For Team Cocoroco getting into remote talent acquisition made perfect sense.
Working with 5CA and seeing how fulfilling customer experience can be to international agents, called attention to the possibilities.
Hiring remote talent meant we had the world at our fingertips.
We could onboard high-quality support from anywhere in the world. Agents with communication skills, enthusiasm, and genuine curiosity.
Many agents love the freedom that comes with working from home. But locating high-calibre remote workers is challenging.
Remote workers require a specific set of skills and attributes. Skills we’ve become experts at identifying.
And that’s exactly why we’re writing this.
Why recruit remotely?
There are many benefits to recruiting remotely for companies and candidates.
A recent Flexjobs survey showed the average employee saves around $4,000 USD per year by working from home. (Commuting, coffee, sandwiches, clothing. It all adds up).
Similarly, pre-pandemic, employers saved an average of $11,000 USD per remote employee. Why spend more money than you need to?
Cost savings on both sides are in everyone’s interest. A remote workforce also gives you access to talent far beyond the reach of any physical office.
Essential remote recruitment tips
Our parent company, 5CA, has been remote for 15+ years. So we have a lot of experience in remote hiring.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t share some of the things we’ve learned along the way.
1. Extend the hiring process
There’s a talent shortage right now. Not just in customer service, but across the board.
Getting to know people takes time, but if you want the best candidates, it should be at the top of your list.
- Add extra steps to the process. Book longer interviews or have catch-ups where you can to get to know your candidates.
- Be proactive. Be warm and welcoming to prospective employees. Show you care about them before they’ve even secured a job.
2. Drive engagement at all stages
Engagement shouldn’t start after they’re hired, it should already be in place.
- Zhush up your careers website. You need ads and a site that stands out from the crowd. 64% of job seekers consider a rich careers page a valuable resource.
- Think about creating welcome videos. According to CareerBuilder, job postings with videos have a 34% greater application rate and will help you to attract higher-quality talent.
- Keep everyone informed. Be candid about the candidate’s application status.
3. Open up your search
Great talent is not contained in one area, it’s scattered across the globe. It’s one of the reasons we’re so passionate about connecting companies with remote candidates.
- Look beyond your own borders. There’s a deep global talent pool out there and tons of reasons to hire multinationally. What are you waiting for?
4. Watch out for unconscious bias
Research shows the hiring process can be biased.
However, with a remote workforce, diversity becomes the default, because you’re automatically widening the pool of applicants.
- Show patience. Video chats are stressful. Just because a person seems nervous doesn’t mean they aren’t capable. Be patient and let them open up. Find out more about your candidate’s personality and experience, in and out of work. (Sometimes, hobbies can tell you more about a person than anything else).
- Leave bias at the door. To make candidates comfortable, make them feel like you’re on level footing. Forget skin color, sexuality, or gender identity. Get to know them for who they are.
5. Customize your questions
Shake up your questions to freshen things up. Avoid the standard interview spiel.
- Ask questions that measure time management, discipline, communication, consistency, and proactivity. Remote work requires a different skill set. You need to know if they can handle it.
- Use open questions to test these qualities. Were they on time? Are they asking questions? Are they engaged? Did they do the tasks you set out for them?
- Tailor your questions to suit the candidate. Everyone has different personalities, experiences, and interests. You’ll learn nothing by asking them all the same things.
6. Change up the interview process
Consider changing up how you run interviews, in order to better target remote working skills.
- Try collaborative hiring. If you’re hiring for a team, why get the team involved? If everyone gets along, you’re already over the first hurdle.
- Work closely with the hiring manager. Define the role, necessities, and qualities you’re looking for in a candidate.
7. Use work sample tests
Job trials aren’t obligatory. What they are is a good way of telling if candidates are a good fit.
Remember: good candidates might not have degrees or work experience.
- Set them a paid assessment at their convenience. Assessments give you a good idea of candidates’ capabilities. You’ll also see how quickly they got the job done, how well they followed instructions or tasks, and how well they work under pressure.
Adapt recruitment for the remote world
Remote and in-person recruitment are two sides of the same coin.
But they’re also different enough that you’ll need to tweak your approach for remote workers.
Having seen both sides, we’re confident that once you nail hiring remotely, you won’t look back.
