Many companies are now exploring the implementation of remote work. It will undoubtedly be challenging to allow staff to work from home a few days a week or go for a 100% remote team.
For starters, remote work is a whole new frontier. It will change the way teams work and the processes of the company. But the potential cost savings on overhead, like rent and utilities, may be beneficial in the long term.
But on the part of talent recruitment, hiring remote workers would be highly beneficial. Removing location restraints on hiring means having a larger talent pool, with access to skilled and competent workers wherever they may be.
You can have your web developer from India, your accounting team in the Philippines, and content writers from Panama. You'll be amazed at the competency and skills of talents available in other countries.
In the Philippines alone, you'll get to hire workers who speak and write excellent English for nearly half of the cost if you hire domestically. Removing the language barrier makes hiring remote workers from abroad may not as challenging as you'd expect.
However, it would be best to temper your expectations when you hire a remote staff. Like traditional work setup, not all hire who appear perfect on paper will be a good match for your business.
But having the proper skills and prior experience are important factors to consider when hiring. It would be best to screen applicants properly for the remote position to make sure that they stay and work for you in the long term.
Here are some of the most effective ways to hire remote workers for your business:
1. Fine Tune Your Job Posting
When someone reads a job description, they usually look for key factors such as salary, job duties, and requirements. They also consider the flexibility of the work schedule.
To attract the best candidates, you need to go to a reputable platform that caters explicitly to remote work. An established marketplace will give you the advantage of having a bigger pool of highly qualified candidates.
Our outsourcing marketplace here at VirtualStaff.ph allows you to hire remote workers from the Philippines. Our Quality Assurance team has screened the verified workers, ensuring that they are authentic workers from the Philippines.
To make your job post stand out from the thousands of vacancies in the listing lies with the job post title. It should get the attention of job seekers, making them click and read the job description.
The job description should be complete, enumerating the scope of work, responsibilities, and required qualifications. The duties should be clear about what you need and expect from the applicants.
These are some of the skills that we think should always be present regardless of the job title may be, which include:
- Highly effective communicator
- Organization and efficient planner
- Strong time management skills
- Self-discipline and a self-starter
- Dynamic and a team player
If an applicant lacks them, it's pointless to continue the recruiting process since they'll be a poor match. There is a practical approach to doing these checks. Pre-employment examinations, for example, are an excellent way to measure these abilities.
2. Conduct Pre-Employment Assessment
Pre-employment assessments may help you determine whether or not an applicant has the necessary abilities to be successful in a remote position. These pre-interview assessment tests may seem basic when shortlisting candidates, but they may provide vital information.
Also, finding the right fit for your company's culture is a challenging task. It is more accurate when working with them virtually and physically far from each other. It would be harder to create that desired culture when all your team members are remote.
Apart from evaluating the skills and experience of a remote hire, it's also necessary to consider intangible factors such as culture and values.
After defining your company's values and culture, you can translate these ideas into an assessment test or interview questions. You can utilize these tests with your pre-employment assessment.
3. Conduct a Proper Interview
Once you've narrowed down the candidates for your open positions, it's time to conduct an interview. It usually involves having a video chat with them. You can use videoconferencing tools like Skype or Viber.
As the digital transformation has brought us new tools, employers and business owners must start using these new technologies to get their teams on board. Doing so will help set the culture and make them more mobile.
Also, this will give you a good idea of the person's character and how tech-savvy they are. Suppose they can't operate a camera or get the program to work correctly. In that case, you might want to consider hiring someone who proves to be more comfortable with new tech.
Although finding flexible remote workers is equally as challenging as searching for office-based employees. All you need to do is make some tweaks in your hiring process to accommodate the virtual aspect of work.
Having an extended recruiting time may not be a negative thing in a remote hiring situation if you do several interviews. Specific remote organizations deliberately make their recruiting cycles long and spread out the interviews to get to know their potential employees.
4. Simulate a Virtual Tryout
If you've located your best applicant, it's time to proceed to a trial period or a job tryout at pre-agreed terms. Before making an offer, many small organizations employ trial periods to be sure.
During a trial period, you may assess whether or not a candidate can learn quickly and how well they fit into your "remote work" environment. For instance, you may provide a live chat simulation module for chat agent jobs to allow applicants to experience a more real contact center environment.
But make sure that this is a paid trial. Non-paid trial period sounds like a scam, and it may turn off good candidates.
5. Train Your Remote Workers
Regardless of their skill level and prior work experience, training is essential for every employee's growth and development, especially for new recruits.
Increasingly, businesses recognize the value of teaching their employees to work in a remote setup and see it as an effective way to maintain a strong corporate culture.
Many online courses offer training that ensures a seamless transition to a remote work setup. You may subscribe to these courses, which your remote team members can take as part of their onboarding.
You can also develop an internal training that would include your business processes, approval procedures, working style, and the tools used.
Hire Remote Workers for Your Virtual Team with VirtualStaff.ph
You may prevent costly blunders if you follow the procedures outlined in this guide on hiring remote workers. A few adjustments to the hiring process, before you begin, will help you find and attract individuals who will stay with your business for the long term and contribute positively to its success.
Our Filipino remote workers are perfect for your long-term remote team. They are dedicated virtual staff, loyal, and hardworking. With a competitive salary and job security, our Filipino workers will make sure to deliver your desired results.
We offer Enterprise Solution with a recruitment manager who helps you find and hire the best people. VirtualStaff.ph may also guide you for full compliance, like how much you pay your employees and how many hours you have to work. When you use our Enterprise Solution, you will receive a Client Success Manager (CSM) who will guide you along the way.
VirtualStaff has been a pioneer and champion for remote employment in the Philippines. We deal with big and small businesses, offering remote recruiting assistance and advice. If you need professional advice, don't hesitate to reach out to us right away. Or you may create your free account now to get started.