Edited by Stefania Viscusi