Not every tech problem can be solved by an employee, but they should have some comfort with handling the easier tech problems that will occur. Simply pop into a coworker’s or supervisor’s office and ask your question. Remote Work Interview Questions and Answers Here are some typical interview questions for work-at-home job candidates and how to answer them: What are the advantages of a work-at-home position? No matter what kind of hardware and software you provide employees, they have to be comfortable using it and troubleshooting it on their own. Technical assessment tools help you to save time and money by selecting the most suitable candidates. 1. Get in the remote mindset. Here’s our complete list of video (or phone) interview questions to ask remote workers. Working remotely means working, which means getting the job done and being productive all day, every workday. How did they get their questions answered? Remote work is gaining in prevalence for a good reason. Where possible use examples and tell stories when answering work from home interview questions. Experience is not always necessary, but it is a big plus. When you work in an office, you can usually get the answer you need when you need it. Remote workers need to be self-starters, great with time management, and clear communicators. A version of this article was published on March 12, 2019. While doing so, you can also arrange for your remote employee to interview other remote employees from cross-functional departments to learn their setup tips. TIP It’s also important that remote workers communicate effectively via multiple mediums: email, chat, talking live, slide decks, etc. Even with the right skills and experiences, not every candidate is cut out for the remote work life. Shutterstock. Environment analysis: This question helps you listen for ways to optimize setup and workflow. Even with the right skills, ensuring that a candidate is a strong fit for remote work is tough. Adding a new team member to any kind of team requires an adjustment from everyone. 9 interview questions successful remote workers will ace. Ask about the technology they have access to and how they have access to it. Why are these questions important? This has led to many Millennials, for example, seeking remote work exclusively. You want to answer this question in a way that shows you're productive and independent. There are right and wrong ways to communicate with a distributed team, and how an applicant pursued the answer will help you determine if that person understands the difference. However, applicants may apply for the job because it’s remote, not because it’s the right job for them. You may find that they never thought about the lack of face-to-face socialization and may discover that remote work isn’t right for them. They can opt for a nuts-and-bolts interview which focuses solely on the candidate’s qualifications. They have to communicate effectively without the help of body language or those brief interactions that in-office workers depend on to build relationships. Buffer’s 2019 State of Remote Work revealed that employees see the flexible schedule and location independence as some of the biggest benefits of the setup. According to a 2018 report by Global Workplace Analytics, the remote workforce “has grown by 140% since 2005” and is still growing rapidly. While the company can create opportunities for casual engagement (like a virtual office lunch), the fact is most communications on a remote team are rarely—if ever—accidental. The first question is obvious, but nearly every hiring manager I heard from mentioned it: … What about using virtual meeting spaces to communicate in real-time? With remote work becoming increasingly frequently, companies must re-evaluate their interview processes to find suitable remote workers. If they like working from the coffee shop, do they have a way to connect to your office server privately? For example, first-time remote workers might be shocked by the transition. Make sure to highlight these qualities. There’s nothing wrong with personal reasons for pursuing remote work. — and receive a coupon for up to 30% off of FlexJobs! Each of these areas are often the most challenging aspects of remote work, so it's essential to gauge their level of comfort with these in the interview. Here is some question that covers everything and useful for you during your interview. Ask how the candidate will communicate with the team and ask how comfortable they are using different communication platforms. That won’t necessarily disqualify them, but it is something to explore during the interview. The first interview question is “Could you tell me about a time you got tough feedback from a boss?” Another characteristic of successful remote … There are several questions that need to be asked that you’ll never hear in a traditional interview, or maybe common interview questions that require … Distractions are a fact of life for any worker, show your remote employees that you appreciate them. In this article, we explore some common work at home interview questions and answers to help you prepare your answers in advance so you can have the best chances of success during your remote job interview. When the team is distributed across as many as 24 time zones, it may be a full working day before a question is answered. Swing by later and get the answer then. Our free Weekly Newsletter includes new remote and flexible job listings, information on top companies hiring, helpful articles, special offers, and more. It’s also important that remote workers communicate effectively via multiple mediums: email, chat, talking live, slide decks, etc. Remote workers don’t have the ability to stop by their manager’s office and pose their questions. Before early 2020, only 7% of Americans had the luxury of working from home. Remote employees should be comfortable using a wide range of communication platforms. If you have any questions or requests, please contact us at 727-317-5800. Are they willing to admit they made a mistake? Asking the questions now will help you see if the candidate has thought through all of the particulars of remote work. How will they get the answers they need? However, answers like these indicate that a candidate is more motivated by personal gain than professional growth. No interview questions for a remote workers can help you to determine if their technical skills are suitable. Ask the candidate what their office setup plans are, or if they plan on heading to a coffee shop or coworking space. On culture and wellbeing. After reviewing resumes and narrowing your list of candidates, your next step is to set up video interviews. Instead of having lunch together, they might have a virtual lunch over video. Explain to the candidate that while working remotely doesn’t mean you’ll never socialize with your coworkers, it does mean they will socialize differently. Just as you need them to focus on tasks during their work hours, you also need them to have balanced lives if you want to avoid burnout. Dominic Price. What does change are the questions you should ask to hire a successful remote worker. However, understanding how and where an applicant works best helps you understand them as a potential employee. What if it’s an emergency? Asking candidates how they stay focused on tasks now (no matter where they work), will give you some insight into how they might face distractions as a remote employee. And, be on the lookout for red flags. If your candidate is interviewing for an entry-level position and has little to no industry experience, ask for references from volunteer positions, teachers, academic advisors, or supervisors from any part-time jobs. Do you think the same strategy will work, or will you need to do something different?”. Did they sit back and wait for an answer? Additionally, you may encounter telecommuting-specific questions no matter the career field you're telecommuting in. In order to comply with the internationally applicable GDPR - and other regulations, no IP address or user account originating in your geographic location will be accepted. Whether you have a fully remote team or you’re just dipping your toes into the remote workforce waters, you’re most likely aware that hiring remote workers is different than hiring in-office employees. One often overlooked but important aspect of remote work is that some people need the office atmosphere and the presence of colleagues to do their best work. With remote work growing, it's important to know what to ask in an interview for a remote candidate. Not having a “home office” should not disqualify someone from the job. Unfortunately, not everyone thinks about this before transitioning to remote work. So, here are interview questions to ask potential remote workers. 6 Useful Remote Job Interview Questions. “I’m worried about feeling isolated, but I’m going to join a sculpting class,” tells you that the person has identified the problem and has a plan in place for dealing with it. By starting with the broad question, you’ll be able to hone in on a more remote-specific follow-up question. By: Sarah Archer. New remote workers may be in for a shock when they find out their supervisor is 12 time zones away, and they can’t always get the answer they need when they need it. Keep in mind, though, that not everyone works best in a traditional office set up — some people like the couch, the backyard, or the public library. That’s why it’s best to hire people who are decisive and take initiative, when appropriate. Or, instead of hanging out by the coffee machine, they’ll hang out in Slack instead. Without a manager nearby (or breezing past their desk), it’s easy for people to get distracted or lose their drive. However, just because you have remote staff doesn’t mean you understand their world. Do they have one way and only one way of doing things? And it will also help you see if the candidate has thought about (and can deal with) the unique distractions remote workers encounter. So, here are interview questions to ask potential remote workers. Remote work comes with a lot of self-disciplined solitary time. Meeting candidates by video will allow you to see how they present themselves. Whether you depend on the old-school Ivy Lee Method or rely on an app to keep you on track , be sure to have a plan in place, put it into practice, and articulate it well when asked. Here is a list of ten interview questions to ask remote workers as well as the best answers to expect for those questions. Contrary to belief, remote work isn’t all pajamas and coffee shops. Understanding how they switch out of work mode will help you better understand how they will do it when they are working for you. To figure out how a remote worker would handle this challenge, ask them questions that tell you: Do they stick only with email? More importantly, they should know what the challenges of remote work are and have strategies in place for tackling them. Ask what the home office setup is like and, if possible, conduct a video interview and encourage the candidate to participate from that home office. Email is great for some types of communication, but not others. Ask how the applicant feels about his, or if they have any experience with virtual hangouts. Top 5 Hilarious Job Interview Questions Remote Workers May Encounter It’s not surprising why many people would want to look for opportunities in the field of remote work. 1. That means when it comes time to interview, you’ll need to be ready to answer questions that are focused around a specific set of remote work skills—in addition to the usual interview questions you might get for a traditional in-office job and questions specific to the role or industry. However, applicants may apply for the job because it’s remote, not because it’s the right job for them. There are so many questions that trigger you during your interview as a remote worker. For example, if a candidate says that they love the company’s team-building opportunities, or their favorite activity is the 10 AM coffee cart, dig a little deeper and see why the candidate is interested in remote work. EQ is a major driver of success for all employees, but remote workers need even more of it. People that haven’t worked remotely before haven’t experienced the unique challenges of remote work. If they already work from home, ask about their home office setup. If they talk about how they hate dealing with new technology or can’t stand updating their computer, dig into this a little more. Hypothetical scenarios will help you identify candidates who use sound judgement to overcome challenges. If people want to be home to care for aging parents or children, it may affect the hours they can keep or the distractions they face. Ask how they plan on dealing with that. 18 May. Conversely, if the candidate says there were no challenges, you can bet that they aren’t being honest or didn’t work remotely enough to face the challenges that come with remote work. If you work in an office, you have a set of typical … Does the candidate already have everything a remote worker needs to be productive? For a hybrid position, ask if the candidate is going to invest in a home office, or use the kitchen table. Ask the Right Interview Questions for Remote Workers Now that you know the qualities you should be looking for, here are various questions that’ll help you test for those qualities in candidates. From eight company leaders and hiring managers who hire and work with remote teams, here are some common remote job interview questions. Don't forget to share this article with colleagues! Interviewing remote workers is much different than hiring for a traditional, on-site position. It also gives you insight into who they are as an employee. Tell stories. If employees and managers are used to using facetime as part of performance evaluation, a sudden shift to remote working … It has a huge number of benefits for both companies and employees. And, if they have some experience working with a distributed team (even if the applicant has never worked remotely), ask how they handled the inevitable issues that arise. Asking the right questions of any applicant gives you insight into who they are as an employee. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. If someone wants to work remotely but can’t—or won’t—deal with the inevitable tech hiccups that will come their way, they could lose hours of productivity while they wait for technical support. The answer will speak to the candidate’s motivation and ability to get the job done when there’s nothing else motivating them—except themselves. Remote work requires excellent communication skills and a high level of comfort with technology. Questions to Ask Remote Workers During Interviews 1. You probably already have a remote employee, or have talked about it. Asking what communication platforms they use and why they use them will help you better understand how they communicate and collaborate with their team. Is it someplace that is relatively free of distractions? Do they learn and grow from their mistakes? And, if this is a first-time remote worker or a hybrid position that’s both in-office and work-at-home, the candidate may not yet have a home office setup. 18 top remote job interview questions you should know how to answer; 18 ACTUAL answers to those questions from the Skillcrush team; A FREE download to complete before you go into an interview for a remote job. Interview questions for remote workers. As a remote team, your staff won’t have easy access to tech support, so what happens when their computer crashes or the virtual meeting won’t work? How about chat rooms? If so, why? You as a recruiter should know that there are special tools to do so. We’ve got more advice on building the best remote team possible, including how to create a remote work policy,  how to show your remote employees that you appreciate them, and how to handle some of the common challenges remote managers face. The interview process for hiring new employees to work remotely is no different than hiring in-office workers. Follow-up questions that focus on remote-specific distractions will help you learn more about the candidate’s work environment. Chat rooms are great for collaborative projects, but maybe not so much for personal ones. When the candidate has worked remotely, even if it was only once in a blue moon, follow-up with, “What were some of the challenges you faced when you worked remotely?’” As a remote employer, you know that remote work isn’t as rosy as the stock photos make it seem. Among the storm clouds known as COVID-19, there are a … 3. Ask how and where the candidate plans on working. But, asking remote-specific questions will help you figure out if they are the right remote employee for your team. As a thank you for signing up, you will also receive a promo code for up to 30% off of a FlexJobs subscription that you can use anytime you sign up for our full service! Interview skills. Have you ever worked remotely before? Distractions are a fact of life for any worker, but they’re different for remote employees than the ones people face in an office setting. Even with the right skills and experiences, not every candidate is cut out for the remote work life. Some candidates are attracted to the idea of working from home but don’t understand the reality of it. Finding out how they will deal with the situation will give you insight into their problem-solving and answer-seeking skills. Reiterate any home-office requirements like a wired internet connection, a private area for calls, or anything else you specified in the job posting. But, asking remote-specific questions will help you figure out if they are the right remote employee for your team. This explosion in remote workers has happened so quickly that managers have had little time to learn about or adjust to having to manage a partly remote team. Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your area. However, there are some specific areas you need to cover in order to ensure whether a candidate is a suitable fit for your remote workforce. Or did they actively pursue the answer? Interview Questions To Expect . Hiring remote employees is no different. The thing about working remotely is that you never bump into your coworkers for a random conversation in the break room. 7 Interview Questions to Ask a Remote Worker. As a remote-friendly employer, you know this. For the most part, interviewing a remote employee is similar to an in-office employee. Were they persistent without being obnoxious? Your goal in hiring remote workers is to maximize the advantages and minimize the disadvantages of the unique nature of remote working relationships. On the other hand, if the candidate talks about how they want to work in their pajamas or that they don’t like having a boss breathing down their neck, they’ve framed the answer in a more personal way. This also shows that the person is a forward thinker and anticipates and heads off problems before they spiral out of control. May 19, 2020. No matter where you work, working remotely can sometimes blur the line between work life and personal life. If the answer is, “Never,” follow up with, “Why do you want to work remotely?”. It’s about preparing for the actual job. What is your daily routine? This, in turn, could be a warning sign that this candidate will not be a great addition to your team. A low signal-to-noise ratio is key for effective, efficient remote work. Again, preparing for this sort of interview question for remote workers isn’t just about acing the interview. Not only is there no “office” to pop into, not everyone works the same hours. New remote workers should have something a little more realistic. Article Mindi Rosser October 17, 2019 remote hiring. As the newest team member, applicants have to be flexible, open to suggestions, willing to experiment and try new things, and learn from their mistakes. However, it’s the new hire that will adjust the most. Written By Guest User. Working remotely requires employees to be very self-motivated. By: Laurel Farrer Whether you’re the interviewer or the interviewee, remote job interviews are a bit unique. The most common technical assessment tools are: Just as potential employees need different skills to work remotely (self-management, independence, proactive communication, etc. Someone who has worked remotely before probably knows this. If that person is in a meeting, no big deal. Do you have previous experience as a remote worker? These interview questions will set remote workers apart. You can also gauge whether they are set up with the basic equipment and connectivity to work from home seamlessly. Make sure to consider the following points while scripting the interview questions for hiring great remote workers for your team: Are their verbal and written communication skills top-notch? Your name and email will always be kept private, and you can always unsubscribe at anytime! Asking for an example will give you some insight into how the candidate operates. Whatever it is, try to find out what they do now that can help them “turn off” when they make the switch to fully remote employee. One is that being forced to work from home all of a sudden is shaking up our calcified ideas about remote work. As a part of the ongoing effort to best prepare you for the awesomeness that is flexible work, we’ve got you covered on some common job interview questions for remote jobs and ways to answer them. Ask how applicants plan to manage their days, take appropriate breaks, and stop working when it’s quitting time. Or, are they relying on a public internet connection? Here are interview questions to ask for remote jobs. For example, if the candidate says, “In the office, I use noise-canceling headphones to block out noisy coworkers,” you can follow-up with, “Will you face that same distraction when you work remotely? Co-workers also provide insights into your candidate’s ability to work as a remote member of a team and communicate. These answers will help you determine whether or not they are truly flexible and can mesh well with your existing team. This helps demonstrate that they are career-oriented and (hopefully) a loyal and stellar employee. Have You Ever Worked Remotely? How far are they comfortable with technology? Is this person highly disciplined and self-motivated? Among the storm clouds known as COVID-19, there are a few silver linings. Here are 10 job interview questions for remote … Recruit top talent, attend virtual job fairs, and more! This may seem like a strange question to ask, but it’s important to understand a person’s motivation for seeking remote work. When the team is remote, though, it’s not so easy to get an answer when you need it. The Best and Worst Remote Interview Questions Interviewers have a huge choice when it comes to the types of job interview questions they can ask. And, consider joining FlexJobs to access exclusive benefits and features. For example, if someone talks about how they are more productive working from home, or they like the idea of working without geographical limitations, they are framing their answer in a way that talks about the professional advantages of remote work. The field where most of the remote workers comprise to work as developers, graphic designers, and content writers. If all someone can come up with is, “Which pair of fuzzy slippers to wear,” then they haven’t thought through all of the potential problems that can crop up when you work remotely. That might be a noisy roommate, getting distracted by news alerts, or even living on a busy street. Requested URL: www.thepennyhoarder.com/make-money/career/remote-job-interview-questions/, User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/83.0.4103.116 Safari/537.36. 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In Slack instead virtual hangouts, show your remote employees should be using! Questions that focus on remote-specific distractions will help you better understand how they will deal with the right employee! Huge number of benefits for both companies and employees remote workers as well as best! T worked remotely before haven ’ t all pajamas and coffee shops much for personal ones their. Employee is similar to an in-office employee help of body language or those brief interactions in-office. Overcome challenges a way that shows you 're telecommuting in are set up video interviews narrowing your of! For some types of communication, etc you ’ re the interviewer the... Them, but it is a big plus or requests, please contact us at 727-317-5800 is using a range! Next step is to set up video interviews collaborate with their team and heads off before. Workers don ’ t worked remotely before probably knows this: interview questions to ask workers!