Best Practices for Hiring a Remote Team of Superstars

Best Practices for Hiring a Remote Team

Hiring a remote team is no longer only of interest to online businesses.

Many employees, fractional contractors, and companies realized the benefits of remote work during 2020 and wanted to keep that option available even after COVID restrictions were lifted.

The proof is in the numbers. Remote job openings increased by 12% from 2020 to 2021. Since 2009, they have risen by 159%. 16% of companies worldwide are 100% remote, and 77% of remote workers say they are more productive when working from home.

Online businesses—who have traditionally used remote fractional contractors—are now competing with other companies that are offering remote work arrangements. More than ever, it’s important for online businesses to have solid hiring practices in place to attract and retain those superstar contractors.

To hire a remote team successfully, we recommend these best practices:

Create a Remote Work Policy

Think about your policies and put them in writing. Your remote work policy should address why your fractional contractors work remotely, who is eligible and why (if not everyone is), and when they can start working remotely. Your policy should also communicate expectations and how their success will be measured.

Have an Initial Screening Form

Since geography will not be a restriction and you can cast a wider net, you will likely have many contractors to choose from. Narrow down your choices by implementing an initial screening form that includes a video.

Ask your applicants to submit a 1-3 minute video answering at least three key questions that you provide. Contractors who aren’t serious about your position won’t get past this first step. Then you can sort through those that closely match your job requirements and move to the next phase of the process.

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Conduct the First Interview

The first interview should be a general conversation about your online business’s mission and your applicant’s experience. It’s a get-to-know-you interview that helps you determine if the person and your online business are a good fit.

Conduct a Second Interview

For those you feel are qualified, schedule a second interview that dives deeper into their experience and the results they’ve achieved for each key aspect of the role.

This is a great time to ask about their remote work skills. How comfortable are they with working remotely? Will they ask for help when needed? What are their organizational and time management skills? Have they used cloud-based software, video conferencing, email, and other tools?

With a remote position, they must be tech-savvy enough to make it work. Be clear about your expectations.

“People are not your most important asset. The right people are.”

Jim Collins

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Assess their Skills

Whether you ask them to take an aptitude test, a skills assessment, or provide a sample of their work, this will help you further determine if they are a fit for the position.

Conduct Reference Interviews

Once you have narrowed down the final 3-5 applicants, ask them for references. You can learn a lot about contractors by talking with people who have supervised them or worked with them in other companies.

Your Interview Process

As you go through the interview process, keep the following points in mind:

Be transparent. Give your applicants as much information as possible about the hiring timeline, salary range, etc. This creates trust and encourages them to be open and honest with you, too.
Plan for technology snafus. Build connectivity issues into your interview time and plan ahead as best you can.
Create an FAQs page. On your website, compile a list of answers to the most commonly asked questions about your company and your hiring process. This will save you time and serve as a replacement for in-person job fairs that may not be happening

Need Help with Hiring a Remote Team?

Do you need help hiring remote fractional contractors for your online business? Healthy Business Manager can oversee this process, help you with your remote work policies, and ensure you make sound hiring decisions.

If you’d like to learn more about the role an Online Business Manager can have in your business, contact us!

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