recruting

The Art of Nailing the Interview for a Remote Position

With remote work being increasingly offered by employers, job seekers are more likely to consider such roles in this digital age. The idea of working from home, a coffee shop, or anywhere can be an appealing alternative to slogging through rush hour traffic.

But how can you put your best foot forward when interviewing for remote work positions when the hiring manager can’t even see, well… your foot? Be prepared for your next remote position interview with these tips.

Where will you be working from?

While hiring managers don’t need to know all the details of your ergonomic desk setup, they will feel more confident about hiring you if they have an idea of how you will be working. Is it from your home? A local coffee shop? Do you travel frequently and across time zones? Are there certain times of the day where you can be expected to be offline, to take care of children or do other errands? Managers understand that remote workers want to enjoy a certain level of flexibility in their day-to-day schedules, but also want to know that you have an established method of working.

How do you prioritize tasks?

When working remotely, your boss isn’t standing right behind you or sitting in an office down the hallway. There’s a certain level of initiative and focus that is expected of remote workers, to get the job done without being micromanaged. Hiring managers will want to know how you prioritize tasks and provide timely updates so they can rely on you to do your job no matter where you are. If you use any time tracking or project management tools, be sure to mention them and explain why you like using them.

How do you stay connected with your team while working remotely?

For some people, remote work can feel isolating if there’s no other human interaction during the day. So how do you connect with teammates you have never met before in-person? How do you establish relationships with them? Do you still have weekly 1-on-1 meetings with your colleagues, or virtual coffee chats? Is there a Slack channel where you can discuss fun topics or share daily jokes? If it’s someone’s birthday, perhaps you can send them a custom-made birthday emoji. Get creative with your efforts and you’ll find that there are a number of ways to build and maintain virtual working relationships with your colleagues.

archive, career, employment, hiring