What do you do if a candidate's ability to work remotely is in question?

If a candidate's ability to work remotely is in question, clarify expectations and communication preferences regarding remote work during the interview process. Assess the candidate's past experience with remote work, including their self-discipline, time management, and communication skills. Consider offering a trial period or project-based assignment to evaluate their performance in a remote setting. Provide support and resources to help the candidate adjust and succeed if hired for a remote position.

If a candidate's ability to work remotely is in question, I'd assess their communication skills, self-discipline, and past remote work experience. Conducting remote work simulations or providing trial periods can help gauge their adaptability and effectiveness in a remote setting.

Clarify Expectations: Start by clarifying your organization's expectations for remote work, including communication protocols, work hours, productivity standards, and technology requirements. Assess Remote Work Experience: Inquire about the candidate's previous experience with remote work, if any. Ask about their familiarity with remote work tools and technologies, their ability to stay organized and self-motivated, and their track record of successfully working remotely in previous roles. Evaluate Communication Skills: Assess the candidate's communication skills, both verbal and written, to determine their ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with team members and stakeholders in a remote work environment.

If a candidate's ability to work remotely is uncertain, I'd first assess their past experience with remote work and their proficiency with relevant tools and technologies. Next, I might provide a trial period or project to evaluate their remote work capabilities firsthand. Clear communication about expectations and regular check-ins would be crucial during this phase. Additionally, offering resources or training on remote work best practices can help bridge any gaps. Ultimately, making an informed decision based on observed performance and adaptability would be key in determining their suitability for remote work.

If a candidate's ability to work remotely is in question, conduct thorough assessments to evaluate their remote work skills. Start by discussing their previous remote work experience, if any, and ask specific questions about how they managed tasks, communication, and productivity while working remotely. Consider giving them a remote work simulation or a trial task to complete from a remote location to gauge their ability to stay organized, communicate effectively, and meet deadlines in a remote work setting. Additionally, assess their technological proficiency and familiarity with remote collaboration tools to ensure they can adapt well to a remote work environment.

I'll admit right after the pandemic hit and we went to a full remote model during the original lockdown, our onboarding team really had some ground to make up in this area just never really needing to deal with shipping so much equipment. I've come to find in most situations with a lot of moving parts, setting expectations and asking the right questions earl and often is very beneficial. If a candidate absolutely needs certain software or hardware you will be well informed early in the process, or perhaps they "would prefer" certain software or hardware that they unfortunately won't be receiving from us, at least at that point if honesty and openness had been established with expectations, they can perhaps accept the decision quicker.

Ensure that the candidate has the necessary technical skills and proficiency to work remotely. This includes familiarity with relevant software, tools, and remote collaboration platforms.

For addressing technical setup issues with a remote worker, first, identify the specific problems they are encountering. Then, troubleshoot remotely by guiding them through potential solutions via video call or screen sharing. This may involve checking internet connectivity, ensuring software and tools are properly configured, and verifying hardware functionality. If the issue persists, consider providing additional IT support or resources to resolve the problem efficiently. Regularly assess the remote worker's technical needs and provide necessary assistance to optimize their productivity.

I'm glad this point is getting brought up! Asking for work samples is a great way to ensure quality while also gaining unique insight into the working mind of a desired or recently hired candidate in a remote world. One VERY important benefit that comes from asking for and receiving these work samples is the fact that it can help lessen your biases in recruiting! I would even go farther than this and "shift-left" even more to say that if you really want to reduce your biases, ask for work samples before you ever even meet with the candidate in the first place, perhaps attached to an application of some sort. This would be the most ideal way to reduce any biases that could unfortunately be there!

To vet out a candidate's remote work chops, ask for some real-life examples showcasing their ability to go solo. Look for projects they've nailed outside the typical office scene or tasks they've aced with minimal hand-holding. Checking out these samples gives you solid proof of their self-reliance and work quality sans face-to-face micromanagement. Go get 'em!

Remote work relies heavily on effective communication. Assess the candidate's communication skills, including written and verbal communication, as well as their responsiveness to emails, messages, and calls.

On top of assessing the candidate's communication skills and strategies in a remote environment, it's important to clearly communicate what the org's norms are around communication - what are required meetings, what is the approach regarding working hours, what are some best practices around collaboration, etc. Clarity is key!

Remote work often involves troubleshooting technical issues and overcoming challenges independently. Assess the candidate's problem-solving skills and ability to adapt to new situations while working remotely.

When we're looking to assess problem solving in a remote environment, we are actually looking to learn more about the candidate's level of resourcefulness, proactiveness and autonomy. Situational questions are a good way to dive deeper into these traits and learn about a candidate's ability to function independently regardless of the challenge.

Although I feel that even pre-pandemic in a mostly "in office" setting we were typically asking for at least a reference to each hire. After 2020 and the introduction to our remote world, we are absolutely making sure references are on file. Besides the fact it is the quintessential way to verify your candidate's information and work history, it also gives a great chance to ask more about how the candidate fits into specific types of work-cultures (especially if the previous role was also a remote role). Assessing cultural-fit became much more difficult when all communication moved to Teams and Zoom. Make sure to really form a large block of your questions to a reference around culture fit and environment.

Additionally, consider providing resources for remote work training or mentoring, setting clear performance expectations, and offering regular feedback. Utilize collaboration tools and establish transparent communication channels to support remote team integration. Flexibility in work arrangements can also accommodate varying levels of remote work proficiency.

One approach is to conduct a behavioral interview that focuses on their past experiences with remote work or situations that required independent problem-solving. Additionally, we can ask situational questions that assess their adaptability, self-motivation, and time management skills, which are crucial for remote work success. Another option is to provide a trial period or project-based assignment to observe how the candidate performs in a remote work setting. This can give us a better understanding of their ability to work independently and meet deadlines. Lastly, consider seeking feedback from previous employers or colleagues who have had experience working with the candidate remotely.

References are a good data point, provided you understand that it is not the only data point. Ask specific questions around remote work - communication, productivity, team-work. However take it with a grain of salt, as all companies, manager and employees had to learn this at the same time forced by the pandemic. Nobody had it all figured out from the start, so make sure that you are not holding org inefficiencies against the candidate's performance.

All these points above are crucial, but a hiring manager will never be 100% certain until the candidate is in the role. So while it is important to consider above, it is just as important to ensure the work expectations are delivered and understood by the remote worker in the intended manner. Frequent check ins are also essential - no different than if the person was in the same office.

Clarify Expectations: Clearly communicate the expectations for remote work and ensure the candidate understands the requirements. This includes discussing communication channels, availability, productivity expectations, and any specific tools or technologies they'll need to use.

It is important to also clarify the expectations and requirements for remote work positions. Discuss potential solutions or accommodations to support their success ahead of time. If there are tools needed to enhance the job, ensure that they get those tools and that they are trained on how to use such tools.

In a remote environment working styles are important to know, respect and leverage. There are several tests which can help uncover your team members' strengths such are DISC, Cliftonstrengths to name a few. Then holding a debrief session where everyone shares about their style and work together to understand how they can leverage each other for a more collaborative and productive way of working.

If there are specific concerns about the candidate's ability to work remotely, address them openly and constructively. Offer solutions or accommodations to mitigate any potential challenges and ensure a smooth transition to remote work.