The hiring process is never easy – and it gets even more challenging if you’re trying to fill a remote position.
It’s not easy to decide whether the candidate is right for the job without meeting them in person. That’s why you need to put a little extra effort into the process when interviewing remotely. Aside from assessing their professional skills, you also need to make sure they are suited for remote work. Not everyone can organize their time well, and choosing the wrong candidate can result in a high turnover and unforeseen costs.
In this article, we bring you the five types of employees you should avoid hiring if you have a remote team.
Poor Communicator
We’ve said it a million times before, and we’ll say it again: successful remote teams are all about effective communication and collaboration.
Some people prefer working alone. They like calling all the shots and discussing things with their co-workers only when they absolutely have to.
For remote teams, this is not enough.
When team members are scattered around the world, they need to make a greater effort to stay informed. They also need to work harder to build relationships with their co-workers.
When hiring a new addition to your team, always ask them about their previous remote work experience and try to assess their communication skills. If they don’t know how to adapt to a remote environment and work as a part of a team, they’re not the right choice for your business.
Not Tech Savvy
Tools make remote work possible – and your employees need to know how to use them. As technology progresses and your business expands, there will almost certainly come a time when your workers will need to learn how to use new tools and adapt to new ways of collaborating.
For example, if you find a better project-management tool and want your workers to change the way they schedule tasks and projects, you will want them to quickly make the transition. If you hire someone who struggles with learning how to use new software, they will slow down the entire team.
Unable to Work Flexible Hours
Unlike in-house workers, remote employees sometimes work flexible hours. You might need someone to constantly check your social media or jump in for an urgent meeting. Remote workers also work from different time zones, so not all of them will be able to work the typical 9-5 hours in your own location.
All of this is seen as a major advantage of remote work – in fact, statistics show that 40% of people feel that a flexible schedule is the greatest benefit of remote work. This is especially appealing to younger generations, which is why college students often look into remote work opportunities.
However, there are some people who simply prefer working fixed hours.
Unless they are in an office, they have trouble organizing their time. They avoid taking breaks to maintain productivity or simply can’t stick to their schedule. Some people also need to be surrounded by their co-workers to feel inspired and motivated to do their best.
Not Interested in Staying With Your Company for the Long Term
Studies have shown that 51% of workers are considering finding a different job. If you want to improve your retention, you should hire people who are interested in staying with your company in the long run.
You should determine this during the interview process. Are they just trying to find any position with a good-enough salary? Or are they interested and have they prepared by doing research on your company?
This also depends on their field of interest. For example, if you’re running a digital agency and you need a content writer to write about different marketing strategies, you will want to find someone interested in digital marketing. If you hire someone who would rather be writing for a different niche, they probably won’t hesitate to accept a different offer if it comes along.
Bad Attitude
A bad attitude is a major red flag. Even if your candidate has plenty of experience and great skills, a bad attitude means that they probably won’t get along with the rest of your employees.
This will impact the productivity of your entire team.
It’s very important to establish a positive remote-work culture with your employees, and you also need to communicate your values and expectations to your candidates.
Ask them about their previous remote work experience, if they ever had a difficult working relationship with a colleague, or what their biggest challenge is when working remotely.
Based on their answers, you can determine how well they’ll fit with the rest of the team. If your candidate seems arrogant or constantly complains about their previous position, find someone else.
These were 5 types of employees you should avoid hiring as remote workers.
Hiring can be tricky, but you should always try to hire the right person right away. Put the effort in at this stage and it will reap rewards later. Evaluate their communication skills during the interview process and always offer a test task to make sure they’re the right fit for your company.
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