How to Identify GREAT Remote Workers

How to Identify GREAT Remote Workers

Hiring a remote team and even managing a remote team can be difficult, especially when you are used to being in an office and working directly with your team. The biggest key to remember is that not everyone works well remotely, meaning just because someone is good on paper or in the office, doesn’t mean they will have the same level of work ethic and accountability from a remote location. After working with companies that hire and manage a team remotely, we put together a list to consider while managing and hiring workers for a remote position or team:

 

Great Remote Worker’s Traits 

Always Has Work: This type of person is never idle. They always find work to do, even when their task list is empty. If you ask what they are doing at any given point in time, they usually have a list a mile long for you because their minds are always working.

Prioritizes Lists: Since this person is constantly working and adding onto their list, they also have to be able to correctly or at least closely prioritize their list. This means they wont be working on the easiest task over and over when they should be working on a large project first. Make sure that you also communicate which projects are considered high priority and which ones are less meaningful as their manager.

Communication is Key: A good remote worker should be able to communicate well, not only over the phone, but also through written communication. Written communication happens a lot through private messages, team chats, text and email. Having the ability to communicate precisely, openly and tactfully is important too because written communication can come across as curt and abrupt sometimes as well.

Trustworthy: Hiring someone you trust to work remotely is extremely important. Without daily face-to-face interaction, it is hard to guarantee this person is working. You have to have trust to ensure they are doing what you expect them to do each day.

Working Team: You need to ensure this person knows, feels comfortable and also trusts their team members. This team will need to work together cohesively and have effective communication. Try to facilitate virtual social interaction between the team during work hours in the beginning. This can include icebreakers and even virtual happy hour time.

 

When Hiring for a Virtual Remote Position

Applicant’s Background: Typically applicants that come from a freelance, startup or consulting background work the best in remote situations. They are typically self-starters and have a record of knowing what it takes to work remotely.

Application Process: Check the applicant’s capabilities before hiring them, meaning put them through tests before you hire them. River City Staffing is versed in helping identify the tests that will give the best results for remote work.

Extra Tasks: Give an applicant a few extra tasks to complete along with the job application. These can include everything from writing a sales pitch to how you would prioritize different tasks. Think about the position they are applying for and ask yourself what they would need to be able to accomplish. Then create a set of simple tasks they would need to do themselves, to succeed. Typically applicants would be willing to complete these, if they are excited about the position.

 

If you need help hiring for a remote position, consider contacting River City Staffing. While working remotely may be a newer medium for many companies, River City Staffing has had experience hiring remotely for many companies over the years and knows what to look for in a candidate to make the position successful.

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