Simon Fontaire, President, ARS Solution, gives a couple of tips on how to hire a teleworker with these 6 pertinent interview questions.
More and more companies turn toward hiring teleworkers, for more reasons than just the ones related to the Covid-19 pandemic prevention measures.
This type of work permits access to a large pool of potential resources, to attract better candidates, to provide a better quality of life to current employees, etc. According to certain studies, these employees are more productive, enjoy a greater level of professional satisfaction and general well-being.
Let’s be frank : not everybody has what it takes to work from home full-time. The good news is that the best teleworkers have a lot in common. You can find them by asking some strategic questions during interviews.
1. What is the most ambitious project you have always dreamed of?
- Evaluated aptitude : self-motivation
Remote contacts between managers and employees are inevitably less frequent than with office workers. You need to know that they will work effectively without constantly checking on them.
Self-motivated people will have a solid response to this question. They like challenges and stay focused on them, no matter what.
2. Tell me about a time you took a calculated risk but failed
- Evaluated aptitude : growth oriented personality
Collaboration practices that worked well in former jobs might not work in this one. Especially if your team isn’t used to having teleworkers, or if it is the first teleworking experience of the candidate.
You need someone flexible, perseverant, eager to experiment, and who doesn’t pretend to already know the best way to do things. These are key elements in a growth-oriented and continuously improving state of mind.
3. If hired, what is the first thing you would like to work on?
- Evaluated aptitude : communication skills
It is unlikely that an interviewed candidate will have sufficient information to respond with certainty. And that’s the point. A good teleworker will ask questions immediately :
- What are the teams’ current priorities?
- What projects are currently underway?
- What have we tried that hasn’t worked?
Once they have enough information to formulate a response, look for candidates who go straight to the point.
It’s equally important that teleworkers communicate openly and efficiently via many platforms : emails, chats, live discussions etc. Take the time to incorporate as many mediums as possible during the interview to have a broad idea of their communication skills.
4. What are the 3 things that stuck with you related to…
- Evaluated aptitude : initiative
This question varies depending on the type of position you wish to fill. If you’re trying to fill a marketing or graphic design position, ask them what struck them about your website.
If you’re filling a finance position, ask what struck them about last quarter’s numbers, etc. « What struck you about the values of our company? » – is a good versatile question.
What you are trying to see here, is to what degree the candidate is proactive. Did they take the initiative to do research on your organisation?
5. What worries you about lacking group synergy?
- Evaluated aptitude : self-awareness
Even the most introverted workers need some social cohesion. How does your candidate plan on developing it? Here, the answer doesn’t really matter, it’s just to see how teleworking will affect them and what they would do to adapt.
In an office, people look at one another (“Hey you look really tired today – are you okay?”)
6. What attracts you the most in this position?
- Evaluated aptitude : determination
Efficient workers are hyperengaged in their work, and it shows. Ideally they will say they are impassioned about the company’s mission or excited at the idea to use new skills.
However, whatever their answer, make sure that their personal objectives are aligned with yours. It is harder to keep up to date on personal objectives and those of the company when someone works at a distance.
