Tips On Recruiting Remotely and Finding Remote Work

As job seekers, what can you do right now to improve your chances of finding a remote job?  And as an employer, what's the best way to hire remote during a pandemic? We spoke with Nina Cofer, Breezy HR's Product Marketing Manager for some insight. Breezy HR is a top recruiting software company that helps hundreds of companies source and hire great candidates with less effort.


Thanks for being here, Nina! What can job seekers do right now to improve their chances of finding a remote job?

Thank you for having me! The best thing you can do right now as a job seeker is to update your resume. Make sure it has all of your latest accomplishments and is relevant to the position you are applying for. Along with an updated resume, start visiting remote job boards and searching for specific roles that you qualify for.

Know your remote work technology! You should already be familiar with tools like Slack and Zoom, but if you aren’t get up to speed quickly. If you see a remote position that you like that requires other remote tools, make sure you do your research and implement them into your daily work environment.

Have an area in your home that is et up for work. This keeps you organized, focused and shows your potential employer that you are ready to take on remote work.

If a candidate has applied for a remote position and does not have the basic necessities down and in place, this can cause them to be disqualified. Not being familiar with common remote working technology like Slack or Zoom could indicate they may have a learning curve when it comes to working remotely. The same goes for whether or not the candidate has a proper remote work environment set up, which usually includes a separate room or desk for their work to take place.

Another reason may be that the candidate is uncomfortable doing video interviews. When working remotely, video is a part of the job. Seeing your remote employees face to face on video for meetings or check-ins is a strong key to success. 

There are still desirable jobs available right now, especially remote. If you are willing and able to work remotely and have a good sense of what the challenges might be, you can set yourself up for success by building a remote work process that works for you. 

Start searching for remote jobs on niche boards like We Work Remotely where you know your skills will best fit.

Considering remote candidates widens your talent pool to more qualified candidates with big talent, no matter where they are located. Before hiring remote talent, clearly define your company culture and how you want your remote workforce flexibility to be structured. Setting specific metrics and goals that will be required based on the role is a sure way to keep expectations and performance high.

If you interview a candidate and they seem to have remote working down pat and have a great personality for the job, but lack a few of the necessary skills that the position requires, consider hiring for soft skills and training them in the areas where they need to grow. This gives you the flexibility to hire someone that would be a great culture-add to the team and help them flourish in their role at the company.

Where you post your open jobs matters. Picking remote, niche and diversity job boards will increase your chances of finding candidates that are the best match for your position. 

There can be a lot of uncertainty when hiring during a pandemic, so try focusing on what you can control. You can control your hiring process and how you interview your candidates. Take a moment to write down your exact hiring process and the metrics you want to analyze.

Make the most out of your video interviews, especially if you are used to interviewing candidates in person. Get to know your candidates and show the human side of your hiring process by starting the conversation with some small talk, or asking them to show you around their home office. Little things can make a candidate feel much more comfortable, allowing them to let their personality shine during the interview. 

Remember, just as you will have some work from home distractions, so will your candidates. Try to be sensitive to children at home, dogs barking or having to move schedules around.

Providing a cover letter is super important to most companies even today. Cover letters can be a defining factor in setting yourself apart from another candidate with similar qualifications. This is the opportunity to showcase why you are uniquely qualified for the position.

Many applications are followed up with questionnaires to further assess your fit for the role. Not filling out the questionnaire completely can disqualify you from consideration or make it seem like you didn’t give it your all.

Having a clear and concise resume is key. Recruiters want to see your skills in an easily digestible way which usually includes stating the facts with data points rather than using a lot of fluffy industry jargon. 

Prepare your resume for the exact position you are applying for so the hiring manager can see right off the bat how well qualified you are for the position.

If you already have a pool of super talented passive candidates, it’s time to get them motivated! These passive candidates may need an extra push at this high-risk time to consider discussing a position with you or switching jobs. 

Give these candidates all of the info upfront including the benefits they can expect, salary, and company culture expectations so you can put their mind at ease and give them a sense of security.

Find out what means the most to your passive candidates when looking at a new position whether it be extra health benefits, more vacation days, flex time, and see if you can accommodate these added perks.