The rapid spread of Covid-19 across the globe is bringing about unprecedented change in the way we work and live. Business leaders more than ever are taking important steps to becoming remote-first. Remote working is no longer the future, it is right now and it’s here to stay.
In this guide, we share why hiring remote software engineers is beneficial to your business and provide a step-by-step method for attracting and hiring remote engineers. You’ll find out:
During challenging times you need your core software development team to be delivering vital services in the most resourceful way. Here are 3 major benefits of hiring remote engineer.
Behind every successful tech business is a team of talented engineers. Hence, recruitment plays a major role in hiring the right engineering talent. However, hiring remote engineers can be less straightforward. Here’s a step-by-step guide to hiring remote employees:
Clearly set out the expectations you seek from your remote engineers. You want engineers that match your organization’s DNA and values. Go beyond just technical aspects, because you want engineers that you can work alongside.
Consider the skill set required to excel at remote working. Here are a few remote working skills you’d want from your candidates:
Ensure that you have a clear understanding of the job role and expectations. Include elements within that answers questions such as:
Perform an initial phone screen on candidates to get to know if they are a good fit for the position before proceeding to the interview process. Share key information to set the expectations upfront, such as the interview process, how long it takes and the next steps. Build a rapport with the candidate and answer key questions.
Tech assessment can be helpful to measure technical skills. Yet, if it’s too complicated and long, it can deter even the most enthusiastic developers from going ahead, so make sure it’s to the point.
With a pre-employment assessment solution, you can test your candidates for all the skills they need to succeed in their remote roles. These pre-interview assessment tests might look deceptively simple, but they can unlock invaluable insights to help you make shortlisting decisions
While selected remote engineers will be expected to communicate via the internet, the best move is to invest in some real face time at the start of your cooperation.
Early face-time will help you get to know your new developers better, and give you the opportunity to personally assess and build an effective business relationship for the future.
Project Management Tools
Use project management tools for interview planning, and keeping track of remote job candidates.
Recruiting Software
Using a recruiting software helps you share your job posting with remote job candidates. Many tools also offer applicant tracking systems and allow you to screen applicants.
At Gapstars, we use Recruitee as our go-to talent acquisition platform. which enables swift applicant tracking. It’s a shared tool that provides complete transparency across the board.
Video Conferencing Software
Find the right video conferencing software to host remote interviews.
Consider the following tips to ensure candidates have a smooth experience during video interviews. You want candidates to be as confident as being in-person during interviews.
Check on your applicant’s location and time zone when scheduling the interview. Use simple video conferencing software that candidates are experienced and comfortable with.
Make sure your interview location and surrounding is clutter-free and quiet. Test the video conferencing software, your internet connection and hardware before the interview.
Ensure that the interview panel is well briefed on each candidate. Set out the goals for the video interview and the next steps.
Provide candidates with greater opportunities to express themselves. In-person interviews offer plenty of opportunities for elaborate discussions while video interviews can be expected to be brief. Ensure that the candidate feels listened to and given the time to answer properly.
With remote benefits such as flexibility and continuous connectivity come new challenges, such as different offices and time zones. So in reality, remote working requires a little more than just the technical ability to launch an office on the other side of the world.
Here are 3 best practices from our own experience with ‘going remote’.
The success of a good synergy between a company’s HQ and its remote development team starts with the conditions in which employees operate. Therefore, it’s important to pay attention to the following aspects.
Setting the tone from early on is essential. Teams tend to have certain activities, processes or things that they repeat – culture. Creating these traditions with your team members helps keep the team cohesive and trusted. Here’s a few key areas for building culture:
Offering your remote engineers learning and development opportunities, as well as informal ways to connect with peers, is a great way to foster employee engagement. Here are a few things to keep in mind: