Recruiting Strategy
Is remote hiring the way to end the war for talent?
Orla Hodnett
HireHive
Orla Hodnett
HireHive
Orla Hodnett
HireHive
Orla Hodnett
HireHive
Could adopting a new approach to hiring give your HR team a competitive edge when seeking candidates with skills in short supply? Remote hiring could offer unique appeal to candidates.
When there’s such intense competition finding talent with in-demand skill sets, recruiting needs some serious flexibility. An increasing percentage of the workforce are now freelancers or contractors and many companies are offering work-from-home options, so recruitment requires an adapted approach.
If a candidate is unwilling to move to where you are, maybe think about developing a remote workforce, removing the issue of geographical proximity. When hiring remotely, you have to be very creative. It can be tough to find people who are interested in this type of work, but they are out there. Sometimes you just need to make candidates aware of such an option and you might be able to convince them of this alternative.
The first step is to establish an effective remote working process. Make sure you have shared access to a number of communications platforms, from email to instant messaging services. You should also have an airtight process set in place as well as any in-house references or guides. Remote workers need access to every and any resource existing employees have, so make sure that infrastructure is in place.
You will find traditional job boards limited when hiring remotely, so you will have to employ creative sourcing techniques. The same goes for platforms like Craigslist or Gumtree. Social media recruiting is one good option. Your company blog and social media platforms are more likely to attract industry experts organically.
You must make a compelling argument to successfully recruit in light of the intense competition.
When posting jobs, you are going to have to communicate requirements very carefully. Ensure remote workers know of all the company benefits available to them. Furthermore, you need to communicate some of the perks of remote working, that may not be immediately obvious. You must make a compelling argument to successfully recruit in light of the intense competition.
Taking advantage of your existing network of connections could be very useful here. If candidates are already following your social media accounts, they’re likely to be a better cultural fit. Taking the digital element out, employee referrals are normally effective, but even more so here. Your employees may well know talented candidates who are looking for a change, so take advantage.
A highly-skilled, experienced industry expert may be exceptional in an office environment, but take them out of that environment and you may see a very different side of them.
Screening and interviewing remote workers requires a very different approach to the traditional office worker. A highly-skilled, experienced industry expert may be exceptional in an office environment, but take them out of that environment and you may see a very different side of them. You need a motivated, self-starter who thrives on structure.
At the interview stage, perhaps set a series of tasks or a project for candidates to complete, with specific conditions required. This stage in the process may also require a number of different modes of interview, whether via phone, Skype or, if possible, face-to-face. The communications skills of a remote worker are essential, so ensure very careful consideration. You will have to have a very clear idea of the skill set required in mind as a very specific candidate would succeed in this kind of work.
Remote hiring is a great way of finding just the right candidates in an environment where there is increased competition for talent. Recruiting software has a significant role to play in this rigorous process of candidate screening. Remote work can be extremely cost effective and offer a candidate a very favourable level of job flexibility. With some planning and ensuring your internal processes are orderly, you can set up a successful remote hiring program.
“HireHive makes the team a lot more productive. We’d be lost without it. Team Leaders can do it all themselves if needed or jump in at the right time and know exactly where everything is and what’s happening.”
Hilary Dempsey Head of HR at Life Credit union
