Hiring remote employees can be an efficient way to expand your business and get work completed more effectively; however, this approach also presents its own set of unique challenges.

One way you may need to change is your hiring process. Instead of holding in-person interviews, consider video interviewing as it offers a much more effective method for assessing communication skills and cultural fit of candidates.

1. Know What You Want

Making an hiring decision about someone you may never meet face-to-face based on their resume and one or two interviews is difficult enough, but with remote work it can be even more complex: You must assess their compatibility with your company's culture and policies -- while making sure they have enough stamina to manage all their responsibilities without issue remotely.

Be certain your candidates can communicate clearly over phone and email with you, providing clear answers without vagueness or incoherence. Strong problem-solving abilities are essential for remote employees as they will have no one they can turn to for assistance when things get challenging.

Finally, it's important to consider what physical perks your company provides and whether they apply in a remote work environment. While traditional employees might enjoy some amenities like free lunches or exotic meetups at work, Remote Workers might miss out. Therefore, other means may need to be explored as employee retention strategies.

2. Create a Job Description

An accurate job description is key in any position, but especially for remote positions. It helps set expectations and ensures you interview only candidates who meet those standards.

An effective job posting must clearly communicate its remote work policies, such as preferring staff in certain time zones or countries; or mandating that staff have reliable internet.

Be sure to include details of any benefits available for remote staff members; this can increase the pool of applicants. Studies show that gender-neutral ads tend to receive 30% more applications; therefore it would be prudent to avoid buzzwords that might exclude qualified women and minorities.

3. Set Up an Interview Process

When hiring remote employees, a thorough interview process is key to their successful recruitment. Be sure to question candidates regarding their work history - particularly whether or not they've worked remotely previously - so as to assess whether their cultural fit fits with your company.

As part of an interview, it's essential to keep in mind that you won't be able to physically see or assess candidates during an online interview. To facilitate a smooth meeting experience, interviewer names, call links, schedule, and meeting time should all be shared ahead of time. Furthermore, be prepared for tech issues that might arise such as video conference software glitches or lost Internet connectivity; have an emergency plan ready in case this occurs during an interview session.

4. Conduct a Screening

Before Hiring Remote Employees, it's essential that they meet certain qualifications. Like when hiring in-person employees, background checks must be run to validate credentials and detect dishonest applicants; otherwise they could cost your company time, money, and reputation.

To avoid this miscommunication, make sure that your company communicates its remote work culture during the interview process so candidates understand what working remotely entails and how it may change their lifestyle.

As part of your screening partnership, be sure to use one that understands the state-specific regulations to help avoid legal hassle in the future. It is also vital to conduct an Internet qualification test so as to ensure your remote workers can complete their jobs without incurring costly network issues that waste valuable time - this step can make or break an employee relationship over time. This step should help make an effective long-term hiring decision.

5. Make the Offer

Hiring remote employees requires a unique hiring process that differs from hiring in-person employees. This guide will walk you through every step of this journey from creating a remote job description and conducting virtual interviews, to conducting offers.

As well as asking candidates standard interview questions, be sure to ask about their past experience working remotely; this will give you an accurate reflection of whether or not they will thrive in your company's remote work environment.

As much of work collaboration occurs via video conferencing in remote offices, it's also wise to include as an essential requirement that candidates be comfortable using this form of communication. Finally, make sure they possess all required permits to work legally in your country of operation.