Guest Author – Tina Martin – ideasinspired.com
Hiring remote workers for your business gives you a number of advantages. In addition to saving on the overhead associated with on-site staffers, since you aren’t limited by geography, you can hire the best of the best from anywhere in the country – or even the world! Finding the right staffers is one of the most important elements of business start-up, as is finding communities of like-minded entrepreneurs to collaborate with. Here are some tips on how to get started courtesy of Tina Martin.
What Kind Of Team Do You Need?
Give careful thought to the type of professionals who will be best suited for making your business a success. Do you need administrative support? Someone to handle logistics or technology? Maybe you need quality customer service or marketing expertise. Write up a job description for each role you need to fill. This allows you to consider the type of qualifications and experience you’re looking for. The job description also gives you the opportunity to outline the types of responsibilities the candidate will be taking on, as well as describe your expectations as the business owner.
Cast a Wide Net
To get the best people for your company, consider posting on job boards, particularly those that cater to remote work opportunities. If you’re in a niche industry, you can advertise through industry publications and forums. Social media and professional social networking sites are other good places to find top talent. Online job platforms are another venue for finding specialty professionals. Read reviews and ask about cost, availability, and turnaround time before hiring anyone. For a visual field like marketing, you can also ask for portfolio reviews.
Conduct In-Depth Interviews
If you’re hiring remote staff, you’ll probably be conducting interviews virtually as well. This will help you get a good feel for a candidate’s professionalism and personality. According to ADP, it’s important to be fair in the way you pose questions to candidates. Ask about how they manage their time and juggle multiple competing priorities. Also, inquire about their ability to work with remote teammates, and potentially, with clients. If you’re in different time zones, discuss issues around availability and flexibility for training and team meetings. You need to be confident that a person will perform their job well in a remote environment and be available as necessary.
Provide Onboard Training
Once you’ve hired your team, provide them with an employee handbook of some sort that outlines your policies around work schedules, leave, benefits (if applicable), and equipment usage. If you need to train people on new software or equipment, set a time to provide group tutorials. Also ensure that each team member is working with an up-to-date laptop and state-of-the-art headset to effectively communicate with their coworkers.
Also, get your team comfortable with one another by hosting a virtual meeting in which everyone introduces themselves, talks about their background and work experiences, and outlines their role on the team. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, new employees want to know your expectations, so get them off to a good start with thorough onboarding.
Have Regular Check-Ins
To keep your employees feeling like a cohesive unit, have regular team meetings with staff members. This is an opportunity to share successes, provide news and updates, talk about upcoming projects, and troubleshoot issues as necessary. It will also help people feel less isolated and better connected. Additionally, schedule regular one-on-one meetings with individual team members. This is a good time to set goals, track progress, and keep the business moving forward.
Remote teams can provide your business with the best of all worlds. So, whenever possible, look for ways your employees can grow with your company by providing them with professional development and growth opportunities. The result will be a win-win-win for you, your staffers, and your business.
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James Solomons 