Virtualization is gradually making its way into the market starting with office addresses, then space and now employees. It is a relatively new form of hiring in for the Human Resource professionals and many companies do not how to go about the process. In the years since predicted by many futurists, telecommuting has not just become a reality but many have taken it a notch higher.
Many organization, have successfully implemented the idea of abandoning the office headquarters and aren’t planning to return. Their survival is based on trust, empowerment, and results-based performance. They are open to the idea of hiring virtual employees and save as much cost as possible on the operational front. Hiring remotely is a new way of working which looks at the aptitude of the candidate and his fitment for the project.
But before you make the decision, here are a few helpful tips to follow when hiring your virtual staff –
1. Determine the Essentials
The requirements for in-office employees and virtual workers differ. If you must hire remote employees, look for employees who are self-motivated and self-disciplined. They must be effective communicators, results-oriented, resourceful, and technologically savvy.
You may find these characteristics basic, but if employees working from home don’t have them, impact on your organizational culture and performance can be huge.
A candidate’s cover letter is also a reflection of what he is ready to offer you rather than just interested in taking from you. Mention your requirements in detail for the right employees to apply as job descriptions for permanent employees differ from the virtual ones.
2. Conduct an Adequate Job Interview
Many employees find it easy to work from to manage and balance their lives better and they’re willing to make an extra effort in the job if it allows them to work from home.
Hiring managers conduct interviews through conference calls, video chats, and phone calls. In my opinion, a video call through skype or any other means is better than a phone call as it is closer to a face-to-face interview.
Determine whether candidates have that drive to work remotely as soon as possible in the interview process before hiring. There should be a motivating factor behind the candidates’ desire to work from home that makes it valuable to them.
3. Learn from Past Behaviors
Get to know your potential candidate in detail. Ask them about their past projects and experiences. This will help you establish a rapport with them before you start you make them a part of your project. Training mentoring the in-house employee is easy as they are right there when you need them. However, this is not the case with your virtual employee. He will need prior experience and knowledge to troubleshoot issues as they arise.
Before hiring your virtual employee, make sure he has the essential experience and knowledge to work independently with minimal assistance.
Soft skills are imperative when hiring remote staff. Clear communication in both written and spoken form is viable for your business as you. They should be able to meet deadlines and be flexible with timings. Check all these during interview process from the initial application to the reference checks.
4. Go Ahead and Test Them
Hiring a virtual employee can be a great financial move for your business and can save you lot of money. With a thorough search and use of proper applicant screening techniques, you can enjoy an efficient virtual staff who can boost your business.
As a final note, take note of the above points throughout the application process. Just listening to their answers is not enough. Analyze their responses that demonstrate how they’ll behave on the job. This needs to be a long-term relationship and you need to carefully assess it.
Hiring virtual employees with WebBee Global can be easy and secure in terms of getting well qualified and trained employees. Our resources are reliable, productive and dedicated towards their clients and projects. They work hard to handle complex projects and meet the deadlines as discussed.
We take care of their training and make sure that the project they work on is completed successfully with post deployment support from their end. Collaborate with us for hiring virtual employees for various technologies and e-commerce projects.
