According to a study, remote work will go head to head with fixed location jobs as a primary work method by 2025. Despite the challenges that come with remote working, it has proven to be sustainable and beneficial to both workers and the companies which could explain its steady growth.

With an increasing number of people and companies slowly shifting to remote work, we can also expect some challenges in the recruitment and hiring processes, and today, we will discuss one of the most critical parts of hiring remote workers; finding talented and effective employees from a sea of candidates.

Why Working Remotely Is Not for Everyone

While anyone can apply for remote work, this type of work environment is not for everyone. Remote work can be very taxing to one’s mental health. Some people are not able to cope with the isolation in the long term while others are unable to handle the mental fatigue.

Some people thrive in solitary work set-ups while others need regular social and collaborative interactions. Because people react differently to work situations, you need to be able to identify potential red flags during the hiring process.

Traits That You Should Look for When Hiring Remote Employees

According to a survey, 35% of employees would be willing to work remotely full time if given the opportunity. Now, with the recent influx of remote jobs, this could mean a rise in the number of remote work applicants. In turn, it is now a recruiter’s challenge to identify who to hire because with more applicants than the hire rate, we should be looking more closely at the quality of hires.

Hiring effective remote employees is critical to a company’s growth. Therefore, to help identify potential candidates, we need to look for the following traits when hiring remote employees:

Great Communicator

Remote work can often mean limited face-to-face interactions as most correspondence will be done via e-mail, chat, or video conferences. This means you need to look for someone who can effectively express his or her thoughts through different channels. Good communication skills will likely mean fewer chances of miscommunication and conflict.

Strong Work Ethics

To excel in remote work, the candidate must have a strong work ethic and self-discipline as they will be working with very little to no supervision. A remote job allows for more flexibility and freedom so when you hire someone with questionable work ethics, it could lead to missed deadlines or low quality of work.

Organized

Look for someone who has strong organizational skills. Highly organized people usually have timetables for almost everything. and you can expect them to go through their tasks and complete them on time. One way to assess organization is to ask them what they did to prepare for the interview to see how they planned for it.

Detail-Oriented

In virtual jobs, so many items can get lost during correspondence that it can be easy to overlook things. Detail oriented people do not stop unless they have all the correct information and are usually very careful when completing tasks.

Problem Solver

In many cases, a remote worker will need to make sound decisions and implement changes to the work all on his or her own. This is why you need someone who can think through things objectively and has the ability to be decisive when necessary.

Team Player

Although remote employees will be working alone, they will still need to attend meetings and, most importantly, work towards the same goal as their team. When hiring remote workers, make sure that they have no qualms about working with fellow employees working from home and have no problems collaborating with others.

Resourceful

Look for candidates who go above and beyond in order to learn new things and someone who does not expect to be spoon fed to get the answers. Successful remote workers are those who find ways and means to improve and learn even on their own.

Flexible

Like with any other job, remote working can be very diverse. You need to look for someone who displays adaptability and flexibility, especially when it comes to managing deadlines and workload. In a dynamic industry, one must always be ready for change.

In closing, while it is a fact that it can be very hard to judge someone’s traits and personality during the first meeting, recruiters can utilize behavioral and situational questions during the interview and assess and verify the candidates’ online profiles.

What other qualities should a remote worker need to have? Share your thoughts in the comments