What is remote hiring?
Remote hiring has turned into a real buzzword. So much that businesses of any size have started to hire remote employees who work from a place that is not the company offices. But with all that hype, organizations often fail to take a moment to get a clear understanding of the concept and what it implies.
So, what does remote hiring actually mean? How does it work? Why should businesses switch to hiring remotely? And what challenges should they prepare for when hiring remote workers?
Remote hiring definition
If an organization adopts a remote hiring strategy, it basically moves away from the traditional approach of hiring employees for in-office positions in favor of hiring workers that are located somewhere else and will work for the company remotely. This can be from a different city, a different region, a different state, or even from a different continent.
But remote hiring is not just about building a remote team whose members all live in different places and work from there. It’s also about adapting the usual hiring process where HR meets short-listed candidates in person to a remote setting where job interviews are conducted via videoconferencing and candidates are onboarded without once having to set foot into the company office.
How does remote hiring work?
The basic idea of remote hiring is, of course, the same as in traditional hiring and recruiting, with one crucial difference: The part of getting to know the candidate in person during the job interview is usually replaced by a remote interview process. But there are other aspects as well that work differently when hiring employees remotely.
First of all, businesses can/should use different channels when hiring for a remote position. Instead of posting on local job boards, they can spread the word about their open roles across their networks and social media channels or use special platforms for remote jobs.
When reviewing applications from candidates for a remote position, organizations should not only check if the candidate has the necessary experience and qualifications, but also if he or she is remote-ready. This is best found out via specific questions about the candidate’s remote-readiness during the job interview.
Since remote interviews make it harder to really get to know the candidate, it’s always a good idea to go through a two-phase interview process where potential recruits are first interviewed for their general suitability for the position before being invited to a second interview, where they are then assessed for team fit.
Once the business has identified the ideal candidate, it’s time to start the remote onboarding process. In order to facilitate this, the HR team should have all the documentation at hand that the candidate needs in order to settle into the new position and become familiar with the company, its way of working, and everything else.
What are the challenges of hiring remotely?
Hiring new employees is never easy, but hiring remote teams comes with additional challenges. These challenges concern both the actual hiring process and the implications of potential cross-border employment.
Additional complications that are directly related to the hiring process include:
Building a strong online presence to put the business on the radar of remote jobseekers
Choosing the right channels for the business’s job postings
Scheduling interviews across different time zones
Writing a job posting that is really remote
Building a smooth remote hiring process to create a great employee experience
Having to put together all the documents to onboard new hires efficiently
In cases where the business extends the geographic reach of its talent search beyond the borders of its home country, there are even more complications to think about, namely:
Dealing with the complexities of global employment
Potentially having to set up a foreign legal entity in order to be able to hire employees abroad
Ensuring global employment compliance
What are the benefits of remote hiring?
Since remote hiring comes with additional challenges that make the already difficult task of finding the right candidate even more complicated, businesses often wonder why they should go through the trouble of opening applications to remote candidates. The answer is simple: Because remote hiring provides several important benefits.
Remote work is very popular among employees and is often considered an attractive additional perk that has a strong influence on a candidate's decision to join the company. In addition, remote hiring:
Gives access to a greater talent pool
Supports diversity hiring
Enables companies to fill their open positions faster
Shows the hiring organization as a modern company that moves with the times
Increases the chances of finding the perfect candidate
Can save companies money
Allows businesses to build a happier, more productive workforce
The Lano Academy is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. Lano Software GmbH disclaims any liability for any actions you take or refrain from taking based on the content contained in this article.
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