This Blog was written by Lucy Reed – lucy_reed@gigmine.co

Hiring is a complex process that includes finding an individual with the right skills to fulfill a business need. Even though most businesses have comprehensive hiring processes which involve resume screening, numerous interviews, assignments, and more, one cannot be 100% sure that the candidate will be a good fit. It is only in the days and weeks ahead where an employee either makes or misses the mark.

With the rise in remote working, the hiring process has been made harder as businesses now need to make decisions without ever meeting candidates in person. If you’re currently in the process of building a remote team, this article explores useful techniques to help you hire and manage talent in the best way possible.

Adapt Your Hiring Process

While you’ll mostly be following the same structure of traditional hiring practices, a few tweaks will be required, such as:

• Job Descriptions: In addition to clearly mentioning expectations and responsibilities, include the fact that it will be a remote-only position. Depending on your location, mention the time zone and period you expect team members to be online. For example, between 10 am–4 pm EST.

• Job Postings: To find the best remote talent, you need to share job postings on prominent websites used by candidates such as – We Work Remotely, Flex Jobs, Remote OK, and more. In addition, post your jobs on Indeed, Glassdoor, and LinkedIn as well.

• Resume Screening: When screening resumes, look for candidates who mention previous experience working in remote roles, in addition to showing competency in areas you expect for the position.

• Video Interview: As noted by Recruiter.com, this will serve as a crucial step that will have a major impact on your hiring decision. During the interview, ask intuitive questions which help you understand the candidate’s experience with remote working, communication style, and work expertise. Additionally, welcome questions from them regarding the position, company culture, and responsibilities.

Manage Your Team Effectively

Successful remote teams are built on mutual trust, which can understandably take time to develop. To help speed up this process and make your organization work as one unit, rather than a group of individuals working in silos, incorporate the following practices:

• Set Expectations Early: In addition to setting KPIs for each employee, communicate your expectations regarding tracking work hours, providing updates, preferred modes of communication, and more. The best way to ensure these details aren’t lost in communication, create a digital onboarding packet to be shared with all new hires.

• Set Communication Guidelines: When managing a remote team, there will be instances where everyone won’t be available together. Additionally, as all discussions will happen digitally, it will be important to ensure that information is shared with the required stakeholders promptly. To avoid confusion among teams, set clear guidelines regarding communication, which can include:

• Directing employees to use cloud-based apps such as Google Drive to share documents.

• Using real-time messaging applications such as Slack to share updates, questions, and concerns regarding projects.

• Creating meeting schedules in advance, taking into consideration the team member’s geographical locations.

Use Project Management Tools: Manually keeping track of each individual’s progress in a remote team is near impossible. But here’s where project management tools come to the rescue. Not only will these tools allow you to seamlessly assign tasks to teams, but also keep a clear track of progress on every important task in your business. Additionally, according to Kiss Flow, this will lead to better collaboration among teams and higher operational efficiency.

Use Payroll Software to Pay Your Team

Payroll software can save your business time and money by automating many of the tasks associated with payroll processing. By using payroll software, you can ensure that your remote employees are paid on time and that all required deductions are made from their paychecks. Check out payroll software that can also help you keep track of employee vacation and sick days, as well as manage 401(k) contributions and other benefits.

In addition, payroll software can provide you with important data that can help you to make informed decisions about your business. By using payroll software, you can gain a better understanding of your company’s finances, as well as of your employees’ needs and preferences. While the majority of employees will work in good faith, one can never rule out the chance of malpractice or misuse of information. But, being the owner of the business, you’re the one who will face the brunt of such actions. To protect yourself from business-related liabilities, you can establish your business as a separate legal entity by registering it as a limited liability company.

Hiring a remote team allows you to onboard the best talent from across the world. Now that you understand the best practices to hire and manage remote teams, you’re ready to take your business to the next level.

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