By David Burkus
Finding the right person to do a job is tough, and likely to be the single biggest decision most managers have to make. Add to this the complexities of hiring remotely, without the opportunity of meeting in person, and you’ve got yourself a unique challenge.
As a manager, you’ll likely agree that most of us prefer to make a hiring decision only after interacting for a sufficient period of time with a potential hire. We don’t just want to know if the candidates have the needed knowledge, skills and experience; we want to understand if we can work well with them. And we assume that means getting to know them in person. But the coronavirus pandemic has changed all of that. The good news is that hiring has largely become location-agnostic, so you have a wider talent pool to dip in to. But there are many new variables that you need to keep in mind as you look for the next great addition to your team.
To improve your chances of finding the right person, there are a few adjustments you should consider:
Interview on multiple platforms
It’s tempting to assume that switching to video interviewing is sufficient when you are hiring remotely. But in a virtual environment, very little of your communication style with teammates is retained. So, if the goal is to use the interview process to evaluate accurately how someone’s communication style matches the team’s, you’ll likely need to vary platforms or communication mediums. This might mean that one round of interviews is held on video, another via email and a third on the phone. Think about the channels your team normally use to communicate, and make sure to integrate them into the interview process. You might even consider giving candidates a few questions ahead of time and asking them to record answers in a short video, which can allow you to evaluate how concisely an individual can provide information and follow instructions.
Bring the whole team in
Collaboration and team dynamics have a significant impact on individual performance, so it’s worth involving as many people from a potential hire’s future team as you can reasonably fit—even if you are interviewing that person in a remote context. This might mean letting certain teammates conduct a one-on-one interview with the potential hire. Or you might want to put together a panel with a few members of your team and conduct an informational interview.
Add a trial project
The ultimate way to involve the team in the hiring decision and evaluate how well candidates work with colleagues is to have them work with you. Many companies use trials, auditions, work samples or something similar to get a feel for the work styles and fit of candidates. Ideally, this isn’t a large and pivotal task; it’s not about getting free work out of applicants. But it is a significant enough project to provide a chance to observe and collaborate with each candidate. You could even design the trial project as a means to gauge adaptability or creative thinking by intentionally leaving out a resource or instruction step and observing how the challenge is handled. Some companies have gone so far as to offer paid, long-term trials to candidates, but for most, a simpler project that only takes a few hours is likely sufficient to judge how candidates work and if the team can work well with them.
Communicate expectations early and often
The mere fact that one might need to interview and hire remotely has come as a surprise to many leaders, but as companies navigate a gradual (and probably hybrid) return to the office, there are bound to be a lot more challenges in store. When it comes to just how remote new hires will actually be, make sure to communicate that to candidates early and often in the process. If your organization has documentation around remote work, share as much of it as you can in the job listing and initial interviews. If not, then at least do what you can to communicate what’s known about the company’s remote plans or what’s being discussed in terms of future policies. You don’t want to hire a stellar remote teammate only to have her leave six months later when she’s told she can only be remote two days per week. In the same way, be upfront with expectations for communication and other team norms. If your team has a social contract or working agreement that helps establish norms for collaboration, share as much of it as you can.
When you do make the offer, and it’s accepted, make sure to prioritize connection with the team and the whole organization. Yes, you’ve got to get the paperwork done. But that doesn’t mean that it takes priority over building a connection between the new hire and the rest of the team. You could schedule a welcome video chat for the whole team to meet and greet their new colleague. Or, ask each teammate to write a welcome email or record a video. If you followed the suggestions above, then many teammates already met the new hire during the interview process. So, ask the team to share what stood out to them and why they’re looking forward to working together.
If it sounds like the common thread through each of these ideas is “team fit,” that’s because it is. Despite what it may seem, remote work makes teamwork even more important—which makes considering team fit even more important. Remote workers don’t work alone; they work alone together.
David Burkus is an organizational psychologist.