Hiring workers remotely has never been easier. There are dozens of websites with hundreds of thousands of virtual assistants eager to help you scale your business.
The problem isn’t finding someone to hire remotely.
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The problem is hiring the RIGHT person.
Just like in the real world, people applying virtually may not always be telling the truth about their skillsets. When you need a job, some people stretch the truth a little.
The hiring process can be time-consuming, and once you hire someone, it takes a few days or weeks to realize if they weren’t the right candidate. That’s a lot of time invested to later throw away if your candidate ends up not being the right employee for you.
Here are some tips to help minimize chances of hiring the wrong applicant so you can get back to growing your business.
(pixabay / mohamed_hassan)
When you post your job opportunity online, be very specific.
Without specificity, skillsets are up for interpretation. You may be looking for a writer. An applicant replies that they write daily for several websites. You hire them, only to find out that their experience in writing was updating social media channels. Not exactly the type of writer that could keep your blog up to date.
In your job description, illustrate to those reading the posting that they must have skill XYZ, and that doesn’t mean they’re half-ass at it.
Cut to the chase. Unless you want to waste time interviewing half-eligible candidates, clearly communicate what skills you are NOT interested in just as much as you talk about what you are interested in.
Include an Easter egg in your job posting.
I like to include a request. Something like, “When you Skype me you must say, ‘Hello. I love the color blue and would like to apply for your super rad job.'”
By placing a specific request, you immediately weed out those that don’t read thoroughly or aren’t willing to follow instructions, as silly as they may be. If they can’t read and follow your instructions, why bother going any further with them?
Place your Easter egg somewhere in the middle of the job posting. Don’t include it in the first or last paragraphs. People skimming the listing may catch those. Place it obscurely in a random paragraph.
Once your job posting is outlined, specify to interested applicants on how you prefer that they contact you (i.e. email, Skype, etc.). This helps for 2 reasons.
- Saves you time by communicating through the method that you prefer.
- Cuts out people that don’t have (or are too lazy to download) Skype or whatever method of communication that you’d use long-term after you hire them. Wouldn’t it suck to go through all of the hiring process only for the applicant to tell you that they don’t have one of the major resources that you need to work with them?
You have to realize that many remote workers need any job. You will have 10 horrible applicants to find one good applicant. Then it will take 5 good applicants to find the one good hire that’s best for you.
