Virtual offices are nothing new. They’ve been around for a few years now, yet, as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, their number increased significantly. While some companies have reduced their staff, others are hiring remote workers. Carrying out the recruiting process entirely online comes with a few challenges.
However, thanks to the many thoughtfully-designed and effective HR tools and business software, you can simplify that process and improve your chances of successfully hiring remote. If your company needs to hire remote, the tips below are worth a try.
Sourcing Tools for Hiring Remote
Once you’ve decided that new people are needed, there are a few tools you might want to consider to simplify the recruiting process and maximize the results. After identifying your company’s needs, you will have to create a job ad and find the right platforms where candidates seeking remote work can view the job and apply.
Workhoppers can help you find both freelancers and other professionals specifically set up for and seeking work-from-home opportunities. On this site you will easily find remote workers, in your own city, thanks to special geo-targeting.
Browse profiles here of top talent who are ready to work from home. Other options to take into account include Glassdoor, where you’ll be able to advertise jobs and find branding tools to increase your visibility as a company. LinkedIn almost needs no further description, given that it is one of the most used professional networks.
Indeed.com is also worth a try though they do not specialize in remote hiring. Plus, don’t forget about social media. You can use your company’s various social media profiles to post a job ad.
There are many social media groups created specifically to meet such needs, and you can use them as a source of potential candidates. Most of them are free to access, which adds to the benefits they offer. Job-related forums and online communities prove to be useful as well, so, don’t hesitate to give them a try.
Tools to Help You Select the Right Candidate
Things tend to get a bit challenging once you get to the selection part, yet, luckily, the software and tools available online can help you speed up the process and get your company one step closer to hiring the right remote candidate.
After you’ve shortlisted the candidates that seem the most suitable for the job, there are a few tools you can use to make sure only the best of them get to the final stage. These tools will save your HR team a lot of effort and time.
Background and reference check tools have become more and more popular thanks to their potential of speeding up the recruiting process and helping companies evaluate their candidates. Some of these tools include Checkr, HireRight, and Checkster. Greenhouse is also an applicant tracking system that is worthy of attention.
Read more about 5 things to consider before committing to hiring a freelancer.
Interview and Skill Test Tools
The next step to take is to test the skills of the shortlisted candidates and interview them. Before getting to the video/voice call part, there are a few tools that will help you test the candidates’ skills so that you can make sure that the one you’ll hire is indeed suitable for the position.
To test the hard skills, Interview Mocha and eSkill should not go unchecked. They will help you test the technical skills of a candidate while giving you time to cater to other HR needs and the candidates the freedom to complete the tests at their pace.
Depending on the type of job you’re hiring for, there are other tools you can use. For example, if you need a content writer, then a writing test should help you understand better what the candidate is capable of.
For a complete approach, psychological tests are required. Peoplogica and Mindtools are psychometric testing tools that will help you identify traits that could benefit your company and ensure higher performances in the job you want to hire for.
If you’re happy with the results the above-mentioned tools have provided you with, and you’ve thus selected a few candidates for the video interview stage, there are plenty of tools to help you carry out this step effectively and smoothly.
Skype, Google Hangouts Meet, and GoToMeeting are popular for online meetings and video conferences. However, your candidates might not have some of them installed, so going for the free tool they can easily access is an inspired thing to do.
Tip: If you are fortunate enough to hire a remote worker in your own city. Given the circumstances of COVID-19, set up an initial greet meeting outdoors while keeping a safe distance.
