Hire Remote Workers: 7 Mistakes I Initially Made

Even after they start working for your company, it's not until then that you will know whether or not they are the right pick for the position.
If you want to know how to become a Remote Recruiting Superstar and what you need to avoid, this post is for you!
Managing mistakes is a major challenge for any company, and hiring remote workers is no exception. As the employer, you want to be sure that you are hiring someone who will not only do their job well but at the same time also fits in with your team culture.
It can take up precious time and energy to find the right person, so it’s important to know what steps to take before embarking on this process. In this blog post, we will explore how you can hire remote workers more efficiently by avoiding common pitfalls such as inefficient screening and bad hires.
But before we take a look at these common mistakes, let’s take a quick look at the reasons why hiring remote workers might be beneficial for your business.
Why hiring remote workers is the shizzle
For some people, it might be difficult to imagine working remotely at first because you aren’t used to it. But in reality, there are many benefits of hiring remote workers, so you might be missing out if your company hasn’t yet embraced the concept. In the gaming industry, it's pretty common to Hire Game Developers.
- First, working with people spread all over the world will allow you to access a wider pool of potential employees. You don’t have to limit your search geographically, and the best part is that some people might be willing to relocate for the right opportunity.
- Second, working remotely also allows your team members more freedom because they are not limited by their location or hours spent in one place. They might be able to work from home, coffee shops, or any other location that is more convenient for them.
- Finally, hiring remote workers will also help you save a lot of money and resources because this kind of job requires less overhead than in-house employees do. You don’t have to worry about physical space or equipment costs anymore which can be a huge relief for many companies.
7 things I wished I knew when Hiring
Now that we have seen some of the benefits of hiring remote workers, let’s take a look at how to improve your process and avoid common pitfalls when you are recruiting these kinds of employees. I learned these lessons when I tried to hire Remote Developers for the first time.
#1 I didn't understand the importance of a job description
It is a common mistake to just post a job listing online and start receiving applications right away without knowing what the purpose of your hire is.
You should give more thought to how this person will be able to help you grow as a business before even starting with this process. You need them because they bring value not only to themselves but also to your company.
Before you start looking for the right candidate, write down a proper job description that includes details about their responsibilities and qualifications. If you have an existing employee who is going to do this role on top of his main job, make sure they understand what kind of tasks he will be doing every day before signing any agreements with them.
This process will also help you determine the type of person who would be ideal for this role, their level of experience, and if they even have what it takes to do that kind of work remotely (especially when communication is key).
If possible, make sure your job listing reflects these details to attract qualified applicants only. But remember that it is not easy to find the right person, so you will probably need to make a compromise and look for an average candidate who can do some of those things well enough.
#2 I was too focused on work experience and not enough on cultural fit
When you are trying to hire remote workers, it is easy to focus too much on their previous experience and not enough on how they will fit in with the rest of your team.
This was probably one of my biggest mistakes when I started looking for new employees because I was so caught up focusing only on what skills they could bring that I didn’t think about how they would fit in with the rest of my team.
I wish I had understood sooner that work experience is not enough for this kind of job (especially when someone has never done it before) and you also need to make sure their personality will be a good match. This person needs to have great communication skills, motivation, and be an all-around nice person.
If at some point you decide to hire someone who has already worked remotely before, make sure their work experience matches your expectations because it might not be enough for this kind of job if they have never done anything similar.
Also, if you are hiring a consultant or freelancer instead of an employee, make sure you understand how they work, what are their fees for this kind of job, and if it is worth your money before giving them a try.
#3 I created an exhaustive list of requirements for my remote workers
Before you start looking for employees to hire, make sure your requirements are realistic and reasonable. You can’t ask someone to have experience in all of these areas if they never worked remotely before because it is just impossible.
You don’t want to miss out on great applicants who would be perfect for this job but lack some skills that are not so important.
For example, experience with a specific system is probably less relevant for this kind of job because you can train them on that piece of software if it’s required to do the work successfully.
It will also be easier for you to find what applicants lack before calling them and trying to sell your company benefits instead.
You should also make a list of all the things you want them to have or know but don’t require. For example, knowing how to use certain software is great because it makes their life easier when working remotely, but it doesn’t mean they are not eligible for this job if they never used that specific program before.
#4 I hired one person at a time instead of hiring in bulk to save money
Hiring remote workers one by one is a long, exhausting process that will take several months at least. But hiring one person at a time can end up being more expensive if the first person doesn’t work out because then you will need to replace him or her before continuing with the next one.
It was a mistake to hire my first employees before I had enough experience with this kind of job and the work it requires, so I didn’t have time to screen them as much as necessary. If you want your company not only to survive but also thrive in such competitive industries, then you will need to know what you are doing.
You should never hire someone full-time without giving them a trial period first because it can end up being more expensive than hiring several people at once. You don’t have to worry about increasing your expenses too much if you are smart enough, so make sure you take advantage of the opportunity before it is gone!
#5 My first hires had no supervision, so they were underutilized or not used appropriately
It’s not just about hiring someone who can do the job but also making sure they are using their time wisely when working remotely. For example, you should specify what days and hours they need to work so that your company is getting their full potential without wasting any energy on unnecessary tasks or activities that aren't related to this kind of job.
It’s a good idea to arrange their schedule so that they can have free time during the day or at least different times of day when they don’t need to be focused on anything specific if their tasks require switching back and forth between them. This way, you will prevent burnouts which happen easily with remote work because it’s stressful and tiring even if you love your job.
Without knowing what to expect from them, your company will fail to achieve its goals and you won’t get the results that are expected. If this happens frequently, it can lead to a serious problem with motivation because everyone wants to feel like they do make a difference at their workplace.
#6 It took me a long time to realize that it was important for my remote employees to have access to customer service software
To manage a remote team you must have software that allows your employees to easily communicate with customers. These tools will help them solve problems faster and improve customer satisfaction which is vital for making money in this business.
If you want to check how effective these applications are, just try using one of them yourself by signing up at their websites or apps on your phone and see how it goes. If you don't have the time or patience to do so, then ask your employees for their opinion about these programs because they will be using them on a daily basis anyway.
They might need some training before getting used to this kind of software but if they can master its use by themselves without much effort, then you will end up saving a lot of time and energy that would be wasted on teaching them how to do this.
It can’t hurt to provide your employees with these applications if they need it either because the price is not high and their benefits are enormous!
#7 Finally, I was too picky about finding the perfect person for
I was trying to find someone who I could trust right from the start and it took me a long time to make my decision, but in reality, this wasn’t necessary. It is important that you like your employees because then you will be able to develop an effective working relationship with them. You can't expect professionals who are used to remote work to do everything you want if they don’t feel like it.
If your company is small, then you might be able to monitor them closely and provide detailed instructions about what needs to get done without any problems, but this will become increasingly difficult as the size of your business grows or when there are more remote employees working for you. If you are the only one who is responsible for your business, you can cut down on hiring processes and make sure that everyone follows all of your instructions to achieve maximum results.
Conclusion
If you want to be successful with hiring remote workers, you must make the right decisions from the start. If you plan on working with a team of employees who will be spending most of their time away from work, then there are certain things that they need to maximize productivity and customer satisfaction.
It's also essential that you find a way to build a positive relationship with each employee because this will allow them to feel more appreciated which increases loyalty and motivation.
Finally, you need to stop looking for the perfect person and hire someone who is a good fit instead.
So, what's your experience with remote work? Can you share it in the comment section below?