How To Manage the Remote Hiring Pipeline

Introduction

The world of remote work skyrocketed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it looks like remote work is here to stay. Remote jobs are currently in high demand due to the flexibility, work-life balance, and other benefits they provide. Many employers have found offering remote working conditions to increase workers' productivity and morale.

However, figuring out how to hire and manage remote employees can be a challenge. Finding the right remote workers, maintaining a positive company culture, hiring abroad, and managing employee churn all look different when hiring remotely.

Keep reading to learn how to hire remote employees, find top remote talent, hire globally, and maintain a successful remote hiring pipeline.

Introduction to remote hiring

Hiring remote employees within your company’s country of residency is similar to hiring in-person candidates. Both processes involve job listings, applications, interviews, employee contracts, and onboarding. However, there are some key differences when it comes to hiring remotely.

Skills to look for in remote workers

Remote work requires certain skills from employees. Not everyone thrives in a remote setting, so finding someone who will be successful in this role is essential. Some qualities to look for when hiring remote workers are:

Time management skills

With the flexibility of remote work also comes the need to effectively manage one’s time without oversight. Your employee should be able to get tasks done on time while completing high-quality work.

Independence

As remote work comes without direct oversight or in-person colleagues, as well as time-zone differences, employees can’t always ask for assistance or questions right away. Remote employees need to have enough independence and resourcefulness to get the job done.

Communication skills

Communicating remotely is different than communicating in person. Digital communication removes some expressions, hand gestures, and tone of voice from conversations. Having an employee who can communicate effectively in a variety of settings is a must.

Reliability

With remote workers living in different places and time zones, it’s essential to know you can rely on them to get the job done. Make sure your candidate is capable of completing quality work on time, picking up the slack when needed, and being consistent.

Proactivity

Remote employees also need to be proactive in a remote setting, as they have little oversight. Your ideal candidate should demonstrate the desire to take the extra initiative in the workplace. Proactive remote workers increase productivity and revenue to help your business grow.

Where to find candidates

To find remote workers who exhibit these qualities, it’s essential to have recruiting and sourcing processes in place that are specific for remote hiring. To find high-quality remote talent, you should:

Optimize your job listings

Creating enticing job listings is essential to attracting the best candidates. Include everything about the job that makes it desirable, such as the benefits, salary, flexibility, perks, company culture, or opportunities for growth. Implementing search engine optimization by including the right keywords will also help your listing reach more people.

Post on the right job boards

To find the best remote talent, you should post on more than one job board. There are many job boards specialized for finding remote work, which the top remote workers view for potential opportunities.

Offer competitive benefits and wages

Remote work should be valued as highly as in-person work, so don’t assume your company can offer less for granting some flexibility. The top remote workers will want their value to be recognized through the appropriate wages and benefits.

Tailor your interview process

Make sure your interview process reveals candidates’ abilities to work well remotely. This may include virtual interviews, written responses, test assignments, and more.

Consider hiring globally

With today’s technology, we don’t have to limit hiring to people within our regions. Hiring globally gives access to even more of the world’s top talent.

Benefits of remote work

Hiring remotely has a wide variety of benefits for both employees and employers. By hiring remote teams, you’re able to:

• Access more talent – Hiring remotely helps you reach a wider pool of qualified candidates.
• Increase flexibility – More flexibility is beneficial to both employees and employers when working remotely.
• Reduce costs – Hiring remotely means saved costs from office spaces, transportation, utilities, and other in-person amenities.
• Improve productivity – Remote workers tend to be even more productive due to higher morale, better work-life balance, and fewer distractions.
• Lessen employee churn – You are more likely to retain employees for longer when offering remote work. Employees feel worthy and trusted when offered this flexibility.

How to access a global talent pool

Remote work is beneficial for employers and employees alike. One of these benefits is access to worldwide markets and top international talent. However, hiring internationally gets complicated fast. To hire in foreign countries, you must adhere to different labor laws, legal processes, and tax requirements. The options for legally hiring remote talent abroad include:

• Establishing a foreign subsidiary
• Working with a professional employer organization (PEO)
• Working with an employer of record (EOR)

Setting up a subsidiary means establishing a foreign branch of your company that operates abroad. With a subsidiary established, you can hire employees legally and manage them abroad. However, the process to set up a foreign entity can be costly and complicated, as you have to:

• Register your business with the authorities
• Obtain work permits
• Set up a legal entity
• Hire local HR and accounting teams
• Comply with local labor laws

Luckily, there are better options for those who don’t have the time or resources to go about this process. Working with a professional employer organization (PEO) or an employer of record (EOR) allows you to hire and pay employees abroad with ease.

The main difference between an EOR and a PEO is that a PEO requires you to have a legal entity established abroad, while an EOR does not. This is because an EOR acts as the on-paper employer for your workers, taking the risks of legal compliance out of your hands.

Once you decide which option is best for your business, you can get started hiring globally in as little as 10 days with PEO and EOR services from Skuad.

How to find global candidates

To find top global employees, you’ll want to share your tailored, optimized job listings on relevant channels. Some job boards specific to remote work include:

• FlexJobs
• We Work Remotely
• JustRemote
• Indeed

As you’re hiring abroad, you’ll also want to make sure to be aware of cultural differences. Embracing cultural differences in your remote teams can bring a variety of new perspectives. However, it’s important to understand that communication styles, customs, and values may differ when hiring internationally.

Rather than carrying out the hiring process on your own, you can use a global hiring service like Skuad to discover, legally hire, and onboard top global talent for you.

How to manage a remote hiring pipeline

Managing a remote hiring pipeline is not unlike the in-person process. The main differences are that the hiring process will be done virtually, candidates will be reviewed on their abilities to work remotely, and onboarding will be tailored to a remote environment.

To have a successful remote hiring pipeline, recruiters should follow these steps:

1. Set hiring goals

Establishing clear goals for your hiring process will help guide you to take actionable steps in the right direction. Get clear on what qualities you’re looking for, how many employees you’re looking to hire, and the company culture you want to build.

2. Source candidates

Use your optimized job listings and create a clear strategy of how and where you will source candidates. This can be done on your own or with a global hiring partner like Skuad.

3. Review applications

Establish clear qualifications required for the role to make the review process efficient. Keep applications on file for future job openings to retain a pool of viable talent.

4. Contact applicants

Contact candidates who will be moving on to the next stage of the recruitment pipeline. Have an efficient interview process in place that will help you easily assess who is best for the remote role.

5. Maintain relationships

Create a positive experience with applicants by maintaining a relationship with them throughout the hiring process. Companies also have to show applicants why they should want to work for them.

Onboarding remote employees

Onboarding also looks different when hiring remotely. Remote employees may feel lost if a proper transition to their new role is unorganized. It’s important to make sure new employees feel welcomed, as they would in an office full of new coworkers. To onboard new remote employees, you should:

• Have a warm welcome – Set up an initial welcome meeting and send a personal care package, which can be virtual or mailed to their address.
• Schedule team meetings – Help new hires feel like a part of the team by scheduling introductory meetings with fellow team members.
• Have helpful training sessions – To help new hires feel confident in their job duties, provide training sessions on technology, their roles, and more.
• Provide the right tools – Providing equipment, communication channels, and other necessities from the start is essential.
• Schedule check-ins – Schedule regular check-ins with managers to allow questions, feedback, and encouragement.

How to handle employee churn with a well-managed remote-hiring pipeline

Luckily, offering remote work strengthens employee retention, making employee churn more manageable. However, some things to consider to better handle employee churn include:

• Nourish your company culture – Creating a positive remote environment is essential to retaining employees.
• Create a welcoming onboarding process – Making sure employees feel welcome and part of the team increases loyalty and morale.
• Secure employees over contractors – Hiring long-term employees instead of contractors increases employee retention.
• Maintain a pool of applications – Saving resumes and contacts makes hiring easier in the future.
• Use an employer of record – An EOR can help you manage your hiring pipeline with ease, for both domestic and global employees.

Conclusion

Maintaining a remote hiring pipeline is essential to ensuring the best hires for your business. Skuad is a global HR platform that helps companies hire top remote talent from around the world. Request a demo today to see how Skuad can help your business flourish.